Mu Fulan rose to her feet and gestured for A’Mao not to come any closer, then turned and walked toward her.

Her foot landed on a rounded stone. The stone was wet and slippery — she lost her footing, slipped, and lurched backward.

The mishap happened in an instant, without any warning. To A’Mao, it felt as though she had only blinked, and Mu Fulan had vanished before her eyes. Stunned, she came to her senses and ran to the edge, peering out over the water. Before her, the surface was pitch-black, the waves pushed and rolled by the wind as they crashed against the island’s shore — there was no trace of her anywhere. Terror seized A’Mao to the very core. She stamped her feet and screamed for help at the top of her lungs. Her cries drew the nearby guards, who came running at the sound. When they learned that Mu Fulan, the Empress Dowager, had fallen into the water, they were struck with alarm. Those who could swim immediately plunged in to search for her.

The island’s shores dropped away as sharply as if cut by an axe. The moment Mu Fulan hit the water, the ground vanished beneath her feet. Before she could even cry out, water carrying a briny, fishy smell had already poured into her mouth, nose, and ears. She struggled for a moment, then sank.

The water pressed in from all sides, carrying her away. In that boundless, lightless world, she spun and tumbled, as though lost in primordial chaos.

She ceased struggling very soon. Carried by the underwater currents, she drifted in some unknown direction, and her consciousness gradually receded from her.

The guards threw themselves into the rescue with all their might, but the water below was pitch-black, with currents surging unseen. By the time they had come running at the sound of the cry, Mu Fulan had already been in the water for some moments. The location A’Mao had indicated may not have been entirely accurate, and with their limited swimming ability — unable to hold their breath for long — they could only grope blindly through the depths, doing their best.

Time passed moment by moment. A’Mao stared wide-eyed as the guards who had gone in surfaced one by one, caught their breath, plunged back down, and surfaced again — yet she never saw Mu Fulan brought up. Frantic, she ran back and forth along the lakeshore, shouting her name at the water’s surface. Then, without warning, she was tripped by a stone underfoot and went sprawling to the ground. Thinking of how kind Mu Fulan had always been to her, she burst into loud, heartbroken sobs. She was crying her heart out when she suddenly stopped. She lifted her head, eyes wide open, and fixed her gaze on the lakeshore not far ahead. Then, all at once, she leaped to her feet and sprinted over. When she had looked clearly, her eyes blazed with light. She twisted around and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Come quickly! She is here!”

Her cry, brimming with wild joy, pierced through wind and rain and reached everyone’s ears.

The guards rushed over at the sound, and found Mu Fulan lying face-down on the shore — soaked through, motionless, seemingly not breathing, as though she had fainted. They swiftly lifted her and carried her hurrying into the tent.

Mu Fulan felt as though she had fallen into a deep dream. In the deepest part of that dream, there was no light at all. She was drawn into it, and just as she was about to sink into an unending sleep, she gradually began to hear a voice calling her name, again and again, at her ear.

She coughed up several mouthfuls of water mixed with silt. Her lashes trembled faintly, and she opened her eyes. She found herself lying down, dressed already in dry clothes, with the serving maids and attendants gathered around her.

“The Empress Dowager has woken! She has woken! Oh, thank goodness — I was frightened to death just now —”

A’Mao wiped away the tears she had cried earlier, and leaped up in delight.

After a moment of disorientation, Mu Fulan finally remembered: only a short while ago, she had slipped on the wet ground and fallen into the lake.

She could feel that her head still swam and her chest still ached — she knew it was from swallowing water. And she was well aware that had she not been pulled out in time, she would most likely have drowned in the depths by now.

She lay with her eyes closed, her mind flitting over that hazy, half-conscious moment before she had lost her senses. She pressed down the strange feeling welling up inside her, and once she had regained a little of her strength, she asked, “Who pulled me out of the water?”

She asked the question and then opened her eyes, and saw that every face around her wore a smile.

One of the attendants said, “Your Highness the Empress Dowager, you were carried ashore by the water itself — now that is what it means to be under heaven’s protection, blessed by the God of Dongting Lake! A’Mao saw it with her own eyes!”

A’Mao met Mu Fulan’s gaze and seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally nodded and said, “Your Highness, when I saw you, you had floated up out of the water and were washed to shore by the waves. It must have been the Lake God’s blessing…”

Mu Fulan said nothing. She was lost in thought for a moment, then said quietly, “You were all frightened. I am fine. Have the people outside stand down and go rest as well.”

Everyone fed her some hot ginger tea that had been prepared, settled her back down to lie, and once they saw that she had closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, they each dispersed.

