“This humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty —”
Fu Xuanmiao rose and knelt. Shen Zhuxi, recovering from the shock of suddenly seeing Shen Suzhan, quickly knelt as well.
“Rise quickly, let Us have a good look at Our sixth sister!” Shen Suzhan warmly and affectionately helped Shen Zhuxi up from the ground, paying no attention to Fu Xuanmiao who remained kneeling at the side. “Zhuxi — you cannot imagine how overjoyed We were to hear that you were still alive out in the world. There has not been a single day in these past years that We have not worried for your safety. Now that We have finally seen you, We can at last sleep soundly!”
Shen Suzhan took Shen Zhuxi by the hand and sat down with her at the table, seemingly having already forgotten that there was still such a person as Fu Xuanmiao beside them — let alone inviting him to rise from the floor.
Outside the pavilion, countless soldiers were watching this scene unfold. Yanhu and the others who had come with Fu Xuanmiao stared with furious, wide eyes, their fists clenched tight.
“Our sixth sister has grown into a young woman,” Shen Suzhan said with a look of warm approval. “These years you spent wandering outside the palace must have been full of hardship. But it does not matter — those hardships are now behind you. We will not allow you to be wronged again.”
Shen Suzhan went on at length, talking quite contentedly to himself, before finally seeming to remember, with apparent surprise, that there was still someone kneeling on the floor: “Would you look at that — We were so overjoyed to see our sixth sister that We quite forgot our young Lord Fu was still on the ground — please, rise!”
Fu Xuanmiao slowly raised his head and stood, his expression calm, without any visible sign of resentment.
With Shen Suzhan’s indication, Fu Xuanmiao took a seat between him and Shen Zhuxi. The three of them formed a curious, charged triangle at the table.
In the brief silence, Shen Suzhan watched Shen Zhuxi with a smile that seemed to carry some hidden meaning. Shen Zhuxi racked her mind and ventured cautiously: “How does Your Majesty come to be in Jianzhou?”
Shen Suzhan nodded approvingly and said with a smile: “It is too formal for our sixth sister to address Us that way — just call Us ‘elder brother’ as you did when you were young.”
In the past, Shen Zhuxi might have hesitated and declined, feeling it improper. Now, she seized the opening without hesitation: “Elder brother.”
“We were in the palace when We heard that our beloved subject had brought back the Princess of Yue, who had been living among the people. Having been close with our sixth sister since childhood, how could We sit still upon hearing such news? And besides, because of the rebels, We have not been out on a hunt in two years. Jiangzhou is a fertile and prosperous land — it is the perfect place to take our sixth sister on a hunt!”
“We kept an eye on reports of your progress along the road while setting off ahead to arrive in Jiangzhou first. Both the Jiangzhou prefect and the merchant guild president acted on Our instructions. We thought this would be a grand surprise — yet you two —” Shen Suzhan’s meaningful gaze swept across the faces of both Shen Zhuxi and Fu Xuanmiao. “Why do you both seem entirely unsurprised by Our appearance?”
“Your Majesty misunderstands. This humble servant was simply so stunned to see Your Majesty appear in Jianzhou that he was left speechless,” Fu Xuanmiao said, clasping his hands in a bow.
After her mother’s consort fell from imperial favor, Shen Zhuxi had experienced the cold realities of palace life firsthand and had long since learned to read people. Moreover, she had grown up with an emperor for a father, which made her more perceptive than most about what an emperor was truly thinking. To pry into the emperor’s mind or seek out his whereabouts — both were matters the ruler held as grave offenses.
For Shen Suzhan to ask such a question meant he had grown suspicious of both her and Fu Xuanmiao — suspicious that Fu Xuanmiao had obtained intelligence about his movements, and suspicious that she and Fu Xuanmiao were allies in the same camp.
Shen Zhuxi quickly called to mind the tragically deceased Li Que from her past lives and swiftly summoned genuine tears:
“Zhuxi has been separated from elder brother for years. When elder brother appeared outside the pavilion, I thought I was seeing things, and nearly rushed forward to see whether you were real or an illusion. But elder brother’s identity is so exalted — Zhuxi feared making a scene in the imperial presence and breaking all propriety, so I held myself back as best I could.”
