“Everyone has worked hard. The matter of salary increases still requires further discussion. How much to increase, and how to increase it—we must produce a proposal here tomorrow, and present it to the throne the day after, so His Majesty may know.”

Inside the Hall of Political Affairs, the purple-robed Chancellor with thick eyebrows and clear eyes sat at the head seat. “Let us conclude here for today.”

The hall attendant quickly gathered up the policy proposals from the table and went to the side to organize and arrange them.

Rushing to early court before dawn, then deliberating in the Hall of Political Affairs until dark—hearing Chancellor Meng’s words, several officials felt as if a burden had been lifted. They rose and bowed in salute.

Zhang Jing, sitting beside Meng Yunxian, remained very silent. Supporting himself with his cane, he finished reading the remaining fiscal policy paper. Looking up to see that most of the officials in the hall had left, he said nothing and rose with his cane.

“Chongzhi, come to my home. Tonight my wife is preparing a hotpot—let’s eat together.”

Meng Yunxian exchanged a few words with someone beside him. Turning his head to see Hanlin Academician He Tong about to help his teacher out, Meng Yunxian walked over with a smile.

“I’m accustomed to simple food and tea. I won’t trouble you, Minister Meng.”

Zhang Jing casually tossed out this sentence and was about to leave. Unexpectedly, Meng Yunxian followed him several steps to the doorway, not caring at all whether he was putting his warm face against a cold backside. “Then shall I come eat at your home? I’m also accustomed to simple food and tea.”

Zhang Jing paused. He turned his head to meet Meng Yunxian’s smiling face. After a moment, he said coldly, “Didn’t Chancellor Meng originally most enjoy reforming official administration? How is it that this time you’ve instead begun sorting out fiscal policy?”

With that said, Zhang Jing was helped by his student He Tong and walked out without a sideways glance.

Outside the eaves, misty rain obscured the view. Meng Yunxian stood at the threshold, watching He Tong open an umbrella for Zhang Jing and help his faltering steps down the stairs.

“Why do you do this to yourself?”

Secretariat Drafter Pei Zhiyuan walked to Meng Yunxian’s side, hands clasped together. “Chancellor Zhang won’t give you a pleasant look anymore. Why do you still smile so cheerfully?”

“Back then, I visited his thatched cottage three times, eating at his home daily, before I could persuade him to promote new policies with me. These fourteen years we’ve been separated, I wondered whether he deeply regretted what he did with me back then.”

“But you just saw—he dislikes that this time I’ve returned doing things half-heartedly, not as vigorously as before. He thinks I’ve broken my spine and begun flattering and fawning.”

Meng Yunxian gazed up at the rain and mist.

“Haven’t you?”

Pei Zhiyuan brushed away the rain droplets that had collected on his sleeves.

Hearing this, Meng Yunxian turned to meet Pei Zhiyuan’s gaze. Then they exchanged a knowing smile. He gestured to a eunuch not far away to bring an umbrella, saying leisurely, “Of course I have.”

Returning to Yun Jing after fourteen years, countless pairs of eyes were fixed tightly on Meng Yunxian, like chickens with black-ringed eyes, extremely vigilant, deeply afraid this person would be as sharp-edged as fourteen years ago, urgently touching their interests as soon as he was appointed Chancellor.

But no one expected that upon his return, the first thing he proposed would be a new policy of “nurturing integrity through generous salaries.”

This was hardly reform—it was clearly accommodation.

“That Censor Li who opposed you most fiercely back then—lately he also looks at you with clear eyes and a pleasant expression.” Pei Zhiyuan’s loose tongue knew no bounds; he only lacked a handful of melon seeds in his hand.

“How wonderful. It makes our court colleagues appear close, and His Majesty can hear less of their scolding me.”

Meng Yunxian took the umbrella from the eunuch’s hand, opened it himself, and walked into the curtain of rain.

Returning home, Meng Yunxian received tea from a serving maid. Seeing his wife, Lady Jiang, still looking out toward the courtyard entrance, he smiled and shook his head: “Wife, Zhang Chongzhi refused to come. We’ll have to eat the hotpot ourselves.”

Lady Jiang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Turning back, she used a handkerchief to wipe the rain water from his body. “You brought it on yourself. Back then in that Spring Pavilion, you said things he didn’t want to hear, forcing him to let his own excellent student run away. A fine young talent who had passed the metropolitan examination—he just had to run off to the frontier battlefields to become a military man…”

“Wife forgets—I also originally came from the military ranks.”

Lady Jiang gave a light snort, glancing at him sidelong. “That’s right, you were also originally a military man. But if our Great Qi’s military men were useful, why did you single-mindedly plunge into the sea of civil officials?”

Meng Yunxian was about to say something when he heard a servant report: “Master, a guest has arrived.”

The old steward didn’t mention any names, but Meng Yunxian already knew who had come. He removed his official robe and handed it to Lady Jiang, donned an outer robe, and said, “In the study?”

“Yes.”

The old steward bowed his head.

When Meng Yunxian reached the study, he saw Han Qing dressed in ordinary clothes, holding a tea bowl and sitting in a folding chair lost in thought. He walked in: “How does Envoy Han have the leisure to come here?”

“Chancellor Meng.”

Han Qing immediately set down his tea bowl and rose to greet him. “The Chancellor has not long returned to the capital. Han Qing shouldn’t come at this time, but this servant privately believes the opportunity the Chancellor has been waiting for has arrived.”

“Oh?”

