During the day, Xi’er had been busy pulling weeds, which had sapped much of his strength. Already exhausted, and now with his worries laid to rest, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Mu Fulan gazed at the precious child sleeping soundly beside her and slowly closed her own eyes.

Dawn broke. In the early summer morning inside the medicine cottage, a faint, bitter fragrance of simmering medicinal herbs drifted through the air. Xi’er was still asleep. Mu Fulan rose quietly and slipped out of the bedroom door.

A handmaid was already waiting outside. Seeing Mu Fulan emerge, she immediately stepped forward and said in a low voice, “This morning, after I delivered the medicine as instructed by the princess, I doubled back as you directed and quietly kept watch. The Young Lord drank a few sips, then poured out the rest.”

Mu Fulan’s lingering suspicions instantly dissolved. She said nothing more, and simply instructed the handmaid to have someone tidy up and prepare for the return to the city that day. She then made her way to the front of the medicine cottage, where she summoned the manager of Prince Qi’s estate and said, “I shall be leaving today. After I go, have the physician’s assistant come here in my place. You are to attend to the Young Lord and tell him to take care of his health.”

A look of reluctance immediately crossed the manager’s face. He implored, “Just a moment ago I went to check on the Young Lord, and his condition has still not fully recovered. I was just thinking of asking the princess to look in on him again. The Young Lord has been frail since childhood. He came all this way, driven by his sincere admiration for Physician Li Yaoweng’s renowned skills, thinking nothing of the long journey. The Wang Consort was originally unwilling to let him go. It was the Young Lord’s own firm resolve that finally persuaded her, and before he left, she gave me instruction after instruction. I fear an ordinary physician’s assistant would not be up to the task. The princess trained under a great healer. With Physician Li away, I humbly beg the princess to stay on a few more days, until the Young Lord’s condition has improved.”

Mu Fulan replied, “I appreciate your loyalty. However, for one thing, the Young Lord’s illness these past two days is in truth quite ordinary. A physician’s assistant can manage perfectly well. For another, please also relay this to the Young Lord: if he himself refuses to follow medical advice and does not take his medicine properly, even Physician Li were he here, I’m afraid, would be powerless to help.”

The manager was taken aback. “What does the princess mean by that?”

Mu Fulan said, “Ask him yourself, and you will understand.”

The manager had no idea that Zhao Xitai had poured out his medicine. In his eyes, no illness of the Young Lord’s, however minor, was a trivial matter. With Physician Li absent, it had to be Li’s disciple who attended him — he could not put his mind at ease with anyone else. Yet he could now hear from her tone that there was no room for negotiation. He hesitated, and was just about to turn and head toward the rear quarters when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned around, and saw Zhao Xitai coming toward them in a rush.

He had clearly come in great haste. Stopping short, still slightly winded, he waved away the manager’s hand that had reached out to support him and told the man to leave.

The manager had no choice but to go.

Now only Mu Fulan remained at the entrance. Before he had even caught his breath, Zhao Xitai stepped forward and said, “Just now I saw your handmaid packing up things. You are leaving for the city today? Why not let me come along with you? The scenery here is lovely, but it’s rather too quiet…”

“Young Lord, the medicine that was sent to you — did you actually take it?”

Mu Fulan put the question to him.

Zhao Xitai was startled at first, then seemed to grasp something, and his expression stiffened.

Roughly two months earlier, news had reached the capital that Mu Fulan had fallen out of favor with Xie Changgeng and been sent away from Hexi, back to the Kingdom of Changsha.

At the time, Zhao Xitai had been in the capital. Overjoyed, he immediately resolved to travel to Changsha.

In years past, his childhood palace companion Mu Fulan had been, for Zhao Xitai, like a phantom planted deep within his heart — one he often found himself thinking of. But if there were no further chance of meeting again, she would likely remain just a phantom for the rest of his life.

Yet last year, he had encountered her again in the capital.

