Inside Mingfeng Palace, the lamps blazed brilliantly.

The palace attendants all stood with lowered hands in the flickering light and shadow. Inside the great hall were piled high many tribute gifts from foreign lands—precious whole pelts of snow marten fur, rarely seen pearls the size of fists, and nine linked rings carved from white jade…

Illuminated by the light, they all gleamed and shone, reflecting on people’s faces.

When Lady Su the Attendant walked in from outside, she gently asked: “Where is the Princess?”

The palace attendants still showed lingering fear, saying timidly: “Inside. She won’t come out, nor will she let us servants go in to attend her.”

Lady Su the Attendant felt her heart clench painfully.

She had watched the Grand Princess grow up. To speak disrespectfully, she’d doted on her as half a daughter. Yet now she’d witnessed with her own eyes as the envoy from Tatar raised cups with His Majesty in celebration in the great hall, arranging the Princess’s betrothal in just a few words…

“I’ll go in and see.”

Lady Su the Attendant walked over and raised her hand to lift the beaded curtain.

The windows weren’t closed. Cold wind blew in from outside. The beads on the curtain were icy to the touch. When released, they struck together, making a pleasant sound.

But hearing it, Shen Zhiyi only felt that sound was like ice blocks colliding.

The beautiful makeup from daytime had already been removed.

That scar once concealed with cherry powder became particularly obvious on this plain white face—like the so-called imperial family affection, finally revealing its hideous, ugly nature after great waves washed away the sand particles covering the ground.

Shen Zhiyi saw Lady Su the Attendant’s figure in the mirror. She appeared extraordinarily calm, even smiling faintly: “I’m fine. Lady Su the Attendant needn’t worry about me. If Mother Empress learns of this later, who knows—she might even cause trouble for you.”

When had Her Highness ever been like this before?

In the past, she was bold and uninhibited, saying whatever made her happy. Now, encountering such a major matter, she was this calm.

Shen Zhiyi didn’t cry, but Lady Su the Attendant’s eyes nearly reddened first. However, she’d always been someone with extremely strict propriety and was unwilling to display too deep emotions. After restraining herself, she said: “I heard Your Highness didn’t eat dinner tonight. I truly can’t feel at ease. I’ll have the small kitchen prepare something fresh. Even just drinking a bowl of soup to warm yourself would be good.”

But Shen Zhiyi only gazed at that scar on her face, her fingertips lightly brushing over it. Lowering her eyes, she said: “It can’t warm my heart.”

Lady Su the Attendant’s tears immediately fell.

Shen Zhiyi finally turned and embraced this nanny who’d watched her grow up, as if wanting to draw some strength and warmth from her. Yet she avoided the topic of the marriage alliance and instead asked: “Lady Su, won’t Ningning come tomorrow?”

When the news of the marriage alliance with Tatar came down, Shen Zhiyi surprisingly neither cried nor made a fuss, accepting it calmly. Perhaps because she was so calm, it instead stirred up rare guilt in her elder brother Shen Lang. He asked if there was anything she wanted, promising to fulfill it as much as possible.

She only said she wanted her companion readers to return to the palace to study.

To make Shen Zhiyi happy, Shen Lang immediately agreed and ordered the young ladies originally selected as companion readers from various households to enter the palace that evening. But the Jiang household submitted an apologetic memorial saying Jiang Xuening was ill, couldn’t withstand the cold wind, and feared passing the illness to the Princess. They’d wait until she recovered before entering the palace.

Lady Su the Attendant had also inquired and comforted her: “The Jiang household invited excellent physicians to see her. They said though the illness came on fiercely, it’s been stabilized. In a few days, she’ll be able to enter the palace. Please don’t worry, Your Highness.”

Shen Zhiyi actually felt her heart was hollow and empty.

If Ningning didn’t come, it made no difference whether the other companion readers came or not.

Moreover…

She silently curved her lips, saying: “True enough. Even if Ningning entered the palace now, there wouldn’t be much to learn. Master Xie has led people to suppress some Heavenly Doctrine uprising and isn’t in the palace to teach. When Master Xie returns, her illness will have recovered too. Perhaps it will be just right.”

Lady Su the Attendant didn’t understand court affairs and could only nod: “It’s best that Your Highness thinks this way.”

Then, just like before, she removed the jeweled hairpins from Shen Zhiyi’s hair.

Long hair like dense clouds scattered down, but in the mirror was a pair of eyes so calm they were nearly deathly still.

Over the Heavenly Doctrine’s prison break, there was truly considerable discussion at court.