Meng Yunxian sat down beside Han Qing, gesturing for him to sit as well. “How do you mean?”

Han Qing sat down as instructed, then took out the letter from his robe and handed it over: “Chancellor, please look.”

Meng Yunxian reached out to receive it, moving closer to the candlelight to read word by word.

“If this Ni Su is the deceased’s own younger sister, why was she imprisoned in the Bureau of Records at Guangning Prefecture?”

“The explanation she gave to Guangning Prefecture was that the wronged appeared to her in a dream, which is how she found her way to Qingyuan Mountain. Administrator Yin of Guangning Prefecture considered this woman’s words and actions absurd, so he had her escorted to the Bureau of Records to receive a beating to establish authority.”

Han Qing spoke truthfully.

“The wronged appeared in a dream?” Meng Yunxian couldn’t help but laugh. “Is this woman now in your Yinye Bureau?”

“Yes.”

Han Qing nodded.

Meng Yunxian pondered for a moment, then put away the letter, his spirits lifted: “What Envoy Han says is correct. This winter examination candidate Ni Qinglan is precisely the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.”

——

The Yinye Bureau couldn’t hear the fine rain falling outside. The officers on night duty in the guard room across from the punishment pool ate their meal and laughed together. Someone had also brought food for the unconscious Ni Su and placed it on the table.

But she couldn’t get up and didn’t respond.

“That young lady can’t get up. I’m afraid she won’t be able to eat…” The officer who had brought the food returned to the guard room and spoke with his colleagues.

“What? Do you want to go feed her?”

Someone teased, “Or perhaps find her a servant woman or maid?”

“Our Envoy hasn’t interrogated her yet. I’m just afraid she’ll die, aren’t I?” That officer scooped up some peanut shells and threw them at his loose-tongued colleague.

“When the Envoy comes, we’ll request instructions and find a medical worker to examine her.”

The unrestrained conversation from the guard room carried over faintly. Ni Su slowly opened her eyes and saw that in the dim prison cell, that young man was patiently feeling his way at the table’s edge.

Ni Su watched as his hands touched the porcelain bowl placed on the table. He paused, then felt the spoon on the bowl. Then, slowly, step by step, relying on his senses, he walked toward her.

“Ni Su.”

Xu Hexue didn’t know she had already awakened. He sat down at the bedside and called her name softly.

“Mm.”

Ni Su responded.

Hearing her respond so quickly, Xu Hexue froze for a moment, then said, “You haven’t eaten all day.”

He held the spoon, scooped a spoonful of congee, and slowly brought it forward.

“A bit to the left.”

Ni Su watched his hand veer off course, her voice weak and hoarse.

Xu Hexue followed her instruction and moved a bit to the left.

“A bit more forward.”

Xu Hexue tentatively moved forward a bit more.

Ni Su’s lips touched the hot congee in the spoon. She barely opened her mouth to eat it, but looking at Xu Hexue, she felt his form had become much fainter.

Fine luminous dust floated about.

Her hand, which had little strength, struggled to pull at his sleeve.

Xu Hexue couldn’t see. Unprepared for her sudden movement, his sleeve pulled back somewhat, revealing moist bloodstains and hideous, cracked wounds crisscrossing each other.

At this moment, Ni Su finally remembered that if he left her side without permission, he too would suffer.

Even so, he had still gone to hire someone to write a letter.

Ni Su watched him draw his sleeve closed. She glanced at the brightly lit entrance of the guard room, then endured the severe pain to sit up straight. Her black hair had long been soaked through with cold sweat. Her face was extremely pale. Supporting herself with one hand on the iron bars, she heavily struck the copper lock on the cell door: “Someone, quickly come!”

Her loud shouting tore at her throat with knife-like pain.

Xu Hexue didn’t know why she was doing this, but hearing movement from the guard room, he set down the bowl and made no sound.

“Miss, what are you doing?”

An officer approached.

“Please give me a few candles and a tinderbox.”

Ni Su breathed lightly, speaking with difficulty.

Hearing the words “candles,” Xu Hexue’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. His spiritless eyes turned toward the source of her voice.

Several officers didn’t know what she wanted candles for. They looked at each other, but ultimately fetched a few unlit candles from the guard room. However, based on the methods of operation in their Yinye Bureau, they gave her the tinderbox but didn’t leave. They watched as the young woman rose from the bed, forcibly supporting her trembling body with shaking hands, lighting the candles one by one.

The officers only thought she was afraid of the dark. But they still confiscated the tinderbox. Worried that her actions might harbor some ill intent, they placed the candles she had lit on the high candlestands deeply embedded in the walls, ensuring that a woman gravely injured like her couldn’t reach them. Only then did they return to the guard room with peace of mind.

In the quiet prison cell, lamplight and shadows swayed—this was the light Ni Su gave to Xu Hexue.

Only at this moment did Xu Hexue finally see what Ni Su looked like after receiving punishment—how disheveled and wretched she appeared. Her entire body was covered in blood. Her sweat-dampened light-colored hair stuck to her cheeks. She was unspeakably fragile, lying powerlessly on the bed, pillowing her head on the back of her hand as she said to him, “Looking like this, I actually didn’t want to be seen.”

Xu Hexue lowered his eyes for a moment, then picked up the bowl of congee, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to her lips: “I know.”

He too, once upon a time, didn’t want to be seen.

“But I’m willing to light lamps for you.”

Ni Su ate the spoonful of congee he fed her and said softly.