The Keeper of the Chancellery glanced down at the yellow talisman and laughed with a sneer. “To think that Duke Weiguo believes in such things? I had always assumed the Duke was a man who had transcended the concerns of ordinary life — it seems that after marriage, he could not resist his wife’s persuasion!”

The intelligence obtained from within the palace had firmly asserted that Duke Weiguo harbored ambitions of great conquest. Yet the Emperor still harbored doubts, fearing that without evidence in hand, he could not casually destabilize the three-legged equilibrium. After all, shattering the balance would do the state no good. Hence, today’s elaborate search of everyone present was designed to appear less deliberate — but when it came to Duke Weiguo himself, the examination needed to be thorough. Should anything suspicious surface, there were orders from the palace to seize the man immediately and send him to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.

The Keeper of the Chancellery knew this full well. When he unfolded the talisman, he was naturally exceptionally careful. He had expected to find words of ambition or advancement written in the small vermillion characters — yet when he fixed his eyes upon it, what he saw far exceeded all expectation.

“Heaven is round, earth is square, the nine statutes govern all, the divine generals take heed — a child shall be born… auspiciously?” The Keeper stared at him with an expression of sheer disbelief. “Duke Weiguo carries a fertility talisman on his person?”

Li Chenjian asked in bewilderment, “And why not? Is a man not permitted to carry a fertility talisman?”

Fortunately, the previous day after Yun Pan had handed him the peace talisman, he had unfolded it and read it. The small characters written upon it — never mind others — had even struck him as alarming. The sweeping language of cosmic authority, woven with sun and moon and the patterns of heaven and earth, would in the eyes of anyone with ulterior motives constitute evidence of treason.

Now that the situation had grown so tense, every step demanded caution. The Daoist master who had written the talisman — he had moved first, dispatching men to deal with the matter, and that talisman had already been destroyed. Yet he had sensed that things would not be so simple, and so had replaced that peace talisman with Yun Pan’s fertility talisman.

As it turned out, everything unfolded exactly as he had anticipated — someone had indeed tried to make something of that original talisman. He and Yun Pan had once discussed that they would not stoop to the business of informing on others to the palace. Regrettably, it seemed others did not share that sentiment. Still, through all this commotion, one could see that it bore the marks of a woman’s hand — had it been a man’s doing, the Daoist master would likely already have been delivered to the palace.

The Keeper of the Chancellery opened and closed his mouth, with a persistent sense that something was off — yet faced with the evidence before him, there was ultimately nothing he could say. He could only offer a perfunctory reply: “What a thing to say — the Duke’s earnest desire for a child is something everyone present can understand.” So saying, he wrapped the talisman back as it had been and returned it to him.

This thunderous search had yielded nothing but rain. The Keeper of the Chancellery had come up empty-handed and was just preparing to smooth things over with a word of apology when a deputy commander outside cried out, announcing that a strange talisman had been discovered in one of the private dining rooms nearby.

The men from the Court of Judicial Review immediately found their way out of the awkward situation. They hurriedly cupped their hands in apology for the intrusion and swept out of the room like a passing gale, pulling the latticed doors shut behind them with a resounding thud.

Their pleasant mood having been disturbed, everyone felt somewhat deflated — but since the order had come from within the palace, there was little to be said about it. They simply drank their wine and pretended nothing had happened.

In the adjacent room, an official had been taken away. Word was that his talisman contained the characters for “Heaven” and “Earth.” Duke Chengguo, whether intentionally or not, drained a mouthful of wine and said: “The talisman was written by a Daoist priest from Baiyun Temple. What is the use of rounding up such miscellaneous figures? Better to seize the principal offender who wrote the talisman and subject him to a thorough interrogation — everything will come out then.”

General Xu, who was well-versed in such matters, said: “It is the birthday of the Donghuang Great Emperor, and Daoist masters from all eight directions are taking turns presiding over the altar. If they were all arrested, every temple on the surrounding hillsides would have to shut its doors — what a state of affairs that would be!”

