Ling Jingshu’s eyes glistened with tears. Without thinking, she pressed the letter to her chest.

If he did not have her at heart, how would Wei Yan have gone to such lengths to arrange for her care? And how many risks must he have taken to get this letter into her hands?

He had promised to rescue her.

Behind that light and seemingly effortless declaration, how much thought and effort must lie concealed!

Such gentleness and devotion — no woman could resist it. She was not made of stone. How could she remain unmoved?

Holding that thin sheet of paper felt like holding his silent, burning heart in her hands.

The wounds and suffering she had carried from a former life had made her desperately wary of matters between men and women. She had built a solid wall around her heart, and shut all men out beyond its gates.

Wei Yan had never once said that he cared for her — yet with this patience, this tenderness, this quiet and unwavering devotion, he had knocked at her heart’s walls, little by little, and opened them.

Wei Yan.

Wei Yan.

Ling Jingshu repeated his name silently within her heart, and felt it full of a bittersweet warmth.

Princess Changping had been sent to the Ciyun Convent, and Empress Xu had been deposed. Half of her vengeance had already been fulfilled. The Crown Prince’s position was now as steady as a mountain, and Prince Yan no longer held the advantages he had enjoyed in her former life. But knowing Prince Yan’s temperament, he would never simply accept his fate and await destruction — he would certainly take a desperate gamble.

When the day came for Prince Yan to fall, the disintegration of the Lu family would not be far behind.

If that day were ever to come — if she avenged herself of all the wrongs from her former life and walked free of those shadows — she would open her heart fully and begin a new life.

Wei Yan, would you be willing to wait for me?

Her thoughts surged, tender and full.

Only after a long while did Ling Jingshu’s emotions finally settle.

She drew a deep breath and gently wiped the traces of tears from the corners of her eyes. She read through the letter again and again, reluctant to let it go — and then, at last, burned it to ash.

Even greater surprise awaited her!

That afternoon, Cui Liu brought another person up to the second level of the imperial prison.

The moment Ling Jingshu saw who it was, joy flooded her face, and she could not contain her excitement. She cried out, “Bai Yu! Bai Yu!”

Mistress and maid had been inseparable for years, never parted. After being separated for more than half a month, seeing each other again felt as though a lifetime had passed.

Bai Yu had already been moved to tears. She rushed to the iron door and grabbed Ling Jingshu’s hands. “Young Miss, Young Miss…” she choked out, unable to say anything else — only calling that name, again and again.

Cui Liu had clearly received instructions beforehand. Seeing this, she said nothing further, simply opened the lock and allowed Bai Yu into the cell.

“Female Official Ling, the cells on the level below are already full. The guard commander has instructed me to bring this Bai Yu here to share a cell with you. Are you willing?”

Willing! Of course she was willing! A hundred times willing, a thousand times willing!

Ling Jingshu nodded again and again. “Thank you, Elder Sister Cui Liu.”

Cui Liu gave a meaningful smile. “I am only following orders. Female Official Ling need not thank me.”

This Ling Jingshu was clearly no ordinary person. Someone within the palace had actually gone so far as to approach the guard commander of the imperial prison on her behalf. At the prison level, the guard commander held the highest authority — looking after someone was a simple enough matter for him.

By the rules of the imperial prison, people who knew each other were to be kept apart. This Bai Yu was Ling Jingshu’s personal maid — by the rules, she ought not to be housed together with Ling Jingshu. Yet with a single word from the commander, the rule was bent.

Cui Liu wasted no more words. Once Bai Yu was inside the cell, she immediately locked the door again.

Rui Lian and the others watched helplessly as Bai Yu was let into Ling Jingshu’s cell, eyes full of both envy and resentment.

Qiu Shuang could not help herself and spoke up, “Elder Sister Cui Liu, since Bai Yu is allowed to share a cell with Ling Jingshu, surely Rui Lian and I ought to be able to stay together as well!”

Like hell you can.

Cui Liu fixed her with a ferocious glare. “Say one more word and you can forget about eating for the next two days.”

Qiu Shuang swallowed her grievance and fell silent.

Once Cui Liu had gone, Rui Lian let out a sigh. “Qiu Shuang, when we are under someone else’s roof, we have no choice but to bow our heads. The fact that Ling Jingshu can share a cell with Bai Yu is surely because someone is looking out for her. Being envious of that will do us no good.”

They had once all walked the palace halls with their heads held high, people of some standing. But now that Empress Xu had collapsed, who still gave them any consideration?

Ling Jingshu was different.

Wei Jieyu had always been exceptionally fond of her. This arrangement must have come at Wei Jieyu’s instruction — someone sent down orders quietly to have her looked after. Such good fortune was simply beyond envy, no matter how they wished for it.

Qiu Shuang gave a stifled murmur of discontent. Thinking of their present circumstances, she could not hold back the grief that welled up inside her, and began to cry softly.

Once Qiu Shuang started weeping, the rest of Rui Lian’s small group fell into the same gloom. Having survived with their lives was already a stroke of luck. No one could say what fate had in store for them from here on.

Ling Jingshu was lost in her own joy, with no mind for anyone else. She and Bai Yu fell into each other’s arms and wept freely, giving full rein to their tears.

After they had wept their fill, the pent-up misery and oppression that had built up within them for so long was swept entirely clean.

Ling Jingshu released Bai Yu and studied her carefully for a moment, then gave a soft sigh. “Bai Yu, you have grown so thin.”

Bai Yu wiped her tears with her sleeve, and said with deep concern, “Your maidservant sees that Young Miss has also lost a great deal of weight.”

“Can one expect to eat and sleep well and grow plump in a place like this?” Ling Jingshu laughed without any particular concern. “That we two can be together is already a piece of unexpected luck.”

Indeed it was.

Bai Yu thought back to her time in the first level of the prison and could not help but give a rueful smile. “I was kept together with Qiao Yun the whole time. I was consumed with worry over Young Miss’s safety each and every day. I only knew that Young Miss was in the second level of the prison — everything else was utterly unknown to me.”

“The greatest wish in your maidservant’s heart was to be able to stay with Young Miss. Even if we were never given a chance to leave, I would have had nothing to regret. I never imagined that wish would actually come true.”

As she spoke, Bai Yu’s eyes reddened again.

“All right, no more crying.” Ling Jingshu laughed gently to console her. “Look at yourself — if you keep crying, your eyes will be so swollen there will be no ice to put on them in here.”

Bai Yu broke into tearful laughter, and gripped Ling Jingshu’s hand tightly, refusing to let go. “Young Miss, your maidservant still feels as though she is dreaming. In a daze, she was summoned here — and just like that, she is with Young Miss.”

After a moment, she added in a low voice, “It was the guard commander who instructed Cui Liu to bring your maidservant here. Was it Wei Imperial Physician who arranged all this?”

At the mention of Wei Yan, a warmth rippled gently through Ling Jingshu’s heart. She gave a soft sound of agreement.

Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled quietly. “Wei Imperial Physician truly is thoughtful. If we ever have the chance to leave this place one day, we must find a proper way to thank him. He was indeed careful — he only sent your maidservant over, but left Qiao Yun behind.”

Ling Jingshu’s gaze shifted slightly, and she said in an even tone, “I have already fallen to this point. There is little benefit for her in being at my side.” Whatever messages or information there might be, none of it could be passed on from here anyway.

Though Qiao Yun had served beside Ling Jingshu for quite some time, her identity as a pair of watching eyes was always an unsettling thing to carry in one’s chest.

Now that she was gone from sight, the quiet was rather clean and welcome.