Outside the tent, the wind and rain howled. In the darkness, Mu Fulan slowly opened her eyes and lay awake, passing the last night she would spend on this solitary island in sleepless silence.

The next day, the wind and rain subsided. Yuan Handing arrived punctually by boat to take her home. When he learned of her fall into the water the night before, though he was deeply relieved, the fear lingered, and he urged her to board at once and return.

Mu Fulan went to the newly erected grave, paid her respects to her aunt in silent farewell, and quietly boarded the vessel.

As the boat gradually pulled away from the solitary island, she stood at the bow and turned her head to look once more at the island receding behind her. Deep in the vast sky and water, all was bright and clear. The events of last night — that feeling she had experienced then — now, as she recalled it, felt like something from an illusion.

“You fell into the water just last night and your body has not yet recovered. The wind is strong at the bow — go inside and rest.”

Yuan Handing walked over and urged her.

Mu Fulan slowly drew her gaze back from the island, which had grown smaller and smaller in the distance. She nodded to him and turned to go into the cabin.

Beyond the solitary cliff, a shadow still as stone stood quietly, watching as the great vessel carrying her slowly sailed away, until it disappeared completely from sight.

He had told himself that he had come, even now, only to witness with his own eyes that the realm he had once carved out had at last, as he had wished, been made whole again.

And yet in the end, he could not deceive himself. When it had been time to go, he had not gone — and instead he had come here, to this place where, so many years ago, he and she had first met.

Her beauty remained unchanged. And at her side, there were people to keep her company.

At last, I can truly let go, he thought.

The black boat would come for him. It was time to go. To return to the place that was meant for him — longbows and iron crossbows, riding through wind, howling through snow. If the rest of his days were to be like this, what regret could there be?

After Mu Fulan returned, her spirits were long subdued, and she rarely went out. After several months, she slowly recovered her health.

Once she was well again, she continued to live in the medicine cottage, treating those who came seeking her care. In the hours between her practice, she tended the herb garden with her own hands.

Morning turned to evening, evening to morning again — she kept herself busy through the days. How could those who traveled from afar to seek her care have imagined that the young woman physician in the medicine cottage — skilled, compassionate, plainly dressed, and warm with everyone — was none other than the former daughter of Prince Changsha, the current Empress Dowager of the House of Mu?

In the blink of an eye, the Ghost Festival arrived.

On this day, it was the custom of Yuezhou’s people to wait until nightfall, then leave the city and come to the shores of Dongting Lake, where they set lanterns afloat on the water for departed ancestors, praying that their souls might find peace in the underworld and enter the cycle of rebirth.

When darkness fell, Mu Fulan had just finished organizing a batch of medicinal herbs collected throughout the day and felt a little weary. She returned to her chambers and bathed and changed her clothes, intending to rest early. But she lay down and could not fall asleep. As she lay there with her eyes closed, she suddenly remembered that today was the Ghost Festival.

Many years ago, when she was still a girl, she had gone with her sister-in-law to release lanterns at the water’s edge, sending prayers for the souls of departed loved ones. Now all those years had passed and she had come home — and here there was only herself, alone.

She rose and dressed, had a lamp prepared, and with Nanny Mu at her side, left the medicine cottage and walked down the mountain to the water’s edge.

One by one she lit lanterns for her parents, her brother, her sister-in-law, and set them afloat in the water. Then she took out the last lantern, lit it, held it for a moment in her hands, and gently set it in the water.

The water lantern turned slowly on the gentle ripples and drifted gradually away.

Mu Fulan watched in stillness until the flame was swallowed by the water and vanished into the darkness of the night.

“Let us go.”

Nanny Mu walked over and gently took hold of her hand.

Mu Fulan rose and walked slowly along the lakeshore. Suddenly she saw that up ahead along the water, another floating lantern had drifted out — swaying gently, its flame no bigger than a bean.

She stopped walking. She saw A’Mao kneeling in a secluded corner near the water’s edge not far off, back turned toward her, bowing her head again and again toward the lantern drifting away in the distance. Her posture was devout. Carried on the breeze, Mu Fulan could just make out the murmured words on her lips.

The surroundings were utterly quiet. Faintly, Mu Fulan heard her saying, “My Lord, My Lady is doing very well now… My Lady has been so good to A’Mao — A’Mao will stay by her side, serving and accompanying her for the rest of her life. Please rest in peace, My Lord…”

Listening, Mu Fulan fell into a kind of trance.

