◎”Old monk… I’m this capable, so why haven’t you visited my dreams yet?”◎

Prince Qi’s four limbs were all bound by chains, his surroundings utterly filthy, his clothes tattered and torn, his expression somewhat dazed—clearly this past month had been extremely difficult for him.

He was locked in the darkest cell of the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. Normally he saw no light, nor were there candles for illumination.

When Lan Shanjun and Yu Qingwu arrived carrying lanterns, it was the first time in a month of imprisonment he had seen light, and the first time he had heard people speak.

Usually the jailers would set down bowls and chopsticks and leave without speaking. He ate cold rice and spoiled vegetables. If he didn’t eat, no one would replace it the next day. If he wanted to eat other dishes, he had to finish this spoiled rice first.

Such torturous days—Prince Qi had endured until now not because he was unwilling to die, but because he dared not die.

“Dared not”—these two words meant genuinely not daring, with no other implications. He dared not dash his head against the wall to die, nor dare bite his tongue to commit suicide.

He was afraid.

He feared dying uncleanly would be too painful, and also feared that after being rescued he would suffer even more torment.

Only at this moment did he realize that though this person he was had been called ruthless and heartless, not caring about human life, he himself feared death.

The four words “suicide and death” frightened him even more than “dawn breaks.”

He of course knew what “dawn breaks” meant. He also knew that his current state was just like “dawn breaks.”

Dawn breaks—those who want to die cannot die. As long as they haven’t died completely, they must be rescued and continue living.

He was too afraid of this.

He had also gone too long without seeing light. Being illuminated by candlelight with no way to avoid it, he could only curl his entire body into a ball, murmuring: “Did Duan Boyan have you use such punishment on me?”

Lan Shanjun didn’t respond.

Prince Qi asked again: “Was it the Grand Prince? Did the Grand Prince have you torment me like this?”

Lan Shanjun still said nothing.

Prince Qi painfully opened his eyes, forcing himself to look over. He knew this might be the last time he would see light. He asked: “How is A’Bai? What about A’Zhi? And the Princess Consort?”

The prison cell was silent. As if all his words had sunk to the bottom of a lake, vanishing without trace.

This atmosphere frightened him, made him restless with anxiety.

Prince Qi suddenly became manic, standing up and rushing forward, but because his four limbs were chained, he fell to the ground again, immediately suffering a head wound with blood flowing.

He lifted his head fiercely: “Speak! Why don’t you speak! Didn’t you just come to watch the spectacle? To see what I look like still living because I don’t dare to die?”

Lan Shanjun still said nothing.

She just stood there quietly, watching him wildly bite like a mad dog.

When he calmed down, only then did she speak: “I pleaded for mercy for you before His Majesty.”

Prince Qi looked up in a daze: “What?”

Lan Shanjun met his eyes, then smiled softly: “Prince Qi, as long as you endure for one year without dying, you can go free.”

Prince Qi struggled to stand up: “Go free? Why? Why would you plead for me?”

But Lan Shanjun stopped speaking again.

She took Yu Qingwu’s hand and turned to leave.

Prince Qi cried out anxiously and loudly: “What do you want to do? Will you really let me out? Are you just dangling hope before me? Speak! Say something!”

But neither of the two people ahead stopped.

Lan Shanjun walked to the prison gate, paused, looked back at Prince Qi and suddenly said: “I’m much more dignified than him.”

Yu Qingwu’s eyes softened: “Shanjun, you’re far more capable than him.”

Lan Shanjun smiled slightly, opened the lamp cover and gently blew out the candle—the last trace of light in the prison vanished.

—Her malice, her hatred, also disappeared with the extinguishing of this wisp of lamplight.

She walked out of the prison.

Outside there was light.

Countless rays of light poured into her eyes—truly dazzling.

Lan Shanjun suddenly recalled the first day of returning to this life.

When she opened her eyes, countless rays of heavenly light had also entered her vision.

At that time, singlemindedly focused on revenge, her heart weighed down by countless stones, she had no mind to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the road. Now with her revenge complete, she felt that every flower and blade of grass, every stone and tree under this light was extraordinarily vibrant with life.

She picked a flower from the roadside and placed it in her own hair, then picked another for Yu Qingwu, and finally picked one for everyone at home.

Everyone who received flowers was delighted, especially Nanny Qian. How could she not see the change in Lan Shanjun?

“Oh my, not easy at all—the burden is finally lifted!” She chopped meat, preparing to make some spicy meat balls for the children to eat.

Yu Qingwu was burning firewood for her in the kitchen. Hearing this, he smiled: “Yes.”

From the forty-seventh year of Yuanshao to the present first year of Yuanshuo, her journey had truly not been easy.

He said: “But this is only the first year, the first day of her life.”

Nanny Qian curiously leaned over: “How so?”

Yu Qingwu’s eyes curved with his smile: “Nanny Qian, from now on Shanjun will have a salary too.”

Nanny Qian’s eyes lit up: “I knew it! That General Hu has been visiting constantly these days. That day when I brought tea, I heard him say our Shanjun is unparalleled talent.”

Yu Qingwu: “You even know what ‘unparalleled talent’ means?”

Nanny Qian rolled her eyes at him: “How could I not know this?”

“Once our master and mistress both said I was unparalleled talent at chopping meat.”

But at first she truly didn’t understand—she had always thought they were saying she was kindling that doesn’t get wet.

She laughed: “Dry kindling is of course good—it burns fast and burns vigorously.”

The knife in her hand chopped continuously without stopping. Finally she chopped the knife into the cutting board and looked at Yu Qingwu with reddened eyes.

Yu Qingwu was thoroughly frightened and quickly went over to ask: “What’s wrong? Please don’t scare me.”

