In the days that followed, Cui Xun continued to be absent from his residence. Li Ying recuperated alone in the study. Even at night, she made a habit of keeping a lamp lit; the flickering light gave her heart a little comfort. Otherwise, she felt as if she were still trapped in the Lotus Pond—pitch black without a trace of light.

She dared not touch Cui Xun’s ebony bookshelf again. When she walked along the wall, she deliberately avoided the bookshelf. The mute servant still came daily to clean, but unlike before, he now brought a few flowers each time, placing them in the Yue kiln celadon vase on the qin table by the window. Sometimes they were winter jasmine, sometimes azaleas, sometimes crabapple blossoms. The vibrant flowers in the room considerably alleviated Li Ying’s melancholy mood.

After cleaning, the mute servant would specifically open the wooden window. Through the lattice, Li Ying could see new buds on the willow trees outside, their tender green branches swaying in the wind. Several swallows fluttered their wings, landing on the branches, bending the willow tips before flying away again. The spring scenery was picturesque, a feast for the eyes. Li Ying sat at the qin table by the window, resting her chin on her hand. She couldn’t help saying to the mute servant who was kneeling nearby, arranging winter jasmine: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

The mute servant seemed not to hear her and continued silently arranging the winter jasmine. Li Ying sighed. How could she forget? The mute servant couldn’t see or hear her. Only Cui Xun could see and hear her. When Cui Xun wasn’t around, her situation wasn’t much different from when she had been trapped in the Lotus Pond.

So she turned her head again, resting her chin on her hand, watching the peach blossoms and willows outside. This time, through the window lattice, she saw a young man in a black round-collared robe entering.

According to the Great Zhou regulations, butchers and merchants wore black clothing. Li Ying immediately recognized him as the ghost merchant, Yu Fuwei.

Yu Fuwei looked around and then spotted Li Ying sitting by the window. He smiled slightly at her, then bowed to the mute servant: “Old sir, may I ask if Young Lord Cui is at home?”

The mute servant straightened up and shook his head.

Yu Fuwei said: “I am the merchant Yu Fuwei. Young Lord Cui did business with me about ten days ago. May I wait for the Young Lord in the study?”

The mute servant didn’t make things difficult for Yu Fuwei, but calmly nodded. After arranging the winter jasmine, he left the study. Yu Fuwei scratched his head and said to Li Ying, “Will my presence here disturb the Princess?”

Li Ying also smiled slightly: “Not at all. If you could talk with me, I would be very happy.”

Yu Fuwei then carefully knelt beside Li Ying. His first glance fell on the vibrant winter jasmine in the Yue kiln celadon vase on the qin table. He reached out to touch the tender yellow petals: “I never expected Young Lord Cui to have such refined taste.”

Li Ying reflexively asked: “Shouldn’t he like flowers?”

Yu Fuwei clicked his tongue: “It doesn’t seem like him.”

Li Ying then recalled that during her previous meetings with Cui Xun, there had indeed never been flowers in his study. The emperors of the Great Zhou had always been fond of the art of flower arrangement. Her father had particularly loved it, influencing a trend among the people. From high officials and famous scholars to common folk, everyone would place fresh flowers in vases in their homes. In winter, they would arrange wax plum blossoms. But in Cui Xun’s room, there wasn’t even a single sprig of wax plum.

So Li Ying said, “Young Lord Cui indeed didn’t seem to appreciate flowers before.”

Yu Fuwei played with the emerald-green stems of the winter jasmine and smiled: “If the Princess says so, I might think that Young Lord Cui placed these winter jasmine here for the Princess.”

Li Ying’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and her reaction was strong: “How could that be possible?”

Seeing her earnest denial, Yu Fuwei just smiled: “Indeed, it’s not possible.”

Li Ying’s face was still somewhat pale. Yu Fuwei changed the subject: “By the way, how is the Princess’s injury?”

“Except that I still can’t be exposed to sunlight, it’s almost healed,” Li Ying said. “Speaking of which, I must thank you for the myrobalan fruit.”