The reigning Emperor, after all, was a devotee of Daoism. A copy of the Wanshou Daoist Canon had been transcribed and re-transcribed, spread far and wide. To rashly arrest Daoist masters from the temples would be tantamount to openly challenging the faith — in an era when Daoism was at its zenith, such a thing was truly unthinkable.

In any case, this farce subsided quickly. Li Chenjian, though his mind was on his household, could not extricate himself immediately, and had no choice but to send Bi Xie back ahead of him.

Later, when the banquet dispersed and the guests had been seen off one by one, only he and Duke Chengguo remained at last. Duke Chengguo looked at him and said in a low voice: “The palace must have received some intelligence — that is why they dispatched the Court of Judicial Review. Think on it: why not the Palace Guards, and not the Imperial Bodyguard Corps either? Who knows what scheme the Emperor is now turning over in his mind.”

Li Chenjian let out a melancholy sigh. In the end, it all came down to one thing: “Elder brother, you and I are of one mind — I shall only follow your lead and look to you for direction.”

Duke Chengguo, hearing this, clapped him on the shoulder. “Good brother, of course we are of one mind. Only — now that the Third Young Master has returned, it would be prudent to exercise extra care.”

Fearing the walls might have ears, there was nothing more to be said. Duke Chengguo then thought of the talisman from a moment ago, and asked in puzzlement: “Has some new theory emerged, then — that a man carrying a fertility talisman makes the prayer more efficacious?”

Li Chenjian was startled, and could not help but smile. Unfortunately the particulars were not convenient to share, so he could only nod vaguely. “There is such a saying — the child will be of our Li family bloodline after all, so if I seek the blessing myself, it shows sincerity.”

Duke Chengguo listened with a trace of wistfulness. “Xuandu has been gone for several months now, and your sister-in-law is still downcast. I don’t know how to console her. Perhaps — perhaps I too shall go to Baiyun Temple and pray for a talisman to carry on my person. I’ve turned it over and over in my mind, and only by helping her conceive again can the grief in her heart truly be eased.”

Li Chenjian said that seemed a fine idea. “It gives the heart something to hold onto — that is what makes life worth living. Or perhaps let my sister-in-law visit the shop to divert her spirits. There are more people there; having company to talk with may lift her mood.”

Duke Chengguo shook his head. “You don’t know her as I do — she keeps everything bottled up inside. Unless someone is very close to her, she never opens her heart.” He thought for a moment, then said: “When you find the time, have your wife look in on her. The two of them together — perhaps they will manage to exchange a few words.”

Li Chenjian agreed and watched him mount his horse and ride off toward the far end of the long street. Outside, the fog had grown very thick. He turned and stepped up into his carriage; the vehicle moved into the dense mist, gradually leaving the Imperial Avenue behind, until the world ahead and behind alike became a vast expanse of grey.

He closed his eyes and feigned sleep. After traveling a while longer, he lifted the curtain and looked ahead — the gate of the residence was just up ahead. From the entrance pillars two lanterns hung high. Drawing closer still, he could make out two silhouettes standing beneath the porch eaves: Yun Pan and her handmaid Qin Dan.

He stepped down from the carriage. She hurried forward to meet him. He noticed that her fox-fur collar and her eyelashes were both beaded with water droplets, so heavy they weighed on her blinking.

“Did I not tell you there was no need to wait for me?” He took her hand and led her inside. Her hands were very cold today — and they seemed to tremble faintly. He knew she had been worried. For him, brushing shoulders with life and death had become a matter of routine — yet for her, this was the first time she had witnessed such peril. And so she had been tightly wound, struggling even to speak.

