Ever since she had an open and honest talk with the Seventh Lord, a situation emerged—the Seventh Lord and his small circle launched a campaign of pursuit and blockade against her. They were determined to follow one principle: keep her where she was, where everyone could see her with their own eyes. Looking was permitted, but having designs on her or secretly trying to get close to her was forbidden. The Seventh Lord’s so-called fairness meant that in an open and just environment, he was allowed to occasionally act spoiled and temperamental, but the Twelfth Lord was not permitted to show tenderness or cast meaningful glances at her.

Of course, there was no explicit rule about this, but Ding Yi had come to understand this from his every move. There were several times when the Twelfth Lord came to see her, and as lovers always wanted to have intimate conversations, they would just begin to speak when they would see the Seventh Lord drifting by from some corner with a gloomy face, frightening them into silence. After a slight pause, when they tried to open their mouths again, he would pretend to casually wander over, loudly singing, “Zhuge Liang waits at the enemy tower, waiting for you to come and have a heart-to-heart talk,” swaggering with exaggerated movements while looking back at them, making it impossible for them to live in peace.

The Twelfth Lord was irritated and frowned, saying, “Sha Tong acted on his own, and I punished him by making him kneel in the snow for two hours. If I had known earlier, I would never have let you go. Look at the situation now—we can’t even speak without watching his face. It’s truly suffocating.”

Though he complained, it wasn’t yet to the point of being mortal enemies, and they both understood the situation. Ding Yi smiled and said, “We still have a long way to go, so don’t worry about immediate gains and losses. Don’t blame Sha Tong either; it’s rare to find someone so sensible, and he’s doing it for your good. The Seventh Lord can’t watch me twenty-four hours a day; there will be times when he’s not around. I can visit you just the same.”

The two of them were secretly sneaking around under the Seventh Lord’s nose, which felt both infuriating and amusing.

Despite this, the Seventh Lord was still dissatisfied. He would bristle at the sight of the Twelfth brother and would always find ways to needle him in conversation. While eating together, he would sow discord at the dining table. When Hong Ce ignored him, he would continue to provoke him even after the meal was finished, sucking his teeth and taunting, “Yesterday I strained a muscle, and neither acupuncture nor cupping helped. Later, Little Tree said, ‘My Lord, let me loosen your muscles,’ and as soon as she touched my shoulders—hey, the cure was instant! It turns out she is my perfect medicine!”

The Twelfth Lord’s expression darkened, but being a person of restraint, he didn’t engage with him at the same level. Yet the Seventh Lord kept staring at him, not letting it go, so the Twelfth Lord casually retorted, “How does Seventh Brother keep getting a stiff neck? You should be more careful! Stone Tao from the Ministry of Works once missed his footing when dismounting and broke his neck on a bench, leaving him paralyzed. You keep twisting your neck; if it happens too many times, it’s not good. Stone Tao was in his sixties or seventies, so it wasn’t critical, but you’re in your prime. Take care of yourself—there’s still a long road ahead.”

After saying this, he left, leaving the Seventh Lord extremely angry. What terrible behavior! This guy was cursing him in a roundabout way. To be so hostile to his brother over a woman—did he have any shame?

The two brothers continued to view each other with mutual disdain as they traveled from Changbai Mountain to Ningguta.

The climate in Ningguta was truly as described in the documents—December brought blinding visibility. However, upon arriving, they discovered that beyond the severe cold, there were also dazzling local customs and scenery, such as warriors on horseback amid the flying snow, and the eternal melancholy contained in the setting sun over the long river.

The current state of this place was not as isolated as imagined. Before coming, they had thought that exiles all wore animal skins—armored men living like barbarians, eating raw meat and drinking blood—but it wasn’t like that at all. The days when there were no dwellings as far as the eye could see were in the past. Ningguta was rich in ginseng and sable fur, and since August, it had established markets with Hoeryong in Korea, creating a highly developed trade route. Walking through the streets, one could often hear accents from various regions, all from merchants doing business, raising their voices to haggle over prices, creating a bustling prosperity that rivaled even the capital.

The prosperity was superficial; how turbulent the undercurrents were was something that officials on assignment all understood. The court had earlier sent Lu Yuan from the Ministry of War as a vanguard, and more than five months had passed since then. Those in charge here must have put on a good show of compliance. To uncover the truth, charging straight into the General’s Office would be like announcing their intentions to the world. They needed to split into two groups: one taking the official road, the other making secret inquiries. Ningguta encouraged bannermen to farm and trade. Once bannermen became wealthy, who would want to do hard labor? What to do about the allocated fields that no one cultivated? Buy people, of course. The official servants from the imperial estates were driven to the human market, where a strong laborer might cost only a few taels of silver or strings of coins, working harder than beasts yet not worth half the price of a mule or horse.