Nanny Qian hesitated: “Young Master Yu, now that the new Emperor has ascended, he seems very reasonable… Could I ask you to help me request something from him?”

Yu Qingwu handed over a handkerchief: “Please speak, please speak.”

Nanny Qian: “Our old mistress, she wasn’t originally surnamed Shou. But that old wretch presumptuously changed my old mistress’s surname, insisting she take the surname Shou.”

She murmured: “I was unhappy about it even then.”

“How can there be such reasoning under heaven? The old mistress damaged her health helping him ascend the throne, yet what did he do? He didn’t reward her with anything else, only forced her to change her surname.”

After changing her surname, others envied her, thinking it was an honor. But only she herself knew that inescapable feeling of disgust.

Nanny Qian: “Although the old mistress never spoke of it, I’m like a worm in her belly—how could I not know?”

She hadn’t thought about changing the old mistress’s surname before. But now the people of Shuzhou had been exonerated, with compensation given to each household. The former Crown Prince, Duan Boyan, Grand Preceptor Zhe and others had also been praised anew. Everyone seemed to be getting better.

She wanted the old mistress to get better too.

At least get her original surname back, right?

Hearing this, Yu Qingwu said guiltily: “This is my fault for not thinking of this matter.”

Nanny Qian: “Can it be changed?”

Yu Qingwu nodded: “It can definitely be changed.”

When the new Emperor and Empress heard of it, they too felt much emotion: “It should be changed back. Before the old mistress died, her heart was unwilling.”

She had been acting even before her death.

Just like her surname, her true heart could not be revealed.

Old Mistress Shou was changed back to her original surname.

Fu.

She was called Fu Jiayao.

Nanny Qian was so delighted she didn’t know what to do: “Fu Jiayao—how pleasant that sounds. Much better than Shou Jiayao.”

Lan Shanjun and Yu Qingwu accompanied her to change the old mistress’s gravestone together.

The character for Shou was smoothed away, and Nanny Qian personally carved the character for Fu.

Nanny Qian stroked the new character Fu and asked: “Shanjun, you understand Buddhist teachings—changing the inscription like this, will the King of Hell not punish her? Will the Book of Life and Death in the underworld be changed?”

Lan Shanjun consoled her: “It will be changed. Everywhere will be corrected.”

They also went to White Horse Temple to change the name on the old mistress’s eternal lamp.

After completing the Buddhist rites for the old mistress, Lan Shanjun went to pay respects at the old monk’s memorial tablet.

She didn’t change the old monk’s name to Duan Boyan.

She smiled as she offered the old monk a cup of sacrificial wine: “Outside, many people have erected monuments to you. I hear some even painted your portrait to use as door gods.”

“I won’t join in this excitement.”

“But in the future history books, one entry bearing your name will be written together with mine.”

She said softly: “Now, wherever I go, they don’t need to ask me—they know I studied under Duan Boyan, that I’m your only disciple.”

She touched the old monk’s eternal lamp: “I haven’t brought shame to you either. In my very first battle I gained fame for killing too fiercely and too many. Now I’ve entered the Yulin Guards as a junior officer.”

“When I become more capable, I also want to go out and lead troops. Perhaps I can achieve some accomplishment.”

Reaching this point, her voice paused: “Old monk… I’m this capable, so why haven’t you visited my dreams yet?”

“Yu Qingwu says that each dream encounter reduces our karmic connection, and I fear…” Her voice trembled: “I fear our connection will be severed.”

I know it was you who sent me back.

I know you’re still accompanying me.

She exhaled lightly: “It’s all right, I’ll wait for you.”

——

In the sixth month of the first year of Yuanshuo, Duke Zhenguo and his son experienced a final rally before death. Lan Shanjun and Yu Qingwu went to visit. A whole room of people wept bitterly, especially the old Duchess of Zhenguo, who covered her mouth crying in anguish: “Heaven’s curse! We only just reunited—how can you bear to leave me!”

Lan family’s eldest young master Lan Zhi and Lan San had also returned home. Hearing this, they shed tears: “Grandmother, please don’t grieve too much.”

Lan Huaiyin’s life had experienced many ups and downs and he had suffered much torment. He had long since seen through life and death, and was not panicked about dying. His gaze swept over these descendants, his eyes calm.

Prosperity inevitably leads to decline—there was truth in this. Perhaps Heaven was punishing him for too much killing in his early life, which is why he suffered for half his life with untalented descendants.

But Heaven still looked after the Lan family—it sent Shanjun.

During this period at home, Lan Huaiyin had learned about previous events. Lan Shanjun’s relationship with the family was not good.

This too was his sin.

After Lan Shanjun arrived, he said before everyone: “I had thought to request His Majesty grant you the title of Duke Zhenguo’s household, but then felt you might not necessarily want it. You yourself will be the future Duke Zhenguo’s household.”

“So I gave the title to your fourth uncle.”

Lan Shanjun nodded.

She truly didn’t wish to have excessive entanglement with Duke Zhenguo’s household. She truly wanted to establish her own Duke Zhenguo’s household through her own efforts.

Lan Huaiyin sighed: “I was born at the wrong time, died at the wrong time—I fear I’ll cause you more trouble. But I’m very grateful you finally announced the truth about those years to the world.”

“Shanjun… thank you, thank you for making me feel I haven’t entirely failed my ancestors.”

He smiled: “I never imagined I could die without regrets in the end.”

“When I reach the Yellow Springs, if I encounter Duan Boyan, I will thank him too.”

He slowly closed his eyes.

On the ninth day of the sixth month in the first year of Yuanshuo, the old Duke Zhenguo passed away. That same day at the Hour of the Tiger, Duke Zhenguo passed away.

An era of Duke Zhenguo’s household had passed.