When Fang Xianye returned to his room and lit the lamp, he looked up to see a black-clad figure sitting in a chair watching him. His hand paused briefly before moving the lamp further away, preventing the visitor’s shadow from falling on the window.

“You’re not surprised at all?” Duan Xu, dressed in lightweight black night-travel clothes with an ink-black hair ribbon, asked while resting his chin on his hand.

Fang Xianye sat down in the adjacent chair, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and said, “Today the guards said it seemed like a thief had entered the residence. They searched several times but found nothing. I guessed it was you.”

“These new guards you hired are quite alert.”

“No matter how alert they are, they’re no match for an assassin from Wen Sheng Chamber. You slipped up.”

Duan Xu’s fingers, which had been caressing the teacup, paused briefly. He laughed softly and said, “I’ve been a bit slow to react these past couple of days. I’ll recover in a few days. How is Prince Pei arranging things in the Ministry of War?”

“Sun Zi’an has been beheaded, Qin Huanda has lost his real power, and Noble Consort Yu’s witchcraft case has severely damaged their strength. Duke Du’s side is also watching closely. Prince Pei’s side hopes the Minister of War position will remain vacant temporarily, with the Vice Minister acting in his place until things settle down. On Duke Du’s side, will it be you or Meng Qiaoyan?” Fang Xianye asked.

Meng Qiaoyan was Meng Wan’s father, who had distinguished himself in suppressing the rebellion in the southwest and commanded South Capital’s Imperial Guards. Before Duan Xu took a military position, he was Duke Du’s strongest force in the military.

“It should be Meng Qiaoyan. According to my father, Duke Du will have me continue in the military to replace Qin Huanda’s position. But if Meng Qiaoyan becomes the Minister of War, Duke Du, and Meng Qiaoyan will certainly use me to place their people in the military. At that point, whether the army belongs to me or Duke Du becomes uncertain.”

Fang Xianye nodded and said, “Meng Qiaoyan is cautious in word and deed, but his sons are not promising—they all hold nominal military positions while idling. His third son is particularly hot-tempered. If his son causes a major incident in the military, Meng Qiaoyan’s promotion won’t be so easy. However, if the Minister of War position remains vacant, Prince Pei will eventually be able to place his people, and you will face more constraints in the military.”

“For Prince Pei, as long as Duke Du’s people don’t get the position, it’s a win. In that case, taking a step back and recommending someone without an obvious stance might be a good choice. I think Cao Ruolin would be suitable. He also participated in suppressing the southwestern rebellion, is doing well in the Ministry of Justice now, and has no strong background or foundation, but is quite capable and firm. I’ve heard he greatly admires your poetry and prose. If others recommended him, he might not appreciate it, but if it came from you, he’d certainly be grateful. He would be grateful to you, and since you’re Prince Pei’s retainer, from Prince Pei’s perspective, he would be considered one of your Pei faction. With careful attention, you could quietly make him your person.”

Fang Xianye and Duan Xu exchanged glances, and both smiled knowingly.

“Recently, the Emperor wanted to build large horse farms in Yun Prefecture and appoint a Border Inspector for Yun and Luo Prefectures to oversee military and political affairs there. I want this assignment,” Fang Xianye said.

Having spent so many days in the Ministry of Revenue, he deeply felt how war consumed money like flowing water—not just for provisions, but also for military equipment and cavalry losses. The horse farms and mines in Yun and Luo were key resource sources for the future recovery of lost territories, and he couldn’t entrust their management to others.

After all, this was land that Duan Xu had risked his life to secure.

Moreover, this was an extremely important assignment, and accomplishing notable achievements there would surely lead to promotion upon returning to court.

During wartime, the Emperor had sent Zheng An to the front lines. This Border Inspector position would likely go to Zheng An, whose seniority and deep foundation would ensure he selected his trusted subordinates, excluding Fang Xianye.

Duan Xu thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and said, “In a while, there will be the Heaven Worship Ceremony. As usual, qingci must be prepared to be read to Heaven. His Majesty places great importance on qingci. Years ago, Duke Du was appreciated by His Majesty for his skill in writing qingci. If you could prepare a qingci that amazes His Majesty, then make your request, your chances of success would be greatly improved.”

Qingci were memorial texts and prayers offered to Heaven, valuing formal structure and ornate language, truly testing one’s literary foundation. Few among the court officials could write them. Duan Xu leaned closer to Fang Xianye and whispered, “Actually, Duke Du can’t write qingci either. My father ghostwrites his qingci every year.”

Fang Xianye raised an eyebrow.

Despite being sidelined due to illness for so long, Duan Chengzhang still held a place in Duke Du’s faction, precisely because of his relationship with Wen Sheng Chamber, which gave him access to information across the land, as well as his exquisite writing skills.

“I know he’s already written it. In a few days, I’ll sneak a look and memorize it for you.”

“You’re asking me to copy his?”

“Of course not. How could the talented Master Fang with his brilliant literary talent need to copy his? But first, see how he writes it, so you have a foundation. Know your opponent, and you’ll be invincible in a hundred battles,” Duan Xu said with a smile.

Fang Xianye was silent for a while, observing his expression, then said slowly, “People outside are saying that the Duan family’s third young master’s wedding met with disaster, that he’s spending heavily to search for his bride, suffering both physically and mentally, and refusing to leave his quarters. But the third young master seems exceptionally happy.”

From the beginning, everything Duan Xu said carried a smile. Though he usually loved to smile, today he smiled with particular satisfaction.