However, these were unwritten rules. The General’s explanation for the sharp decline in the Aha population was that the old, weak, and sick had died, and the accounts showed no discrepancies. This time, they had come to investigate thoroughly. How to prove that ten thousand people had died without evidence? There was only one crude method: exhume the graves and examine the corpses. The Aha dead were generally buried in the same place; though flesh and blood had rotted, bones remained. With about a dozen coroners, they could determine age from teeth and bones, and no one could fool them.

Ding Yi followed to a desolate plain, looking at the undulating graves in the distance, and sighed, “How many Aha are buried here, far from home, all died in this place.”

“Each has their fate,” said the Seventh Lord, adjusting the rabbit fur earmuffs on his ears. “If they hadn’t committed crimes, would they have ended up like this? Death is a release. If they were sold to the Tartars, forced to bite on bits, lying on the ice pulling ice carts—people torturing people—they wouldn’t rest until you were dead.”

She felt chilled to hear this and turned to look at the Twelfth Lord. He wore a red woolen cap symbolizing longevity, and under his sable cloak, his arrow sleeves were properly folded. He stood squinting on the embankment, the pale sunlight shining on his face, giving him a cold and distant detachment. He raised the riding crop in his hand, pointing to the distance, and said in a chilly voice, “Have people cordon off this area. Has Lu Yuan established himself here or not? Tomorrow, order him to gather men to dig section by section, check against the register on the spot, and see exactly how many are missing. I know there’s a human market at the Suifen River, and Aha from the estates may have been sent there. We can’t ignore this—once we loosen our grip, we’ll lose control. Investigate thoroughly for me. Since we’ve come this far, we must get to the bottom of this, no matter what.”

The men below responded with a loud “Yes!” The Seventh Lord found his commanding and arrogant manner very distasteful and turned his face away with a sneer.

Since they weren’t staying at the garrison, they had to find an ordinary inn for lodging. Everyone was dressed in traveling clothes, and with many military personnel coming and going to Ningguta, there were no restrictions, and no one paid particular attention to them. After freezing on the road through wind and snow, they settled in and sought hot water and charcoal. Ding Yi had developed chilblains from pulling the reins, which itched unbearably when warmed. After hanging up the birdcage, she went out and found a corner without eaves where the sunlight was abundant and perfect for relief. Without a word, she leaned against the wall and prepared to rub chili on her chilblains.

The door beside her opened, and a hand reached out, pulling her inside. She looked up and asked, “You live here?”

He made an affirmative sound, took the chili from her hand, opened the window, and threw it out. “Who taught you this method? The skin there is thin; such a strong substance would scrape the skin raw and cause it to fester.”

She said lazily, “It itches terribly.”

He glanced at her, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, took her hand, and patiently massaged it, saying, “We’ll be staying in Ningguta for a while, and you won’t be riding horses. Keep warm and promote blood circulation when you have time; it will get better soon.”

She let him work, looking down, feeling warm inside. In the past, when she had her monthly period, she had to endure the excruciating pain, but now even a small chilblain was being cared for. She truly felt that her life was complete.

He pulled her to sit down. It was a south-facing room, with light flowing in through the window, shining directly on the blue brick in front of them. Like a child, she moved over a bit and stretched her feet into that patch of light, happy even if she couldn’t feel the warmth. Turning to look at him, she softly called his name. Although he couldn’t hear, he always seemed to sense it, detecting whenever she spoke. She said, “Are you going to the Suifen River? I’ve seen the human market before—a large wooden platform where people are driven onto it like livestock for buyers to select. Below is a circle of guards like black towers; whoever dares to cause trouble gets beaten. I’m worried about you going there.”

He smiled and said, “I’ve seen such things many times; I know what to do. Besides, princes practice bukū from childhood; I won’t just stand there and be beaten.”

The day he came to rescue her, he had taken down all of the Seventh Lord’s dozen or so guards, so his martial skills must be quite good. But women tend to worry; it’s in their nature. Even if she wasn’t capable, just watching over him would put her mind at ease.

“I’ll go with you,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Don’t let the Seventh Lord know; take me with you!”

He said it wasn’t possible. “There will be many eyes and various people. What if something goes wrong?” He understood her thoughts—seeing each other every day with the Seventh Lord standing like a mountain between them, every meeting had to be secretive. If they could avoid him and be together without worries, even for just one day, she would be content. He looked at her with affection—how could he not want the same? He only feared she might get hurt. “Listen to me. I’ll finish the job quickly, and when we return to the capital, everything will be fine. We’ll be together every day.”

She pulled at the corner of her mouth helplessly. “Can you come back tomorrow? The day after is New Year’s Eve; we’ll be celebrating the New Year.”

Only when she mentioned it did he remember that the New Year was approaching. Having been traveling constantly, he had lost track of the days. In Da Ying, there was this custom of having a reunion dinner at the end of the year, which was considered a good omen, ensuring they could be together every year. He calculated: from Ningguta to the Suifen River, even rushing back and forth in such a short time would be tight, not to mention having business to attend to! Should he leave her behind and let the Seventh Lord arrange to spend the New Year with her? Thinking of this, he became unwilling. He had been annoyed with Seventh Brother lately—his shadow was everywhere, like a lingering ghost. The Seventh Lord was willful and unreasonable, and no one could do anything about it. Yet it wouldn’t look good to openly break with him, and Hong Ce was upholding the gentleman’s agreement. How could he pick a fight? It would be better to take her along, at least to prevent the Seventh Lord from taking advantage. With himself not here and her staying behind, it might be even more dangerous than going to the Suifen River.