After so many years apart, the phantom in his heart had suddenly taken shape as a living, breathing beauty, appearing right before his eyes.

From the moment he first laid eyes on her again, Zhao Xitai had been unable to forget her. He could only curse that their reunion had come too late — that he had not managed to marry her before Xie Changgeng did. Now that he had at last learned she was back in Changsha, how could he give up this opportunity to be near her?

Even if he could do nothing for now, simply being able to see her often was consolation enough.

His pretext, naturally, was seeking medical treatment.

His mother had no great faith in Physician Li’s skills, and was even less willing to let him travel so far on his own. She refused at first, saying that if he truly needed a physician, he could just send someone to bring Physician Li to them. Zhao Xitai would not yield. He said that all his life he had been kept cooped up like a prisoner, and this time he wanted to go out — partly to seek treatment and partly to clear his head. If she would not allow it, he would refuse all medical care from that day on and let fate decide his end, for living like this was meaningless anyway. The Wang Consort, unable to get the better of her son, eventually relented.

What he had not anticipated was that after his arrival, while his health had indeed shown some improvement — gratifying in itself — he found that he had little opportunity to meet with her. So, taking advantage of Physician Li’s absence from the mountain, he had deliberately kicked off his covers while sleeping the night before.

Although it was already early summer, the nights on the mountain were naturally cool, and back at the Prince’s estate, he would typically keep the heating going until late spring. Even now, he still slept under a thick silk-padded quilt. After a whole night without covers, he felt unwell by morning. He exaggerated his symptoms, sent the manager into the city, and finally managed to summon Mu Fulan — so how could he be willing to let her leave so quickly?

Mu Fulan looked steadily at Zhao Xitai and said, “Young Lord, you have come from afar, and your health is precious. If something were to go wrong with you here in our Changsha, my royal brother would have no way to explain it to your father. You made this journey, and from my royal brother down to the very servants of this place, every single person in Changsha has treated you as a person of the utmost importance, doing everything in their power, hoping your health would improve soon. Yet you have done something so reckless. What reason would there be for me to stay?”

She finished speaking and turned to leave.

Zhao Xitai hurriedly blocked her way.

“It was entirely my fault! I should not have deceived you! I will be straightforward with you. I made myself ill on purpose — I froze myself! I came here not only to seek treatment, but because I wanted to see you again! I have been here all this time, and outside of this scheme, I could think of no other way to see you…”

Mu Fulan looked at him and knitted her brows slightly.

Zhao Xitai’s face had flushed deep red.

“I was wrong. For the sake of the friendship we had as children, forgive me this once. I will never deceive you again.”

Mu Fulan was silent for a moment, then said, “Very well, let us leave it at that. Take your medicine on schedule. When I return to the city, I will send the physician’s assistant here.”

“Princess, please wait!”

Zhao Xitai gazed at her retreating figure and called out once more.

“Princess, there is actually something important I came here to tell you. It concerns Xie Changgeng!”

Mu Fulan hesitated slightly and stopped in her tracks.

Zhao Xitai quickly stepped around to face her.

“Do you think the Empress Dowager truly trusts that man named Xie? Right now she merely needs him. As soon as a worthy replacement can be found, the Xie man’s days are numbered!”

He glanced around and lowered his voice.

“Princess, I truly think of you as one of my own, so I will be frank with you. My father is not only currently seeking talented men for the court in anticipation of future service, but has also sent people to infiltrate Hexi and gather intelligence. Xie Changgeng, using resistance against the Northern peoples as his pretext, has been secretly stockpiling grain, winning over hearts and minds, and overreaching well beyond his station. The soldiers of Hexi know him but know nothing of the court or the Empress Dowager. Each and every one of these things is an act of the gravest treachery. Once the evidence is in hand and laid before the Empress Dowager, how could bringing him down be difficult? When he falls, you can rest assured — my father will protect your Kingdom of Changsha and keep it safe from harm!”