At long last they returned to Xuzhu. No sooner had they stepped into the inner chamber than she turned and embraced him. He was startled — but very quickly his expression softened with tenderness, and he gently stroked her back to comfort her. “It’s all right now. All right. Don’t worry…”

Yun Pan could not begin to describe the half-day of anxiety she had endured. When Bi Xie had returned with a message telling her to be careful within the courtyard, she had known that something must have gone wrong outside. She pressed Bi Xie for details and was told only that a talisman Her Highness the Princess had requested at Baiyun Temple some days prior had caused a problem. Her heart had leapt with dread at those words. The previous day she had watched him stare pensively at those two talismans and thought he was making a mountain of a molehill — yet today it had truly come to a head.

How many trials must a person endure, she thought, to forge such razor-sharp instincts. Now, thinking back on it, she was filled with retroactive fear. If he had not unfolded the talisman, had not scrutinized the characters written upon it — then today the Court of Judicial Review would not have left empty-handed, the household would now be in chaos, and who would know how to rescue him.

Earlier she had stood waiting beneath the porch eaves, and the white mist was so thick she could see nothing at all. She had felt as though she had fallen into a strange dream, knowing only to keep her eyes wide open, staring straight ahead. The cool, damp vapor struck her face, making her eyes ache and blur — yet still she waited, and hoped, until his carriage finally came into view, and only then did she feel herself come alive again. As she descended the steps, she had even heard her own joints creaking softly.

She held onto him and would not let go. He continued to soothe her, saying softly, “See? I’ve come back.”

She steadied her heart, and only after a long while did she slowly lower her arms.

“I had not imagined that something so outwardly ordinary could be turned into such a weapon against us.” She helped him remove his crane-feather cloak and drew him to sit in the armchair, then stood to one side, giving thanks for the fortunate outcome. “Thank goodness you had the foresight yesterday — if that talisman had fallen into the hands of someone with ill intentions, how would we have defended ourselves…”

But he brushed it off as though a breeze had passed without a trace, and said only: “One can guard against a moment, but not against a lifetime. The Emperor is suspicious by nature, and the palace has always been convinced that we harbor disloyal ambitions. In truth, if the Emperor had sons, who would have the opportunity to covet his throne? As it stands, a precious treasure is left exposed in plain sight, yet no one is to be permitted any designs upon it — yet the hearts of men are beyond governing. So troops are deployed here and stratagems laid there, yet it cannot all be guarded against. It is, when one thinks about it, truly laughable.”

He was a man who took things as they came, and had never harbored so much as a trace of complaint — yet today was different from other days. Yun Pan looked sidelong at him. “Does the Duke also feel the Emperor is being excessive in his suspicions?”

He cast his eyes down with a faint smile. “The rustling of wind and the cry of cranes sends men into a panic… Today the Court of Judicial Review was deployed — it seems there is a strong resolve to put things in order. I have in fact considered this: if one were to use this affair as occasion to withdraw entirely from this struggle, perhaps that too would be no bad thing.”

Yun Pan was mildly astonished. “Do you truly think so?”

But very quickly he shook his head with a bitter smile. “Rowing against the current — if you do not advance, you fall behind. My Lady, we do not have so many choices.”

He was now willing to speak frankly with her, to say things he had never spoken of before. Perhaps it was because he was too weary. He closed his eyes for a moment; in the candlelight his face looked pale and worn.

He reached out a hand, drew her to stand before him, leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his face against her chest. He murmured softly: “Let me rest like this for a while. I need to think…”

In that instant, a wave of tenderness surged through Yun Pan’s heart. She gently stroked his hair, never having imagined that a day like this would come — that the indomitable master who had stood like a god among the ruins would one day lean against her and confide his innermost thoughts.

The times were fraught with difficulty — but she believed he would always find a way. She did not wish to disturb him; she would simply let him think in peace. Whatever lay ahead — whether glory and splendor, or roads running dry to the very end — she would remain forever by his side.

The next day brought fog just as heavy, without so much as a breath of wind. The thick mist hung suspended above the city of the capital all through the morning, and by the Hour of the Snake, there was still no sign of it dispersing.

