Before entering the palace, Qin Yao had still been wondering how, amid so many watchful eyes within, she might find those old palace servants without leaving a trace, in order to ask about Celestial Master Li.

As it turned out, Lin Xiao clearly had no intention of being discreet at all—on hearing the Emperor was at Yongshou Palace, he simply took Qin Yao straight there to pay their respects.

As Qin Yao understood it, whenever the Emperor had leisure time, he spent most of it lingering at Yongshou Palace; out of the entire vast harem, Consort Yi alone held his favor.

She had always assumed this was simply because Consort Yi had such a smooth, accommodating temperament and was the most beautiful woman in the harem besides, and that this was why the Emperor favored her so. But having heard Lin Xiao speak today of the Emperor’s past with Consort Hui, she now understood there was likely another reason as well—that Consort Yi treated the Crown Prince kindly.

Once inside the hall, Prince Wu and his wife were there as well, the two of them seated side by side just below Consort Yi. Outwardly they still appeared perfectly harmonious, but Xia Yuan’s face looked quite dreadful, with dark circles under her eyes so heavy it seemed as if she hadn’t slept properly in several nights.

Prince Wu, by contrast, looked surprisingly well, greeting them with a beaming smile and high spirits, the very picture of a man basking in good fortune. Yet when he spoke to Xia Yuan, though he remained as affectionate as ever on the surface, his eyes carried a coldness like an overcast sky about to snow.

Qin Yao understood at once. She still didn’t know what had prompted Prince Wu’s sudden questions about the hairpin in her hair that day, but judging by how he was treating Xia Yuan now, it seemed the matter must have come to a head not long after he’d returned home.

No matter how deep Prince Wu’s guile ran, he was after all heaven’s chosen favorite, and it seemed unlikely he’d have the magnanimity to tolerate his wife playing such tricks behind his back.

After all, it had not been Kangping, nor Chen Yuqi, nor any other noble lady of Chang’an who had gone to Runyu Pavilion to buy that plum-blossom hairpin—it had been Lin Xiao.

Just what had been in Xia Yuan’s mind, that she would deliberately follow in Lin Xiao’s footsteps to have an almost identical ornament made? There could be countless explanations for it, but more often than not, the most unflattering one was closest to the truth.

What’s more, that piece of East Sea cold jade had been a gift from Prince Wu himself—one needed no great imagination to guess how galled he would feel every time it occurred to him that he had, with his own hands, unwittingly furnished his wife the very means of her scheme.

Watching Lin Xiao and Qin Yao finish their bows, the Emperor said with evident pleasure, “It’s getting colder by the day. Since you two have already come into the palace, why trouble yourselves going back and forth—why not just have dinner here at Yongshou Palace before you head home?”

Qin Yao glanced covertly at Lin Xiao, expecting him to decline, but to her surprise he agreed readily. “Of course. Thank you, Imperial Uncle.”

Consort Yi at once instructed the palace attendants to prepare, and earnestly sent Eunuch Mi to invite the Crown Prince to join them for the meal.

Eunuch Mi was gone for a while before returning, a troubled look on his face. “His Highness the Crown Prince says he isn’t feeling well and won’t be coming to dine.”

Consort Yi was taken aback for a moment, then said quickly, “Has Yu Ruoshui been sent for to examine His Highness?”

Having served at the Emperor’s side for so many years, Eunuch Mi hardly needed Consort Yi to say so—he had already sent attendants to fetch Yu Ruoshui.

The Emperor’s face darkened with displeasure. “How long does he mean to torment himself over some scheming woman? Moping about all day long—where is the bearing a son of the imperial house ought to have?”

Consort Yi hastened to placate him gently. “His Highness has always been a man of deep feeling, and he and Qin Yuan had already reached the point of discussing marriage. With her dying so suddenly, no wonder it weighs on his heart. Please don’t fret over it too much, Your Majesty—give him a little more time and he’ll come to terms with it. I’m sure Your Majesty can be patient with him a while longer.”

At this the Emperor fell silent, though his face remained dark.

Perhaps because the Emperor’s mood was so poor, once the meal was served, the distance between Xia Yuan and Prince Wu seemed to lessen considerably—Prince Wu attentively serving her food now and then, Xia Yuan pouring his wine with a smile, the two of them behaving as intimately as ever before.

Qin Yao watched, secretly marveling at this.