What Shen Zhuxi said was far from convincing — yet Shen Suzhan gave her every courtesy by breaking into loud laughter all the same.
“Now that We are right here before you, can you tell whether We are real or an illusion?”
The tone of that last question shifted subtly, carrying an undercurrent of meaning.
“Absolutely real! Your Majesty is a true son of Heaven through and through, and also Zhuxi’s genuine elder brother!” Shen Zhuxi answered without a moment’s hesitation.
Shen Suzhan laughed: “Our sixth sister spent time among the common people and has become even more adept at pleasing others.”
He paused, then looked toward the silent Fu Xuanmiao: “Our beloved subject appears to have no objections to Our leaving the palace?”
Fu Xuanmiao lowered his eyes and said: “Your Majesty’s august person is of supreme importance — it was indeed unwise to leave the palace so rashly. However, since Your Majesty’s mind was firmly set and the imperial word already spoken, this humble servant has no objection to raise.”
“Our beloved subject is not like your father. If it had been him, he would have already been talking Our ear off —”
Shen Suzhan’s words were unreadable in their tone. Fu Xuanmiao did not respond to that remark, turning instead to ask: “Has Chancellor Wang also accompanied Your Majesty?”
Chancellor Wang — Shen Zhuxi turned the name over in her mind. Fu Xuanmiao must be referring to Grand Preceptor Wang Jue, the current Prime Minister.
Indeed, Shen Suzhan said: “Our teacher naturally came with Us. The hunting grounds at Mengshan have already been enclosed. Beloved subject, come with Us. Sixth sister, We have many things to ask you — come ride in Our carriage.”
After thanking him, Shen Zhuxi rose and followed Shen Suzhan out of the pavilion. Fu Xuanmiao stood, clasped his hands in a respectful farewell bow, and allowed her to leave with Shen Suzhan without raising any objection.
Shen Suzhan’s imperial carriage stood at the very center of the silver central-army escort. Shen Zhuxi kept her eyes lowered and her expression subdued as she followed behind the hem of Shen Suzhan’s imperial yellow robe, passing through the rows of silver-armored soldiers who knelt one after another to the chorus of “Welcoming His Majesty, welcoming the Princess of Yue,” and was carefully helped into the carriage by palace maids.
The moment Shen Suzhan entered the imperial carriage, he sank back eagerly into his soft, comfortable throne.
He reclined in his seat in an undisciplined sprawl, legs spread wide and unreservedly. A magnificent dragon roared across his imperial yellow robe. Shen Suzhan lifted his narrow, elongated eyes and looked Shen Zhuxi — standing inside the imperial carriage in perfect deference — up and down with casual indolence, and said:
“Sixth sister need not be so stiff. Find a comfortable spot and sit wherever you like.”
Shen Zhuxi naturally did not dare sit wherever she liked. With a respectful expression, she sat down in the seat below his. Before long, a graceful palace maid appeared outside the carriage and delivered a small side table and refreshments. The imperial carriage gave an almost imperceptible, gentle sway, and the scenery outside the window began to slide away behind them.
“Sixth sister — these past two years have tested you and helped you grow considerably,” Shen Suzhan said with weighted meaning.
“Having been through hardship, one naturally learns who truly means well,” Shen Zhuxi said.
“…It seems you already know who truly means well toward you?”
“In the past, I was too naive — I mistook wolves for loyal hounds. From now on, I will need elder brother to guide me,” Shen Zhuxi said.
A look of satisfaction spread across Shen Suzhan’s face.
“Good! Hearing those words, We are at ease!” he said. “Sixth sister, rest assured — you are the only sister We have left. We will not allow outsiders to wrong you. Tell Us honestly — do you, even now, still wish to take Fu Xuanmiao as your husband?”
Two and a half years apart, and still he had not asked a single time, “Sixth sister, have you fared well out there?” What Shen Suzhan cared about — all he cared about — was whether she would side with Fu Xuanmiao against him.
In the two and a half years since Shen Zhuxi had left the palace, what she had lost and what she had gained, what changes she had undergone — he did not care in the slightest.
