After sitting in the cold wind for half the day, Li Weifeng finally learned what had actually happened.

“She will not come to my side.” Li Gu said it plainly.

Li Weifeng slapped his thigh in exasperation. “What is the matter with the young women of the Xie family — every single one of them!”

There were things that had happened inside the warm pavilion that Li Gu would not tell anyone, but he did ask: “Seventh Brother — would you think less of her for having once offered herself through her beauty?”

Li Weifeng said, “That phrase is so unkind to a woman — let’s not use it.”

He added, “And how is what she did offering herself through her beauty? Never mind the fact that she had no say in the matter, and that it was her own emperor father who personally sent her away in marriage — just look at what she accomplished on the steppe. No one who knew of it would think less of her.”

“Seventh Brother sees clearly. But there are too many fools in the world.” Li Gu said, “She told me — she has been married to a father and then a son. If she were now to follow me as well, that label of ‘offering herself through beauty’ would be fixed to her for the rest of her life.”

“Well… when you put it that way… ah, I suppose it does have a point.” Li Weifeng said. “It does sound rather unpleasant.”

The codes of propriety in the world placed heavy demands on women — virtue, bearing, speech, and wifely work, and virtue was placed first of all. One married a wife for her moral character; beauty, by contrast, was considered the province of taking a concubine.

“But in the rear palace, only the Empress is not reduced to offering herself through beauty, isn’t she?” Li Weifeng scratched his head and said. “Though you can hardly make her Empress, can you.”

Li Gu, however, fell into a long and heavy silence.

Li Weifeng was shaken. “You’re not actually thinking of it, are you?”

For all Li Weifeng’s lack of propriety on the surface, he had always had a firm grasp on what truly mattered. Li Gu’s silence had genuinely alarmed him.

If Li Gu actually had that in mind, the court was in for one tremendous fight.

Li Gu continued to stare at the surface of the ice and said nothing.

After a very long while, he finally spoke. “No.”

Li Weifeng exhaled in deep, expansive relief.

Li Gu said, “She is not suited for it.”

“Right, right, exactly.” Li Weifeng quickly helped him solidify the thought. “The Empress is not only your own bride — you need to think this through clearly.”

“I understand, Seventh Brother — don’t worry.” Li Gu said, “Establishing an Empress is a matter of public affairs.”

Back at Princess Yongning’s Residence, Xie Yuzhang and Lin Fei were taking a few small cups of wine to celebrate their return to Yunjing.

When their ears had grown pleasantly warm, Lin Fei said, “Zhuzhu, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Mm?” Xie Yuzhang set down her cup and looked at her.

Lin Fei said, “My Third Brother says he wants to take me back home.”

The room went suddenly quiet.

Xie Yuzhang looked up, candlelight reflected in her pupils, illuminating a memory from her past life.

In her past life, by the time they had returned, Lin Zi had already become a Vice Minister of one of the Six Ministries — a man of real authority, and someone trusted by the Emperor. When he and Lin Fei spoke, Xie Yuzhang had stood on the covered walkway outside the door, head bowed, listening. Their voices drifted out through the open door, every word clear.

Lin Fei had said: I am not leaving. Our Lin family repays grace with grace; how could I simply walk away.

Lin Zi had said: Have you not already given enough?

Lin Fei had said: She and I have depended on each other so long — if I go, how will she manage alone? Third Brother, I cannot leave.

And so Lin Zi had gone home alone, and Lin Fei had stayed behind.

The candleflame trembled.

Xie Yuzhang thought: in her past life, why had she been standing outside Lin Fei’s door?

She remembered now. She had heard that Lin Zi had come to find Lin Fei, and had come rushing over in a panic.

She had been afraid. Terribly, terribly afraid that Lin Fei would go home with Lin Zi.

Because if that happened, how was she supposed to go on living alone?

The candlelight fell across Xie Yuzhang’s beautiful face, and a brilliant, joyful smile bloomed there. Xie Yuzhang cried out happily, “This day has finally come!”

Lin Fei looked at her.

Xie Yuzhang then switched to reproach: “It’s all because you wouldn’t listen to me! If you had listened and stayed at Duke Xun’s Residence, you could have been reunited with your family three years sooner!”

Lin Fei gave a faint smile and lowered her head. “You are right.”

Xie Yuzhang paused, then seized the moment to press forward. “Second Brother’s matter — have you made up your mind?”

Yang Huaishen had met Lin Fei in Mobei, learned that she was unmarried, and declared his feelings for her. He had wished to ask for her hand. Lin Fei had refused him at the time.