That Prince Qi, had he truly been the moderate man he appeared on the surface, would never later have been able to stand on his own and become an adversary to Xie Changgeng, nearly rivaling the court itself.

That he had been quietly gathering talent in secret came as no surprise to Mu Fulan whatsoever.

With the court already in its twilight, state affairs seized by the empress’s relatives, it was hardly strange that anyone with ability and ambition should begin making their move.

What she had not expected was that Prince Qi, in his bid to eliminate Xie Changgeng, had already sent agents into Hexi to collect evidence.

First Zhang Ban, and now Prince Qi. Even the Empress Dowager Liu herself — Mu Fulan suspected she had never truly and completely trusted Xie Changgeng either.

But Xie Changgeng’s situation was not hers to worry about.

She looked at Zhao Xitai and smiled.

“Young Lord, I am grateful for your candor. But I fail to understand — even if Xie Changgeng were brought down, what leverage would your father have with Empress Dowager Liu to guarantee the safety of our Changsha?”

Zhao Xitai said, “Princess, I have already thought it all through on your behalf. Your Changsha has been bound to Xie Changgeng by marriage for years, and all along you have been aware of his treacherous ambitions. It is precisely because of this that you have been at odds with him and grown estranged from him over the years. When my father has the evidence, you step forward, follow my father’s direction, and provide testimony against Xie Changgeng — that will greatly improve our chances of success. Once he is finished, the only person the Empress Dowager will have left to rely on is my father. What could she possibly do to you then?”

“As long as you are willing to align yourselves with us, I will personally make the introduction! My father is desperately seeking talented people. Your Changsha is a land rich in people of ability. As long as you are sincere in your allegiance, my father will welcome you with open arms!”

“In the future, never mind that brigand named Xie — even anyone else—”

He paused, hinting at something beyond what he had just said.

“As long as they are enemies of Changsha, whoever they may be, vengeance is not out of the question.”

Zhao Xitai spoke on, drawing nearer to her.

“Princess, your paternal aunt was once honored as Empress. You were born to nobility. You were forced into marriage with that Xie man and suffered tremendous injustice. Once that Xie man is dead and you are completely free of him, I will take you as my wife!”

“Since coming here, I have heard that Mount Jun is home to divine spirits. I, Zhao Xitai, am willing to swear before those divine spirits — every word I have spoken today comes from the sincerest depths of my heart. If there is a single false syllable among them, may I meet a wretched end in the days to come!”

He stood before her, gazing at her intently, pronouncing his words one by one.

Mu Fulan said, “I am honored by your high regard, Young Lord. But your marriage will be decided in due course, and it will certainly not be to someone from our Changsha.”

“Are you worried about my father and mother? Rest assured — once my health is restored, just be patient and wait for me. I will be my own master before long!”

“Oh, that reminds me!” He seemed to recall something suddenly.

“If you marry me, your adopted son Xi’er — I will treat him as my very own flesh and blood!”

His expression was filled with excitement as he reached out toward her.

Mu Fulan stepped aside.

“Young Lord Zhao, I am deeply grateful for the feelings you have for me. But I hold no improper thoughts toward you whatsoever. I ask that you refrain from speaking of marriage going forward — it will only add to unnecessary complications. I will be returning to the city now. Please take good care of yourself and recuperate well.”

She turned and walked away.

Zhao Xitai watched her retreating figure, unable to conceal the disappointment in his eyes. He stood there blankly for a moment, then hurried after her once more.

“Very well. Since you are unwilling, I will drop the subject. But the proposal I made just now is nothing but advantageous for your Changsha — there is not a single harm in it. There is no need to reject it on my account.”

Aligning with Prince Qi carried two implications.

In addition to cooperating in testifying against Xie Changgeng at a later time, it also meant that when Prince Qi made his move, the Kingdom of Changsha would naturally be expected to contribute provisions and manpower in exchange for his protection.

“You must believe me — with the times as dire as they are now, aside from allying with my father, there truly is no better path ahead of you. I would never harm you. I am telling you all of this for your own good!”