After all, initially no one had imagined so many fugitives would run out together.

The plan had been Xie Wei’s, so naturally it attracted much criticism.

Though he’d always been a civil official, since people questioned his strategy and suspected it had the oversight of releasing a tiger back to the mountain, naturally he had to stand forth and shoulder the responsibility alone.

In fact—

This was precisely Xie Wei’s purpose.

For him, Gu Chunfang recommending Zhang Zhe to take the risk of impersonating Mountain Man Du Jun had disrupted his plan. Now he could take advantage of the court’s considerable criticism to volunteer to take responsibility, pursue these people and the Heavenly Doctrine rebels, complete the capture, thus naturally bringing this matter back under his control.

Only, there was always that bit of the unexpected.

Outside the ruined temple where Jiang Xuening and the others had initially lodged, a large contingent of government troops was now stationed.

The originally dilapidated temple had actually been cleaned up completely.

Jianshu walked back from that shadowy withered forest outside. Stepping into the temple, he saw Xie Wei sitting cross-legged in a corner on a clean brocade cushion, raising his eyes to gaze at that headless Buddha statue. A pair of dark, somber eyes were half-hidden in shadow, obscure and difficult to read.

He was dressed very warmly, his thin lips also lacking color.

Though he still appeared peaceful, between his brows was a cold intent like thin frost.

Jianshu bowed: “We found a mark left by Xiao Bao on a tree bark outside. There is indeed a woman traveling with Zhang Zhe, receiving considerable protection from him. We fear it may be Miss Jiang. Also…”

Traveling with Zhang Zhe, receiving considerable protection from him…

She wasn’t worried about her own safety.

That Buddha statue had only a body without a head, looking particularly frightening in the dim light.

Xie Wei gazed at it, only asking: “What else?”

Jianshu hesitated, his voice lowering somewhat: “Xiao Bao said that besides Huang Qian and Feng Mingyu, Young Master Dingfei also came this time.”

With legs crossed, his hands naturally rested on his knees.

His sleeve robes were wide, covering the backs of his hands.

The exposed fingers, while long and slender, had a somewhat pale color. The small wound on the pad of his right ring finger had already been treated and scabbed over. Resting on his knee, it no longer hurt much.

Hearing this name, Xie Wei curved his lips: “What a coincidence then.”

The smile held a somewhat sinister flavor.

Jianshu knew what this word “coincidence” referred to and said: “Duke Dingguo leads troops ahead, also heading straight to Tongzhou. The matter you instructed a few shichen ago has been handled. The message has been delivered to Duke Dingguo’s side.”

If Xiao Dingfei were here and heard these words, he’d probably jump up in alarm!

How on earth had that damned Xiao family’s Duke Dingguo gotten mixed up in this perfectly good affair?

This matter had to be traced back to that day’s court discussion.

Originally, the plan to use Gongyi Cheng as bait to lure the Heavenly Doctrine was Xie Wei’s alone. Besides some unexpected mishaps, it should have been Xie Wei’s to clean up himself. Unexpectedly, Duke Dingguo Xiao Yuan jumped out saying that Xie Wei was a civil official without the ability to lead troops in battle—it would be more reliable if he handled it himself.

The Emperor thought so too.

With a wave of his hand, he had Xiao Yuan and Xie Wei jointly handle this matter. They’d simply divide the troops into two routes, tracking separately, striving to use the least time to capture and arrest the rebels and apprehend the serious criminals, while also rescuing the endangered Zhang Zhe.

At noon, Xiao Yuan set out with his personal soldiers.

Xie Wei followed unhurriedly behind.

Jianshu was extremely worried.

But Xie Wei only gave him instructions, saying: “The gates of hell have no doors, yet he insists on barging in. Since he seeks death, we can’t help but teach him a lesson.”

After hearing the instructions, Jianshu was utterly astonished.

But he’d followed Xie Wei for so many years. After calming down and pondering it, he truly broke out in a cold sweat, thinking privately that this time it was killing three birds with one stone—things wouldn’t end well. Not just the Heavenly Doctrine and the Xiao family, but even that Zhang Zhe, the teacher also…

A fire burned in the temple, but the north wind whooshed in, also very cold.

Xie Wei’s complexion paled even more.

Yet the next moment, it flushed with color. His brow furrowed and he began coughing, his shoulders trembling. The shadow stretched on the wall also swayed.

Thus the person standing motionless in the shadow instead became clear.