Yang Huaishen had said only: There is no rush — take your time and decide.

“I never expected that Second Brother would truly rise the way he has.” Xie Yuzhang reflected, “When General Jiang’s secret envoy first told me that Second Brother was also in the army, I had quite a fright. But looking at him now — he is so utterly changed from before. Great-Uncle’s decision to send him to Hexi — how many people must envy that choice. Second Brother’s future prospects, and the future of the Yang family — neither needs to be worried about anymore.”

“But Fei,” Xie Yuzhang said, “he is my brother, so naturally I think well of him, naturally I sing his praises. But you need not take that into account.”

She said, “Your own affairs — think only of yourself. Don’t look on him differently just because he is my brother. If you are to marry someone, it must be someone you yourself have feelings for.”

Then, hurrying on: “Did Lin Third Brother say what day you would go back? You’ll need to pack as well.”

Lin Fei only smiled. “There’s no rush. I told my brother that you’ve just newly established your residence here — there’s a great deal to sort out. I’ll go once things have settled.”

But Xie Yuzhang said, “Isn’t everything already settled? You and your brother have been separated for so many years. A reunion as soon as possible is what matters most! It’s just a princess’s residence — do you really think I can’t manage it on my own? You’re far too little faith in me.”

Lin Fei looked at her and smiled with a faint sigh. “Little faith in anyone — but never in you.”

The next morning, the imperial envoy arrived very early. He was none other than Lin Fei’s Third Brother, Lin Zi, who had personally requested from the Emperor the honor of serving as envoy. Former Duke of Xun, current Vice Director of the Chancellery Yang Changyuan also arrived early — today was not a day of rest, and he had asked for leave from the Emperor. He accompanied Xie Yuzhang as she received the gold seal and the jade register, and witnessed her splendid transformation from a princess of Zhao to a princess of Da Mu.

This was, truly, something no one could ever have imagined.

Xie Yuzhang accepted the gold seal and the jade register with a “Grateful for Your Majesty’s gracious favor,” and felt her heart settle completely. From this moment forward, she had her own standing in the Da Mu dynasty.

It was a standing of the finest kind — it looked prestigious from the outside, yet carried no real power, which meant she could avoid being humiliated by others while at the same time not be viewed as a threat by anyone.

Li Gu might only have wished to fill a void that had long sat in his heart — to make a word he had once spoken into a promise he could fulfill. But for Xie Yuzhang, it could not have been better.

Everything she had done before leaving the Central Plains had been returned to her a thousandfold.

“Congratulations, Your Highness.” Lin Zi was about the same age as the Emperor, not yet thirty. Tall and elegant, with a handsome bearing, he gave a deep bow. “All these years, I am grateful beyond words for Your Highness’s care of Fei Niang.”

Xie Yuzhang returned half a bow. “Third Brother must not say such things. Fei and I are as close as sisters, and in all these years it was never clear which of us looked after the other. There is only this: back then she chased after me and insisted on following me there, and in all these years I did my very best to protect her. Today I return her to Third Brother safe and sound. I ask only that Third Brother take her home as soon as possible — that is all I need to set my heart completely at ease.”

Lin Zi had known Xie Yuzhang in their younger years when his sister was her study companion in the residence. Yet he had not expected that after more than ten years, Xie Yuzhang would address him as “Third Brother” the very first moment she spoke — with a familiarity that seemed even warmer than in those early days. She had simply picked it up from Lin Fei.

His sister had been missing for years; there had been times when he could not even be certain whether she was still alive. Yet she had come back unharmed, steadfastly claiming that she had been under the protection of a princess the entire time, that she had not suffered a moment’s hardship. He could not find words adequate to express his gratitude to Xie Yuzhang.

He gave another deep bow before finally straightening himself. “Let her stay with Your Highness a few more days; then she can return home.”

“Certainly not,” Xie Yuzhang said with a smile. “I am with her every single day, and now that we are both in Yunjing, it is not as though we will stop seeing each other. How can I let your reunion be delayed on my account? Her belongings are already packed in trunks that haven’t even been opened — just take them. Take her home with you right now. Once she has seen all her relatives and family, and things have settled down, she can come and visit me. Besides, I’m right here — in the imperial-bestowed Princess Yongning’s Residence — I won’t be going anywhere.”

Lin Zi and Lin Fei were born of the same mother, and the resemblance showed. Lin Fei’s features were delicate and graceful; Lin Zi’s were full of spirit and bearing. The greatest similarity between the two was a quality of scholarly refinement that permeated both — clean, pure, and otherworldly in their aura.