“The myrobalan fruit is nothing to me.”

“How did you know it was I who was injured?”

“Young Lord Cui sought medicine from me to treat a ghost. Who else could be the ghost by his side? It was easy to guess.”

“I see.” Li Ying nodded and sincerely said, “I am deeply indebted to you and have no way to repay. In the future, if you ever need Li Ying’s help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

When she spoke these words, her eyes were full of sincerity and frankness. Though she was a ghost, she was still the noble princess of the empire. Yu Fuwei, born in the marketplace, a mere merchant, had always been looked down upon by nobles and aristocrats and had never been respected like this before. His heart rippled slightly with emotion, and his previously casual posture unconsciously straightened. He sat up straight and lowered his head: “The Princess is too kind.”

He paused, then suddenly asked: “Is the Princess’s childhood name ‘Bright Moon Pearl’?”

Li Ying was taken aback. She made an “mm” sound of agreement. Yu Fuwei looked at the vibrant spring scene outside the study. The magnolia tree in the courtyard had also bloomed, pure and beautiful like pearls and jade, and like the bright moon. Yu Fuwei said, “Bright Moon Pearl—a beautiful name.”

Li Ying pressed her lips together. Bright Moon Pearl was her childhood name, and she wasn’t accustomed to other men calling her that. Yu Fuwei sensed this and knocked his head: “I apologize for being presumptuous again, Princess.”

Having said that, he took out a bead from his brocade pouch. When the bead was first revealed, it emitted dazzling, radiant light. Li Ying couldn’t help but ask: “What is this?”

“A Buddha’s relic.”

Li Ying gasped: “A Buddha’s relic?”

Buddha’s relics were said to be transformed from Buddha’s bones. The founding Emperor had once welcomed Buddha’s bones from the Kingdom of Magadha. It was said that on that day, banners and canopies flew, with incense, flowers, drums, and music, as thousands welcomed it, an unprecedented spectacle. Since then, the Buddha’s relic has been enshrined in the Famen Temple in Chang’an. She never expected to see one in Yu Fuwei’s hand today.

Yu Fuwei said, “This is not the Buddha’s relic from Famen Temple, but one I purchased from the Kingdom of Vaisali. The Princess’s soul has been damaged. Wearing this Buddha’s relic will restore it to its original state.”

Li Ying instinctively declined: “This is too precious. I cannot accept it.”

Yu Fuwei seemed to have anticipated Li Ying’s refusal and said: “If the Princess feels it’s too valuable, you can exchange it for something of equal value. The Empress Dowager has burned many offerings for the Princess. This price should be within the Princess’s means.”

Li Ying hadn’t expected Yu Fuwei to respond this way. She was momentarily stunned, but then realized that if it was an exchange of equal value, refusing would seem affected. So she graciously nodded: “You’re right. I can afford it. Then I’ll accept this Buddha’s relic.”

She took the Buddha’s relic, and the moment it touched her fingers, a warm current flowed through her entire being. She could feel her damaged soul gradually recovering, and her lost spiritual power returning. Li Ying said with delight: “Thank you. I will have the paper maid deliver the payment to your residence.”

Seeing her smiling radiantly, as beautiful as jade and flowers, Yu Fuwei’s heart stirred. He was inclined to say that giving the Buddha’s relic to Li Ying would be fine, but feared she wouldn’t accept it. So he steeled his heart and said: “The Princess is too kind. This is merely a mutually beneficial exchange.”

The phrase “mutually beneficial exchange” reminded Li Ying of what Cui Xun had said that day: “We each seek what we need. After this matter is concluded, we will go our separate ways.”

The delight in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a troubled expression. Seeing her sudden change in demeanor, Yu Fuwei asked: “Does the Princess have something on her mind?”

Li Ying didn’t answer, only shaking her head with a somewhat lost expression. This time, Yu Fuwei was persistent: “Is it about Cui Xun?”

Li Ying, her thoughts exposed, was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, she said: “Sometimes I just don’t understand why things are this way.”