He let out a long sigh. “We’ll leave at the fifth watch tomorrow. Don’t tell anyone, or the Seventh Lord will know and secretly follow us again.”

She was overjoyed and quickly stood up, keeping her voice down, “Then I’ll go back and pack now. Wait for me.”

As she was about to leave, he pulled her back. “If you pack now, people will notice. We’re not staying long, just two or three days before returning. Just bring some silver, and that’s enough.” He looked her over. “Let’s see if there are any women’s clothes there. The market by the river is said to be even bigger than Ningguta’s… I want to see how you look in a dress.”

Ding Yi’s face reddened slightly. Looking at him again, his eyes were evasive, probably feeling embarrassed as well. She grinned, deflecting with a joke, “I’ve always dressed like a man. Are you like the Seventh Lord, suspecting yourself of being homosexual?”

He thought seriously for a moment, then nodded and said yes, “My brothers and I probably all have this silly streak. At first, I was also pondering how to report this matter to the Retired Emperor and the Noble Consort. Later, when I learned the truth, I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep all night, feeling that heaven had not treated me badly, that I could still have descendants.”

This was quite a straightforward talk, and though it was a natural concern, it was still embarrassing to speak of. She quickly changed the subject with a laugh, “I’ve never figured out exactly how I gave myself away. I’ve mingled in the marketplace for over ten years, living with my martial brother day and night, and he never knew.”

He coughed and said, “Your martial brother is muddleheaded… That time when the Seventh Lord’s bird was poisoned, we went to the bird market, and on the way back, I said I wanted to hear your voice, and you pulled my hand to your throat… Normal men have Adam’s apples when they reach a certain age; a smooth throat belongs to either a woman or a eunuch.”

She suddenly realized, “I understand now, so you were deliberately looking for clues. Oh, it’s really… like my martial brother, he’s just a simpleton. After knowing me for so many years, he always thought I was a man.”

Hong Ce looked somewhat proud and said casually, “Fate is determined by heaven. If people had known earlier that you were a girl, it probably wouldn’t have been my turn.”

They looked at each other and smiled, and even this cold morning no longer seemed difficult to endure. However, worried that the Seventh Lord might become suspicious if they sat too long, they left shortly afterward. As luck would have it, just as they reached the hall, they ran into the Seventh Lord. Ding Yi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was fortunate they had left quickly; one step later, and he would have come looking for them again. She gathered her spirits and greeted him, “Where is the master going?”

The Seventh Lord said, “I was looking for you.” He pulled out a hairpin from his sleeve pocket—a gold-inlaid jade step-shake hairpin—showed it to her, and then directly removed her warm hat and inserted it into her bun. He looked at it from left to right, thinking it was quite beautiful. “My Tree is naturally good-looking, how elegant when dressed up! Look at these bright and dignified eyes, which woman could have such a generous appearance?” As he spoke, he examined her again. The guard uniform paired with the step-shake hairpin created an incongruous impression. After the trial wearing, he removed it and placed the hairpin in her hand. “Keep it well, and use it when you change into women’s clothes. By then, I’ll find you a rabbit fur cap, and with this hairpin inserted on top, you’ll look just like a master’s lady.”

She said she didn’t want it and pushed it back, “This servant doesn’t like to wear jewelry, thank you for your kindness.”

“No, you must accept it, or it would be looking down on me,” the Seventh Lord happily asked her, “So, has the Twelfth Lord given you any headpieces? No, right? I knew it. He would rather stay up all night without sleeping than spend money. How stingy he is! Not only stingy, but he also loves to show off. Look at how arrogant he was today—we’re all imperial envoys, why is he the only one giving orders? Did he ask for my opinion? If he wants to show off, let him. Digging up dead people’s bones is not accumulating good karma! I am a kind-hearted person. Once a person is buried, they should rest in peace; I don’t want to disturb them. As for old Twelfth, he’s really like the God of the Year, having no taboos…” After listing all of the other’s faults, he began to envision the future, “The New Year is coming soon, and we’ll be another year older. The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. I’m hosting a banquet in my room, inviting only you. You must come. When you come, we can have a good talk. Would you prefer to live in the prince’s mansion, or would you like to have a small courtyard of your own? Tree, I’ve been thinking for several days and can’t wait to return to the capital. I must propose marriage before old Twelfth does. It’s not right to keep things hanging like this. You’re my bondservant; it’s natural for a servant to marry a master. Let’s get married here in Ningguta. Isn’t that a brilliant idea?” Having finished speaking, he felt very pleased and burst into laughter.