He laughed and said to Lin Fei, “Did you hear that?”

Lin Fei grumbled, “Really — the way she speaks, it sounds as if I’m some sort of nuisance she can’t wait to be rid of.”

“Hmph,” Xie Yuzhang said with a laugh. “If I’m going to chase you away, you’d better not linger here eating my princess’s residence’s food for free.”

Both young women had returned from the steppe; in the imagination of those around them, they ought to have looked weathered and worn, their eyes holding the weight of long hardship. Yet here they were, laughing and teasing each other, radiant and bright-spirited.

Their laughter made the eyes of the others grow wet.

“Really, Uncle,” Xie Yuzhang said in gentle reproach. “Why are you crying again?” As she spoke, she personally took Yang Changyuan by the arm and guided him to take a seat in the hall.

Lin Fei said, “Brother, come help me pack.”

Lin Zi knew this was the moment for Xie Yuzhang and her uncle to have their private conversation; he offered his apologies to them and followed Lin Fei away.

“Why did you change your mind?” he asked. “Yesterday you said you wanted to stay a few more days.”

Lin Fei gave a soft sound of acknowledgment and smiled. “She worried I’d be eating her food for free — she found out yesterday, and so now she insists on chasing me away. Saves trouble, in a way. The trunks can just be taken straight out.”

Lin Zi had the feeling that his sister was smiling, but the smile had not reached her eyes. He paused, then said, “Coming home sooner is better too. Everyone has missed you. Ninth Brother and Tenth Brother are both in the capital now, studying. When they heard you were safe, they both cried yesterday. Your courtyard has all been prepared and tidied up. Even if you came back with nothing, it wouldn’t matter — the house has everything.”

Lin Fei said, “Those two — they must be almost of age by now. And they were still crying?”

She said it with her mouth, but she gave Lin Zi only the back of her head to look at. Lin Zi gazed at his sister’s black hair braided into a plait and said nothing more.

Back in the main hall, Xie Yuzhang was busy comforting Yang Changyuan.

Yang Changyuan wept for a moment, then said, “Even until yesterday — even knowing you were coming home — it all still felt like a dream.”

Xie Yuzhang offered him a thorough round of reassurances, saying she had had subjects and a guard on the steppe, and had never suffered a single hardship.

Yang Changyuan thought to himself: the fact of her second marriage alone was already an enormous suffering, yet this child spoke not a word of it. He felt a mixture of admiration for his niece’s strength of character, and a pain in his heart he could not suppress.

He wiped his tears away and turned to the matter at hand.

“In a little while, I’ll accompany you to the Marquis of Xiaoyao’s Residence,” he said with a sigh. “After all, you and he are father and daughter — go and see him. Only, whatever he may be doing, don’t push too hard to dissuade him.”

Xie Yuzhang knew everything perfectly well, yet still had to play the part of knowing nothing, and asked accordingly: “What has Father been doing?”

As expected, Yang Changyuan said, “Nothing in particular — only that he passes his days refining and consuming elixirs.”

Just as in her past life.

Xie Yuzhang fell silent.

Yang Changyuan said, “Zhuzhu, I am not being callous in telling you not to intervene. It is simply that in his position, every right thing he does becomes a wrong, and it is only by doing the so-called wrong things that he stays in the right.”

As the former Emperor who had abdicated in the dynasty’s passing, he was truly in a position where every action could be turned against him.

Reading books was wrong — what business did an idle man have with books? Was he not harboring the secret ambition of restoring the former dynasty?

Writing calligraphy was wrong — if by careless chance he composed a line that could be read as having hidden meaning, he would be accused of veiled allusions, and there would be no way to clear his name even with a mouth to speak.

“He himself knew what it meant to be suspicious when he sat on the throne. And so naturally he understands better than most people.” Yang Changyuan sighed. “Aside from playing the qin now and then, or brewing his tea, he doesn’t even paint anymore.”

In the world there were always petty men ready to use others’ missteps as a stepping stone for their own advancement.

If no missteps could be found, they would pick at something until they found a crack.

Xie Yuzhang thought: in her past life, the truly foolish one had been herself.

After returning from the steppe, she had seen her father spending his days consuming elixirs, and had tried many times to dissuade him. Her father had only said: You don’t understand.

It turned out she truly had not understood. It turned out the father who had seemed to wander about in a fog, muddled by years of elixir-eating, had understood everything clearly all along in his heart.

He was simply afraid of death — afraid of it to the point of desperation.