Yun Pan planned to visit her aunt’s home that day. She had Nanny Yao prepare some gifts and set off for Duke Shuguo’s residence.

Madam Ming came out from the inner courtyard to welcome her, smiling. “I was thinking of you just yesterday — I was going to call on you at your residence, and here you’ve come yourself today.”

Yun Pan said with a smile, a little self-conscious: “It is I who should be calling on you, Aunt. It is just that the household has been so busy of late, I could not find a moment.” She turned and gestured behind her: “Aunt, look — my Duke has come across two wonderfully plump hares fresh with the frost. I’ve brought one for you, to make a dish with wine for Uncle.”

Madam Ming caught sight of the handmaid carrying a hare, let out an exclamation, and hastily told a servant woman to take it inside. Laughing, she said: “Your uncle simply loves spiced frost hare. Only it must not be seen by your A’Jie — if she spots it, there will be trouble. She won’t say a word, she’ll just crouch down in front of the hare’s pen and weep silently, and who could bring themselves to eat after that!” As she spoke, she took Yun Pan’s hand and led her into the inner courtyard, turning her head to instruct a handmaid: “Go quickly and tell the young lady — say that Yun Niang has come.”

In her aunt’s home, Yun Pan was still addressed as “Yun Niang,” for since both she and Madam Ming now held the title of a Duke’s wife, it would have been awkward for the household staff to address them otherwise.

The handmaid went off to the Zilan Courtyard on her errand, while Madam Ming drew her to sit in the small reception room at the rear of the house, and had refreshments and sweets brought out, pushing the plates toward her: “Just made — sugar-glazed crisp wafers and milk cakes. Do try some.”

In her aunt’s presence, Yun Pan had no need to maintain the dignified bearing of a Duke’s wife. She sampled this, then tasted that, praising everything enthusiastically.

When she finally dabbed her lips, she remembered to ask about Xiang Xu’s situation. Cradling her bowl, she asked: “Yesterday my Duke mentioned that Elder Brother and Sister Nianci’s betrothal has fallen through — what happened?”

At the mention of this, Madam Ming could not conceal her regret. “I am getting on in years and I simply cannot fathom what young people are thinking nowadays. It all comes down to your elder brother having been neglectful toward Nianci, which hurt her feelings, and so she declined the match.” She sighed. “What a perfectly suited pair they were — the two of them so well matched, and Nianci’s mother and I are cousins, so there would be no need for formality between us as in-laws. Everything would have been so uncomplicated. Yet your elder brother was not up to the mark and failed such a fine young woman…”

Yet for all she said this, in her heart she knew full well. Xiang Xu had always been single-minded — forever fixated on what he could not have, and so he had let slip a good match that had been within his very grasp.

Though he never spoke of it, what mother does not know her own son’s heart? Yun Pan was already married, and happily so — wedded to Duke Weiguo, deeply in love with her husband. What hope could remain? Yet there were things that could not be said aloud; to say them would only bring embarrassment to everyone. So she left it vague and did not raise the subject of him.

Just then Mei Fen arrived. She entered with a bright smile on her face. “Si Si, how did you find the time today?”

Yun Pan stood and pulled her down to sit, saying with a smile: “I came to see Aunt, and to see you, A’Jie. I hear you have been very busy these past few days, and Zhao Zhongyan has been calling frequently to pay his respects.”

Mei Fen’s face flushed red. She said reproachfully: “It was all of you who worked to bring this match about in the first place — and now you come to tease me about it?”

Yun Pan and Madam Ming exchanged amused glances. “When did I tease you? Besides, wasn’t it you yourself who approved of Zhao Zhongyan and agreed to the match?”