Zhao Xitai looked at her, anxiety visible in his gaze.

Mu Fulan stopped, deliberated for a moment, and thanked him sincerely. “I thank you for your kind counsel, Young Lord, and I am truly grateful. However, this is not a trivial matter, and it is not something I can decide on my own. I will convey it to my royal brother so that he may give you a proper reply.”

Zhao Xitai said, “Good — I will wait!”

Mu Fulan smiled and nodded to him, then departed.

The handmaid had finished packing the belongings. Mu Fulan asked A’Da to see to Zhao Xitai’s medicine, then she brought Xi’er and descended the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, stretching across the road, a row of temporary barracks had been erected — Zhao Xitai’s attendants were all lodged there.

As Mu Fulan was nearing the bottom of the mountain path, she heard a voice call out nearby, “Princess, a moment please.”

Mu Fulan turned her head.

From behind a cluster of trees along the mountain path, a person dressed in the attire of one of Zhao Xitai’s retainers suddenly stepped out, bowed to her with great respect, then drew close and said in a low voice, “Secretary Zhang Ban sends a letter and has asked me to deliver it to the princess.”

Mu Fulan understood at once.

This was one of Zhang Ban’s people.

She deliberated briefly, then told her own attendants to take Xi’er ahead, while she remained where she was. Once no one was within earshot, she said, “Hand it over.”

The man glanced around, then reached into his chest and withdrew a letter, which he passed to her.

Mu Fulan broke the seal.

It was Zhang Ban, who had also learned of her being driven out by Xie Changgeng and sent back to Changsha. Greatly displeased, his letter rebuked her for breaking her agreement and demanded that she find a way to return and continue working for him. Between the lines ran a veiled threat: if she abandoned the matter, he would make things difficult for the Kingdom of Changsha.

After reading, Mu Fulan returned the letter to the man and said, “It is not as though I did not want to — he was the one who drove me away. What could I do? Tell Secretary Zhang not to forget: he accepted so many favors from us, and before this, he said heaven knows how many good words on our behalf in front of the Empress Dowager. He has long been one of our own. If he deliberately makes things difficult for us, he will not have an easy time of it himself.”

The man was taken aback. After a brief hesitation, he said awkwardly, “I beg the princess to give me a clear message nonetheless — otherwise, how am I to reply to the Secretary?”

Mu Fulan said, “Very well. You are only a messenger, and I have no wish to make things difficult for you. In addition to what I just said, relay this to him as well: there is still time ahead. I remember this matter. Tell him to be patient. When there is evidence, I will certainly let him know.”

The man had no choice. Afraid of being spotted, and not daring to linger too long, he took back the letter and slipped away in haste.

Mu Fulan watched until the man’s figure vanished behind the trees along the mountain path, then continued down to the ferry crossing.

Xi’er was already on the boat, sitting quietly inside the cabin. When Mu Fulan stepped in, he called her “Mother.”

It was approaching noon, and the boat had been moored at the lakeside baking in the sun all morning — the cabin was somewhat stifling.

Mu Fulan had a handmaid push open a window. She lifted Xi’er onto her lap and took out a handkerchief to dab at the fine beads of perspiration that had gathered on his forehead.

As the boat got underway on the water, a cool breeze drifted in, and the cabin gradually grew pleasant.

Mu Fulan noticed that he had not spoken a word and was sitting in her arms with his eyes fixed on the water, as though lost in thought. She asked him, “Are you hungry? Would you like some pastries?”

Xi’er shook his head, then suddenly asked, “Mother, what does ‘brigand’ mean? And who is Xie Changgeng?”

Mu Fulan was momentarily stunned.

Xi’er said, “This morning when I woke up and heard them say we were leaving, I went to find Mother, and I heard what the Young Lord was saying to you…”

“Is he a very bad person? Why does everyone want him dead?”

Xi’er tilted his face upward, wide eyes fixed on Mu Fulan as he asked.