Lin Xiao, who had always thought even a single extra glance at Xia Yuan unnecessary, noticed his wife eating without paying attention and, fearing she might end up with indigestion afterward, gave her hand a light squeeze beneath the table to draw her attention back.

Qin Yao no longer let her mind wander, finishing the meal dutifully, then waiting patiently for Lin Xiao to set about arranging the inquiry into Celestial Master Li.

Once the banquet ended and the Emperor retired into the inner chamber to rest, Lin Xiao took his leave with Qin Yao.

As they passed Ganlu Hall, an elderly chief eunuch suddenly stepped out from beside the hall’s entrance, standing idly by the path with his hands clasped behind his back, as though he had only just spotted Lin Xiao. He put on an expression of surprise, then bowed with a smile. “Young Master, Young Mistress.”

Qin Yao recognized him as Eunuch Wang, the one in charge of the palace’s gates and locks. She’d heard he had once been a most favored attendant at the Late Emperor’s side, holding the post of Chief Eunuch; though Eunuch Mi now held that title, Eunuch Wang still oversaw important palace affairs.

Lin Xiao merely nodded to Eunuch Wang, exchanged a brief pleasantry, then pulled her onward.

Qin Yao knew Eunuch Wang was a busy man within the palace, and rarely had she seen him have any dealings with Lin Xiao before. Yet the moment they arrived at Ganlu Hall, they happened to run into him—no matter how she looked at it, it seemed as though he had been waiting there specifically for Lin Xiao.

Just as she was about to ask Lin Xiao to explain, Xu Shenming arrived leading a squad of Imperial Guards.

Xu Shenming, somewhat surprised to see Lin Xiao and Qin Yao there, came over to pay his respects. “Commander Lin.”

And then to Qin Yao, “Young Mistress.”

Lin Xiao stopped and said gently to Qin Yao, “It’s windy here. Go wait for me over there by the palace wall—I’ll just have a few words with Commander Xu and join you.”

Qin Yao guessed that Lin Xiao probably had some matters of palace security to discuss with Xu Shenming, and that he didn’t wish others to know he kept nothing hidden from his wife, lest it give people grounds for gossip. She obediently agreed and went, as instructed, to stand at a corner of the palace wall near Ganlu Hall. Just as Lin Xiao had said, it was indeed a sheltered spot, with no wind on either side—one could stand there a long while without feeling the cold.

While she waited, she tilted her head back, idly counting the willow branches reaching out over the palace wall above her, silently turning matters over in her mind. The people sent to investigate Yuan Jue’s background would be back tonight—she wondered whether they’d finally be able to figure out why he had repeatedly let the Scorpion Demon of Shouhuai Mountain go free.

Thinking of the great calamities that had arisen this past year, her heart hung suspended. The most pressing matter now was to persuade Master to go with her to the academy and break the Spirit-Concealing Array, so they could see the Five Elements layout of the academy clearly as soon as possible.

If the last of the demon stars within the Dipper Lodge—the Maiden Star—truly lay dormant within the academy, then sooner or later Chang’an would face a fresh catastrophe, and how the common people of the city would ever withstand it was beyond imagining. No matter what, they had to find a way to prepare for it in advance.

But whoever had laid the array was so ruthless and devious, their tricks endless—before she and Master could even break the array, the enemy would likely already have set a trap waiting for them. Not only might they fail to break the array, they could well end up losing their lives for nothing.

So simply dragging Master along to act recklessly was certainly not the answer. Best of all would be to identify whoever had laid the array in the shortest time possible, while also managing to suppress the Maiden Star before it could ever fully emerge.

Just as she was lost in thought, a low, startled cry suddenly came from the shadows. “A—A’Yuan?”

The voice was so panicked and abrupt that Qin Yao herself startled at the sound, looking up to find someone standing at the corner, as though they had just come from the other side of the wall. Seeing her look up, the figure retreated several steps, their face stricken with terror.

“Your Highness?” Qin Yao recognized the figure, her surprise turning to confusion. The Crown Prince’s face was utterly drained of color, as though badly frightened.

The Crown Prince steadied himself, and on clearly seeing it was Qin Yao, composed himself, forcing a smile. “Sister-in-law, what are you doing standing here?”

Qin Yao recalled the name “A’Yuan” that had burst from the Crown Prince’s lips the moment he saw her. She and Qin Yuan had been similar in build, and standing in the shadows as she had been, it seemed the Crown Prince had mistaken her for Qin Yuan—but his reaction had seemed far too extreme, as though he had seen a ghost.