Shen Zhuxi had anticipated this, yet when the reality was laid plainly before her, she could not help but feel a pang of sadness.
In those early days after leaving the palace, Shen Suzhan had been almost her entire hope.
She had missed him so desperately — this one remaining family member who had still treated her decently in the palace. And this meeting, today’s meeting — she had carried a small, fragile thread of expectation for it.
Reality was telling her how naive she had been.
Shen Zhuxi had wanted to ask him how these past two years had been for him, but now she did not want to ask anything at all.
She answered: “There is something Zhuxi must confess to Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“While I was living among the people, I have already wed. Regardless of whether the Fu family still acknowledges the marriage contract, it is impossible for me to wed anyone else.”
Shen Suzhan’s brow furrowed. The news both startled and surprised him, but fortunately there was no sign of strong opposition in his expression.
“Who is this person?”
“The former Zhenchuan Military Commissioner, Li Wu,” Shen Zhuxi said. “At the time, I escaped the palace under the protection of my personal palace maid, and by chance encountered Li Wu in Jinzhou when he was still a commoner. At first, I hid my identity as a princess and called myself a runaway palace maid. When I first entered common life, my ignorance of daily living caused me to make many blunders and get into no small amount of trouble. Li Wu was always there to look after me. Though his background was humble, he is a man of feeling and principle, courage and resourcefulness.”
“I accepted his proposal, partly because he treated me with extraordinary kindness, and partly because I wished to make use of his strength to find a foothold amid the chaos of war and await the day of my reunion with elder brother.”
Shen Zhuxi glossed over the question of why she had not sought out Shen Suzhan at the first opportunity. If he pressed further and asked why she had not sought the help of the Bai family — given that the emperor’s whereabouts were notoriously difficult to trace — she had a failsafe answer prepared.
But Shen Suzhan did not press.
Just as she had expected, he had no interest in her personal choices or the journey of her heart.
Shen Suzhan’s only question was: “But was the former Zhenchuan Military Commissioner not named Li Zhuzong?”
“Li Zhuzong was an alternate name,” Shen Zhuxi said, her expression unchanged. “My husband was an orphan who grew up alongside a flock of ducks. The scholar who gave him a name offered two choices — one was Li Wu, and the other was Li Zhuzong.”
“I see,” Shen Suzhan said. “And where is he now? We recall that Li Zhuzong was stripped of his post and charged precisely because his whereabouts were unknown.”
“My husband was harmed by Fu Xuanmiao. Whether he lives or dies is uncertain.”
Shen Zhuxi related everything that had happened upon returning to Xiangzhou. A contemplative look crossed Shen Suzhan’s face. He lightly rubbed a jade thumb ring on his right hand and said: “…Conspiring to harm a third-rank court official is a crime punishable by death. But words alone are no proof — do you have any evidence to demonstrate that Fu Xuanmiao is the mastermind behind the attack on Li Zhuzong?”
Shen Zhuxi relayed what Bai Rongling had implied about Fu Xuanmiao being the one pulling the strings.
“…The Fu clan holds overwhelming power over court and country. Without more concrete evidence, there is no bringing down Fu Xuanmiao,” Shen Suzhan sighed. “We will keep this matter in mind and have Our people look into it, to see if any other evidence can be found.”
“Elder brother — my husband’s fate is unknown after falling off the cliff. I beg Your Majesty, on account of the bond between us as siblings, to send someone to Qianyinkeng to rescue my husband!”
Shen Suzhan looked at her with a conflicted expression: “Sixth sister, it is not that We are deliberately deflecting. What makes you believe that your husband could survive a fall into a ten-thousand-foot abyss?”
“My husband has an iron will — he could not possibly have died so easily!” Shen Zhuxi said with conviction.
What she said sounded unreasonable even as the words left her mouth, yet deep down, Shen Zhuxi had an instinct — a certainty — that Li Wu was absolutely still alive in this world.
“And even if he were found and brought back — what then?” Shen Suzhan said. “Not just within Great Yan — even going back a thousand years, there is no precedent for a princess to descend in marriage to a —”
Shen Suzhan stopped himself, swallowing the word that had been on the tip of his tongue. From the shape of his lips, Shen Zhuxi could see it had been the word for “lowly.”