It wasn’t clear whether she was referring to why she felt this way or why Cui Xun acted as he did.

Yu Fuwei didn’t fully understand, but he didn’t try to understand either. He said seriously, “I don’t know why the Princess chooses to stay in Cui Xun’s residence, nor do I know what assistance the Princess needs from Cui Xun, but I have a candid piece of advice that I must give.”

He said word by word: “The Princess should stay far away from Cui Xun.”

After hearing this, Li Ying only said: “I know what you want to say. You want to say that Cui Xun has a bad reputation, right? But perhaps you’re overthinking it.”

Yu Fuwei hadn’t expected Li Ying to respond this way. He was slightly taken aback. After recovering, he continued to persuade her: “The Princess only knows that Cui Xun has a bad reputation, but do you know what specific things he has done? Cui Xun, even from a young age, was perverse and malevolent. His father, Lord Cui, said he was rebellious, unrestrained, and unpredictable in his moods. He disdained the imperial examinations and joined the Tianwei Army at fourteen, hoping to rise to power through military achievements. After three years in the Tianwei Army came the Battle of Luoyan Ridge. In that battle, the Tianwei Army was annihilated, and the commander, Guo Qinwei, had his head paraded among the eighteen tribes of the Turks. Only Cui Xun survived. There were rumors that he surrendered to the Turks and became the lover of the Turkic princess Ashina Wuduo, which is how he preserved his life. The Emperor was furious, and Lord Cui was also ashamed, removing him from the family genealogy. Two years passed like this, and then Cui Xun suddenly returned from the Turks. As a traitor to the Great Zhou, he was naturally imprisoned in the Dali Temple awaiting execution. But for some unknown reason, the Empress Dowager rescued him. He used his old tactics again, becoming the Empress Dowager’s lover, and from then on, he rose step by step, becoming the fourth-rank Young Lord of the Ministry of Justice. These past few years, Cui Xun has been eliminating dissidents for the Empress Dowager, framing loyal officials. The unjust cases he has fabricated number no less than a hundred, and the people wrongfully killed no fewer than ten thousand. Everyone in Chang’an would like to drink his blood and eat his flesh. It would be best for the Princess to stay away from such a treacherous person.”

Li Ying listened quietly and simply asked: “Is what you said true?”

Yu Fuwei was taken aback: “Of course it’s true.”

But Li Ying gently shook her head: “It’s not true.”

Yu Fuwei grew anxious and was about to continue persuading her when a cool voice was heard: “Yu Fuwei, speaking ill of me in my residence isn’t very appropriate, is it?”

Yu Fuwei and Li Ying both looked toward the voice and saw Cui Xun standing beside the carved wooden door, tall as bamboo, glowing like jade in the morning light, coldly looking at Yu Fuwei. Yu Fuwei wasn’t intimidated. He laughed and stood up, bowing: “Please forgive me, Young Lord Cui. I don’t wish to try out the torture instruments of the Ministry of Justice.”

Cui Xun’s thin lips pressed slightly together as he concealed the irritation in his eyes: “What brings you to see me today?”

“I didn’t come to see Young Lord Cui,” Yu Fuwei glanced at Li Ying and smiled. “I came to see Princess Yong’an.”

Li Ying was surprised. Yu Fuwei said, “The Princess has accepted the Buddha’s relic. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, he bowed again to Li Ying and then casually departed.

Li Ying felt somewhat awkward. Holding the Buddha’s relic in her hand, she said to Cui Xun: “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect him to say those things…”

“You don’t need to apologize to me,” Cui Xun said calmly. “After all, those words don’t harm me in the slightest.”

After dropping these words, he turned to go back to his bedroom. Li Ying grew anxious and called out to him: “Young Lord Cui, please wait.”

Cui Xun turned around. Li Ying looked at his face, cold as ice and snow. She gathered her courage, and in a voice that was soft but determined, asked: “Young Lord Cui, in truth, you never surrendered to the Turks, did you?”