A’Mao finished her prayer, knocked her head toward the water one last time, and climbed to her feet. She turned to go back, and then, without warning, found Mu Fulan standing right behind her. She gave a start. Collecting herself, she hurried over and said anxiously, “Your Highness, A’Mao was thinking of how His Majesty was always so kind to A’Mao in the past — I couldn’t help but come here…”

Mu Fulan drew a slow breath and said, “I know.”

She turned and looked one last time at the floating lantern behind her, then walked away. A’Mao followed in silence.

On the way back to the medicine cottage, Mu Fulan stopped walking. A’Mao, lost in her thoughts, did not notice and nearly walked into her, then hastily apologized.

Mu Fulan studied her carefully and said, “I have seen that you have had something weighing on your mind these past few days. You grew up in the Xie household, and I regard you differently than I do others. If you have any trouble, or any thoughts, you may tell me — I will help you.”

A’Mao hesitated for a moment, seeming as if she wanted to say something, but at last shook her head.

Mu Fulan smiled gently and pressed her hand. “When you are ready to tell me, you may come to me then. Go and rest for now.”

A’Mao lowered her head and walked slowly away.

Mu Fulan returned to her room, and a moment later heard a knock at the door.

It was A’Mao.

Mu Fulan got up and went to open the door.

“Your Highness, there is truly something I… I have been wanting to tell you for all these days… but I was afraid I had seen wrong… so I dared not say it…”

A’Mao stood before her, hesitating and halting, seemingly unable to bring herself to speak.

“Never mind — say it. Even if you are wrong, it does not matter.”

Mu Fulan took her by the hand, led her to the bedside, and they sat down.

A’Mao steeled herself and finally said, “Do you remember the fall into the water from several months ago, when we were on the island? At the time when I saw them unable to find you, I was so frightened and so heartbroken — I truly wished I could jump in and look for you myself, but A’Mao cannot swim. So I stood at the water’s edge calling out to you as loudly as I could, and then I tripped and fell — and when I raised my head…”

Her eyes went wide, as though she were seeing again that moment she had been unable to believe.

“When I raised my head, I saw Your Highness the Empress Dowager, as if something was supporting you, and you were brought out of the water. It was so dark at the time, and rain was falling — I truly could not see clearly. Everything was hazy, and I only had the impression that it was a person. The silhouette seemed somewhat like His Majesty’s… but A’Mao truly could not see clearly. By the time I scrambled up and ran over, there was no one there…”

The faint smile had been on Mu Fulan’s lips all this while. Gradually, her smile froze. She stared at A’Mao, her face growing slowly pale, and suddenly gripped her hand.

“What did you say? Say it again!”

Her eyes flew wide open. Her voice rose sharply, without warning.

In ordinary times she was always so composed and dignified before others, and especially warm with A’Mao — as though she were family. It was the first time A’Mao had ever seen Mu Fulan lose her composure like this.

A’Mao was frightened. She froze for a moment, then her voice shrank to near nothing, and she said timidly, “Your Highness, A’Mao was afraid of having seen wrong, which is why I didn’t dare mention it to you… If it was true, then A’Mao thinks… it must have been that His Majesty became a god and could not stop watching over you, and stayed behind — and that was why he appeared to save you that day…”

Mu Fulan stared fixedly at A’Mao, her grip on her hand growing tighter and tighter, the veins on the back of her hand rising, while she herself seemed to feel nothing at all. It was only when A’Mao cried out in pain — frightened and bewildered, her eyes reddening — that Mu Fulan suddenly came back to herself.

She released A’Mao’s hand. She stood up, turned, and stumbled to the window. With a crash, she flung it open, and in the face of the fresh night air rushing in, she closed her eyes and breathed in long, desperate gasps.

That night when she had slipped and fallen into the water — she had sunk deep, unmistakably. And yet, in the last moment before she lost consciousness, she had felt a sudden surge of strength beneath her, a support that seemed to come from nowhere.

In that moment, she knew. Someone was saving her. She was being carried by a pair of arms, moving toward life.

And that feeling had been so utterly, achingly familiar.

After she had regained consciousness, she had kept telling herself that it was a hallucination — born in the moment she had been holding her breath, on the edge of death.

He was long gone. How could he possibly have appeared beside her at such a moment?

And yet in this instant, her heart was nearly bursting.

She felt a pain in her chest that was unbearable, as though a needle were stabbing again and again without stop.

She gripped the window frame with both hands, her body slowly curling downward — collapsing like something that had died.

“Your Highness! What is the matter!”

A’Mao finally came back to herself and rushed forward, supporting her, calling loudly for help.

Mu Fulan did not move. After a long moment, she slowly opened her eyes. Her face was colorless. She spoke each word with deliberate force:

“Have the horses and carriage prepared for me. I set out tonight. I am going to the capital.”