Puzzled as she was, she still bowed to the Crown Prince and explained with a smile, “I came into the palace with the Young Master. We were on our way out when we ran into Commander Xu—the Young Master is over there speaking with him, and I’m waiting here.”

By this time, Lin Xiao and Xu Shenming, having already heard the commotion, had come over. Seeing the Crown Prince’s poor color, Lin Xiao glanced at Qin Yao with mild surprise before addressing the Crown Prince. “Sixth Brother?”

By now the Crown Prince had fully composed himself, and he smiled at Lin Xiao. “I haven’t been feeling quite myself these past two days. I’d just taken my medicine and was walking about a bit, and didn’t expect to run into Sister-in-law the moment I stepped out. I hope I didn’t frighten her.”

Lin Xiao glanced at Qin Yao, and seeing her expression normal, was reassured. “It’s nothing. Since you’re unwell, Sixth Brother, you shouldn’t be standing about talking in such a cold spot—best go back and rest in your chambers.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “You two should head back soon as well. Even with her inner strength, Sister-in-law can’t withstand this kind of cold wind either.”

Lin Xiao then took his leave with Qin Yao, and the two of them departed.

On the way, Qin Yao thought back on the Crown Prince’s reaction, and doubts began crowding into her mind. According to what the Emperor and Consort Yi had said earlier, the Crown Prince ought to miss Qin Yuan terribly—even if he had mistakenly taken her for Qin Yuan, surely that alone wouldn’t account for such terror.

With this thought in mind, she lowered her voice and shared her doubts with Lin Xiao.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao seemed genuinely taken aback, standing still for a long moment in silence before saying, “This one incident alone doesn’t prove anything. But Qin Yuan—her death really was rather suspicious—”

The rest of what he meant to say, perhaps out of caution at being within the palace, he left unspoken.

A chill ran down Qin Yao’s spine all the same. Knowing full well the thought was far-fetched, she still couldn’t help following his words to their darker conclusion—that night at the Marquis of Jinghai’s residence, everyone guarding Qin Yuan had been the Crown Prince’s own retainers, making it difficult for any outsider to get in, and Qin Yuan had never seemed the sort of person who would hang herself…

The thought left her heart pounding with fright, and as the palace gates came into view, she shook her head sharply, trying to drive the terrible idea from her mind, but the doubt seemed to have taken root, refusing to be shaken loose no matter what.

Once outside the palace, Lin Xiao did not take Qin Yao back to Prince Lan’s residence, but instead had Wei Bo drive the carriage himself toward the western part of the city.

When the carriage finally stopped and Qin Yao lifted the curtain to look, it turned out to be Fuchun Pavilion.

Lin Xiao helped Qin Yao down from the carriage and explained, “Didn’t we want to ask about Celestial Master Li’s past? I’ve arranged to meet that person here.”

Qin Yao murmured an acknowledgment. There were several Fuchun Pavilions throughout Chang’an, all properties his mother, the Princess, had left to Lin Xiao; he never personally concerned himself with such mundane matters, leaving them to a number of loyal servants who had once served her. Yet this particular shop, run by the stout proprietor, was one Lin Xiao had visited several times both before and after his marriage—likely because the stout proprietor was not merely the shopkeeper, but had long secretly handled other important matters for him as well.

This particular shop, in fact, Lin Xiao had transferred to Qin Yao well before their marriage, using the pretext of a coming-of-age gift, so that the shop’s true owner now was not Lin Xiao at all, but Qin Yao.

That alone would have been enough, but when the stout proprietor came smiling out of the shop, he actually addressed Qin Yao as “Young Proprietress,” while calling Lin Xiao merely “Young Master.”

Qin Yao looked a little sheepish at this, while Lin Xiao paused, then, working out the reason, turned and gave her a smiling look. “Very good, Young Proprietress. I hear the Sangluo wine your shop brews is quite excellent—might I trouble you for a cup?”

His thin lips curved in a smile, his eyes clear as spring water, his tone thoroughly light and easy.

Teased like this, Qin Yao blushed a little, though deep down she felt thoroughly pleased. She looked up at him and said with a small smile, pressing her lips together, “Once you’ve had the wine, the shop has plenty of decent little dishes besides—why don’t you try those as well, young master?”

Lin Xiao had always known Qin Yao to be quick on the uptake, and now that they had been together for some time, an unspoken understanding had grown between them, true in serious matters and even more so in playful ones—this back-and-forth between them added no small amount of charm to their days.