It was the delicate-featured Daoqin, dressed in dark blue martial attire, carrying bow, arrows, and quiver, like a shadow following a form, standing behind Xie Wei.

Jianshu knew that when his sword left its sheath, it might not kill.

But if Daoqin’s arrows left the bowstring, they would certainly take lives.

“Elder Sister, your complexion isn’t good. Are you unwell?”

Jiang Xuening had been listening to everyone discuss court and country affairs for a long time without saying a word. Suddenly hearing such a concerned voice, she looked up to see a sky-pointing braid swaying before her eyes.

It was that young Xiao Bao again.

With big eyes, the child was crouching by the fire pile adding wood. Looking back at her, seemingly somewhat worried, asking this question.

Only then did Jiang Xuening vaguely come back to herself. She thought—the matter of Shen Zhiyi’s marriage alliance was an imperial decree. At most, she was just an official’s daughter. What ability did she have to influence court affairs and prevent this from happening?

She couldn’t control it.

Moreover, should she truly return to that prison in the capital for someone else’s sake? One must know that opportunities can’t be lost and won’t come again. Perhaps there would never be such a good opportunity again…

This is something you can’t control.

This is beyond your ability.

This is fate.

She told herself this in her heart, forcing herself to pull back the chaotic thoughts filling her mind. Instinctively, she said: “I’m fine.”

But Xiao Bao was very puzzled, blinking: “But you look like you’re ill.”

Ill?

Jiang Xuening recalled the plan with Zhang Zhe.

After entering Tongzhou city, she would feign illness, then go to a medical clinic to see a doctor and pass information, thus escaping danger. Afterward, she could leave Tongzhou and the capital without anyone knowing.

Starting to act now would be just right…

So she didn’t gather her spirits, only sitting beside Zhang Zhe in a listless manner, smiling weakly: “Perhaps I caught wind on the road. I have a bit of a headache.”

Young ladies had delicate constitutions, especially someone like Jiang Xuening.

Everyone didn’t think much of it now, finding it quite normal.

But Xiao Bao’s gaze flashed, appearing thoughtful.

Xiao Dingfei had originally been squeezed beside Jiang Xuening. Lifting his eyelids and seeing Xiao Bao come over to add wood to the fire, his heart truly felt intimidated. Holding his water pouch, he silently and stealthily slipped away to Feng Mingyu’s side to ask: “Left Minister sir, still no news from the city? I really fucking can’t wait any longer!”

If this didn’t end quickly, they might be waiting for the devil himself.

His heart panicked terribly, wishing to immediately enter the city and flee.

But Feng Mingyu still remembered his absurd words on the road. His face twitching, he said: “Should be soon.”

His words had barely fallen when footsteps suddenly sounded from the darkness.

Everyone with blades immediately pressed their hands to their weapons.

But Huang Qian heard a whistle from the darkness. He hurried to rise and suppress everyone’s reactions, smiling: “The scout must have returned. I’ll go see.”

Huang Qian walked over.

A dark shadow spoke with him there, handing over something.

Huang Qian’s body seemed to shake.

He took that thing back and transferred it to Feng Mingyu.

It was a thin message tube.

Initially, Feng Mingyu didn’t pay attention when receiving it. But when he opened the tube and pulled out the small rolled-up letter inside, seeing a small black emblem drawn in the upper right corner of the letter—lines flowing smoothly like winding mountain ranges, so simple it had a feeling of returning to simplicity—his complexion suddenly changed.

Reading the letter, his pupils contracted even more sharply.

Despite repeatedly warning himself not to alert the prey, his violently flickering gaze still uncontrollably drifted toward Zhang Zhe’s direction.

Zhang Zhe was too far away, only vaguely feeling the other’s gaze turn toward him.

His heart chilled slightly.

But Xiao Dingfei was getting impatient, repeatedly asking: “How is it, how is it?”

Feng Mingyu directly stuffed that letter back into the tube and tucked it into his sleeve, not letting others see that emblem. His mind racing, he walked back with a smile on his face, saying: “Thank you all for waiting. The scout sent back word—all is peaceful. Everyone can enter the city now.”

Everyone became happy, rising one after another.

Zhang Zhe also stood up.

But Jiang Xuening felt an indescribable unease in her heart. She lightly tugged at his sleeve, her lips parting, not having time to say anything before Feng Mingyu had already paced to stand before them. With his back to the burning fire behind him, though he was smiling, covered in shadow he seemed somewhat eerie. Yet his attitude was respectful: “Lord Zhang, shall we go together?”