He had meant to say: commoner of the lowest sort.
“…To a man of common station,” Shen Suzhan corrected himself. “A body of flesh and blood falling from a cliff cannot even leave a whole corpse — to say nothing of surviving with one’s life. Sixth sister, We know you are grieving, but this happened so long ago. Even if he still had half a breath when he fell, by now there would be nothing left. Why torment yourself over this? Now that you and We are reunited, do you fear that a good husband cannot be found for you in future?”
Shen Zhuxi gripped her hands together tight: “…In this life, Zhuxi will only have Li Wu.”
The air inside the imperial carriage fell briefly silent. Shen Suzhan looked at Shen Zhuxi with a novel curiosity — even the hand absentmindedly rubbing the jade ring stilled without his noticing.
After a moment, Shen Suzhan lifted himself from the reclining seat and let out a sigh:
“If that is truly how you feel…so be it. We will send trusted men to Qianyinkeng to investigate.”
Investigate?
And how many months or years would this “investigation” drag on?
What she needed was a rescue — not some vague, directionless “investigation”!
Shen Suzhan’s indifference to her feelings she could bear without complaint. But this dismissive response, when it concerned Li Wu — who was in desperate need of help — she could not endure.
“When we arrive at the hunting grounds in a while, what passed between us in this carriage must not reach Fu Xuanmiao’s ears. Father Emperor’s years of tolerance and retreat allowed the Fu clan to reach its current state where it can cover the sky with one hand. To bring down the Fu clan, we still need to plan carefully and at length.” Shen Suzhan patted her hand. “Sixth sister, before We and the Grand Preceptor devise a perfect strategy, We need you to remain at Fu Xuanmiao’s side and endure hardship for a time while gathering intelligence.”
Shen Zhuxi suppressed her anger and said: “Fu Xuanmiao is exceedingly cunning. Zhuxi is simple and naive — she is no match for him.”
“When emotions cloud the mind, one becomes erratic — and in that erratic state, one fails to see the very threads that would otherwise be visible,” Shen Suzhan said. “We hope sixth sister will not refuse. You are the only one who can take on this responsibility. If the Fu clan is not brought down, you will not be free for a single day. And until the Fu clan falls, your marriage is not something We alone can decide…”
The very Shen Suzhan who only moments ago had promised to find her a good husband if she gave up Li Wu now spoke these words without the slightest change in expression — and with that, the last shred of hope Shen Zhuxi had held for him shattered completely.
She could not wait for others to rescue Li Wu.
“If that is the case, Zhuxi is willing to take on this important responsibility — however —” Shen Zhuxi said, “Zhuxi carries a worry in her heart, and when playing a false game with Fu Xuanmiao she may not be able to do so without any cracks showing. It is even possible that if Fu Xuanmiao detects something, he will turn things around and use me to gather intelligence on Your Majesty instead.”
Shen Suzhan’s expression tightened slightly.
“Zhuxi is bold, and asks Your Majesty to relieve her of this worry.”
Shen Suzhan said with impatience: “We have already said We will send men to investigate Li Zhuzong’s fate.”
Shen Zhuxi changed her kneeling posture to a full prostration. Without hesitation, she pressed her forehead to the floor of the lurching imperial carriage.
“Your Majesty — though Jiangzhou is beautiful in scenery, its terrain is filled with marshes and waterways, making it unsuitable for a hunt,” Shen Zhuxi forced herself to speak in a steady voice. “Jiangzhou is small in territory and lies close to Jianzhou, the current capital. Not only is it densely populated with prey that has grown wary, but it also sits within the stronghold of the powerful families. Shouzhou, on the other hand, is vast in territory, with abundant mountains and forests… and lies far from the influence of the great clans.”
“…What is sixth sister suggesting?”
The voice of Shen Suzhan above her changed almost imperceptibly — but he quickly brought it back under deliberate control.
“Zhuxi believes —” Shen Zhuxi lifted her head and met Shen Suzhan’s gaze with firm, resolute eyes, “that Shouzhou would be an excellent place for a hunt.”