Mei Fen grew even more flustered. Madam Ming quickly came to her rescue, saying: “In any case, I think well of this young man — his character is open and cheerful, he is full of life, and he and our Mei’er are a fine match. Your uncle is particularly fond of him. The two of them could talk together endlessly about military deployments and weaponry — one could hardly get a word in edgewise.” As she spoke, she rose to her feet. “You must stay for the meal. I’ll go and have things prepared now. Mei’er, keep your younger sister company for a while.”

Mei Fen agreed, and the two cousins sat together in the reception room making pleasant conversation. Now that everything had settled into place, a sense of peace had descended over them both — no more need for anxiety.

Yun Pan asked her: “Have your trousseau and dowry all been prepared? If anything is missing, be sure to tell me — I want to contribute my share.”

Mei Fen shook her head. “Mother is overjoyed about all of it. I haven’t needed to trouble myself at all — everything was prepared long ago. We are only waiting for spring next year.”

“Have they fixed an exact date?”

Mei Fen’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “He came a few days ago to formally propose the date. It’s been set for the twenty-second day of the twelfth month — which falls precisely on the day of the Start of Spring.”

Yun Pan clapped her hands in delight. “What a wonderful date — the very beginning of spring, when all things renew themselves. One can see that Zhao Zhongyan has put real thought into this.”

Mei Fen nodded. “I once thought I would never in my lifetime meet a person to whom I could truly open my heart. And yet, unexpectedly, here he is.”

It was the workings of fate — some people are destined for one another, and no one else will do.

Just as it had been earlier, when Mei Fen had been betrothed to Li Chenjian — in truth, the two of them were ill-suited. Mei Fen, burdened by old grievances, kept everything locked within herself; Li Chenjian was equally reserved. They would have been two people keeping their distance, maintaining courteous indifference, managing to get through a lifetime together — but neither would ever have surrendered their true heart.

With Zhao Zhongyan, it was entirely different. He was a straightforward man: if there was something he did not understand, he said so plainly. Mei Fen sometimes found his manner tiresome — yet it was precisely that tiresome forthcomingness that could warm a person’s heart, constantly letting her know what he was thinking, and what was weighing on his mind. What marriage lacked most was exactly this kind of honesty. So many misunderstandings, when clearly spoken, simply cleared away like rain after which comes fair skies.

The sisters were laughing and chatting when, unexpectedly, Nanny Yao came in to report: “An uninvited guest has arrived at the front — there seems to be some kind of commotion.”

Both Yun Pan and Mei Fen were startled. They pressed Nanny Yao for details. Nanny Yao said awkwardly: “He Xiao’s father and mother from Luoyang have arrived.”

Yun Pan was puzzled. “What are they here for? Surely, now that He Xiao’s false face has been exposed, they cannot have come to settle scores?”

Nanny Yao said: “That woman is crying one moment and laughing the next. From what she is saying, it sounds as though He Xiao is dead — and they have come here to demand justice.”

Mei Fen was shocked. She thought: but that evening, Father had not taken his life — how could he have died so suddenly? She asked Nanny Yao: “Did he die after returning to Luoyang?”

“By accounts, he died on the outskirts of the capital,” Nanny Yao said. “Madam He is weeping and wailing that her child’s soul cannot find its way home.”

Mei Fen’s heart was now pounding harder than ever. “What of Father? Has Father come home?”

Nanny Yao replied: “The Master is not at home. At the front, only the Mistress is managing things.”

Mei Fen grew agitated and turned to go to the front, but Yun Pan stopped her and said soothingly: “In such a heated moment, nothing good will come of anything said. If A’Jie goes out there, she will only give them something to vent their anger upon. A’Jie is a fine young lady from a good family — would you go and be subjected to cross-examination by the likes of them?”

Mei Fen said anxiously: “But Mother is alone at the front — what if she cannot hold her own against them?”

Yun Pan said: “Calm yourself. Let me go and see. A’Jie, stay here and wait for news.”

So saying, she drew Mei Fen to a seat, then took Nanny Yao and Qin Dan with her and made her way to the front courtyard.