“Then it would be rude of me to refuse.” He smiled, took Qin Yao’s hand, and led her upstairs.

The two of them settled into the innermost private room, and the shop indeed poured them cups of Sangluo wine. Though Qin Yao could hold her drink reasonably well, this wine was rich and fragrant, and after a few cups her face bloomed with a faint blush like peach blossoms, her eyes seeming to shimmer like clear water, every glance she cast utterly captivating.

Qin Yao herself remained quite unaware of it, but Lin Xiao, watching, felt an itch he could hardly suppress—had he not remembered there was still important business to attend to today, he might well have given in to the urge to tease her thoroughly.

Before long, the shopkeeper brought in an old man with a thick, curling beard covering his face, and announced to Lin Xiao, “Young Master, the person has arrived.”

The old man glanced into the room, and his eyes happened to fall on Qin Yao seated beside Lin Xiao. He hesitated a moment before stepping slowly inside.

Lin Xiao did not miss the confusion in the old man’s eyes, but made no move to explain. He simply rose and said, “Eunuch Wang, please, sit.”

Qin Yao rose as well, and on hearing Lin Xiao address the man this way, nearly dropped her jaw in astonishment, looking the man up and down in disbelief. Could this bearded man really be the same Eunuch Wang from outside Ganlu Hall just now?

She’d never imagined the old man Lin Xiao had entrusted with looking into Celestial Master Li’s past would turn out to be Eunuch Wang himself. But wasn’t Eunuch Wang a man who served at the Late Emperor’s side? How had he come to be so willing to be summoned and commanded by Lin Xiao?

While Qin Yao’s thoughts were in a jumble, Eunuch Wang had already seated himself across from them. Seeing that Lin Xiao had no intention of sending Qin Yao away, he understood the young man had everything well in hand, and so wasted no time in delay, getting straight to the point. “This old servant shouldn’t stay out too long, so I won’t waste time on idle talk—straight to it, then. That Celestial Master Li never actually lived in the palace much in those years; he had a separate temple built in Chang’an, Sanqing Temple. Twenty-some years ago its incense flourished mightily, but after his death, no one inherited his mantle, and it was later taken over by priests of a different lineage. By now it’s fallen quite into decline.”

Qin Yao nodded inwardly—this Eunuch Wang really was a man who got straight to business.

Lin Xiao asked, “With Celestial Master Li’s mastery of the Dao running so deep, surely he must have taken on a disciple?”

“There was a disciple, yes, but a mute—never spoke a word in his life—and the way he eyed people normally was rather shifty, not the sort folk took to easily. Celestial Master Li often brought him along wherever he went, but never showed any particular intent to elevate him, so over the years, while everyone in the palace held the Celestial Master in the highest regard, few people had much impression of the disciple at all. We used to wonder, in fact, why a man as remarkable as Celestial Master Li would always keep such a timid, mousy mute disciple by his side. The Late Emperor asked about it once, and the Celestial Master only said this disciple had come from his hometown with him, and that though plain in looks, he had genuine insight and had won his deep favor—after that the Late Emperor didn’t press the matter further. When Celestial Master Li died of his illness, that mute disciple threw himself down a well not long after, and that was how Sanqing Temple’s incense came to an end.”

“Threw himself down a well?” Lin Xiao exchanged a glance with Qin Yao before asking, “Did he die at Sanqing Temple?”

“Mm.” Eunuch Wang nodded. “The Late Emperor sent people to collect the body at the time, saying that despite everything, the man had at least proven loyal and devoted, and specially permitted him to be buried within Celestial Master Li’s own tomb.”

“What year did Celestial Master Li die of his illness?” Lin Xiao asked further.

Eunuch Wang had clearly come well prepared, having thoroughly familiarized himself with Celestial Master Li’s affairs of that time. “The twenty-third year of Yuanfeng—twenty years ago now—died in the twelfth lunar month. He’d been ill for over half a year and in the end didn’t make it past the new year.”

“And when was Yunyin Academy closed?” Lin Xiao asked.

Eunuch Wang, ever loyal and devoted to the Late Emperor, remembered every major event of the final year of his reign with perfect clarity. Hearing the question, he answered without the slightest hesitation. “The fifth month,” he said, his tone utterly certain.

The academy had closed in the fifth month; Celestial Master Li had died in the twelfth, having been ill for half a year—meaning his illness had begun not long after the academy’s closure.

Something stirred in Qin Yao’s mind. Wasn’t the timing of his illness just a little too convenient?