Duan Xu touched the corner of his lips, smiled even more brightly, and said, “It’s too stifling to appear grief-stricken in public. In front of you, I don’t want to pretend anymore. Speaking of which, I should leave early. The one at home washed her hair yesterday, sat in the courtyard with wet hair painting and catching the wind, and ended up getting sick. I need to go back and take care of her.”

Fang Xianye was greatly surprised by this. His hand holding the tea froze in mid-air, and he said, “You don’t mean… last time…”

“It’s her, the Ghost King.”

“Ghosts can get sick?”

“She’s special.” Duan Xu stood up, stretched, and said, “My life’s wishes have increased by one more: after recovering the seventeen prefectures north of the river and border, I want to marry into their He family.”

Fang Xianye looked at Duan Xu, wide-eyed and speechless. Duan Xu patted his shoulder and laughed, “We agreed back then: I would be the general wielding the sword and riding horses to conquer the world, while you would be the minister holding the ivory tablet to govern the world. I don’t mind ‘when birds are gone, good bows are put away.’ By then, I’ll retire, and you can govern the world well.”

With that, Duan Xu put on his face covering and leaped out the window in a flash. This time, his movements were more agile than when he arrived, and he didn’t alarm the guards in the residence. Long after Duan Xu had left, Fang Xianye finally picked up his teacup and finished his tea, shaking his head and saying, “Is this person insane?”

When Duan Xu returned to his Hao Yue Residence carrying medicine, He Simu was hugging her knees against the bed, dozing off. Her long hair was spread out on the bed, black and shiny, contrasting with her pale face. The most vivid thing on her was the red single-layer robe, like the painting she had made on him.

Black branches, red plum blossoms, white snow—He Simu.

Chen Ying was leaning on the bed with a worried expression, watching He Simu. Seeing Duan Xu arrive, he happily pushed He Simu’s shoulder: “Sister Xiaoxiao, the medicine is here, time to take it.”

Duan Xu sat beside He Simu. She opened her eyes, drowsily extended her hand waving in the air, then took the medicine bowl, preparing to drink it all at once. Duan Xu quickly moved the bowl away and said, “No, it’s too hot.”

He Simu finally became somewhat alert. She rubbed her eyes and looked angrily at Duan Xu, saying in a hoarse voice, “Being human is too troublesome. Even catching a breeze can make you sick.”

Every time after exchanging senses with Duan Xu, she would encounter some misfortune, like being imprisoned and stabbed like a sieve, being attacked by the Lord of Gui Ghost Palace, or catching a cold. Now she was dizzy, confused, and breathless—in a word, miserable. Though it was her own fault for catching cold in the wind, she blamed this failure on Duan Xu.

Duan Xu smiled, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it, and brought it to her lips: “It’s a rare opportunity. Isn’t experiencing illness also a kind of fulfillment?”

He Simu turned her head and sneezed, then rubbed her nose and drank the medicine Duan Xu fed her, saying, “This kind of experience is better kept to a minimum.”

After she drank the medicine, Duan Xu stuffed a honey date into her mouth. He Simu mumbled, “I can’t taste anything anyway and I’m not afraid of bitterness. Why give me preserved fruit? Better give it to Chen Ying.”

Duan Xu also put a honey date in Chen Ying’s mouth, then leaned down to whisper in He Simu’s ear, “But I’m afraid of bitterness.”

“So?”

“I’m going to kiss you later.”

“…” He Simu glanced at Chen Ying, who was blinking his big eyes, and pushed Duan Xu away, saying, “Show some restraint. Do you want to get sick too?”

Despite saying this, He Simu still ate the honey dates Duan Xu gave her. And so, one sip of medicine followed by one honey date, she finished the entire bowl of medicine. Considering this was also Duan Xu’s usual way of taking medicine, she couldn’t imagine how afraid of bitterness this fellow was. Was he really this delicate?

Chen Ying wasn’t neglected either. With a honey date in his mouth, he raised his hand to touch He Simu’s forehead, felt it carefully, and then reported to Duan Xu, “Sister Xiaoxiao’s forehead isn’t hot anymore.”

Duan Xu smiled and said, “That’s good. Her fever has broken.”

Chen Ying’s gaze moved between He Simu and Duan Xu’s faces. He excitedly probed, “Third Brother, you and Sister Xiaoxiao, are you two… privately engaged!”

He Simu thought that in the few months since she’d seen the little fellow, his idioms had improved considerably. Before she could answer, Chen Ying continued, “Sister Xiaoxiao, Third Brother likes you so much. Do you like Third Brother?”

Chen Ying’s big eyes looked at her, and Duan Xu’s eyes were also on her. After a moment of silence, He Simu affectionately stroked the back of his head and said, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Let sister test your lessons.”

The smile on Chen Ying’s face quickly disappeared, replaced by a pitiful expression.

Recently, he had been studying martial arts with Duan Yiqi. Duan Yiqi had started formal education early and was better than him in every way despite being about the same age. When the teacher asked questions, he was still confused, while Duan Yiqi could answer immediately. He felt deeply frustrated and feared Duan Xu asking about his studies.

Now that Sister Xiaoxiao had arrived, the teacher, knowing his sister had come, had given him a few days off. He hadn’t expected Sister Xiaoxiao to also ask about his studies.

Chen Ying hung his head and stammered, so Duan Xu answered for him about his recent studies. He Simu shook her head and said in a nasal voice, “I entrusted Chen Ying to you. You can’t just leave him with the teacher. At the very least, shouldn’t you teach him martial arts?”

Duan Xu thought for a moment, then turned to Chen Ying and said, “Learning martial arts from me is very difficult, a hundred times more arduous than what your current teacher is teaching you. Do you want to learn from me?”

Chen Ying looked at Duan Xu, then at He Simu, and nodded tearfully, saying, “…Alright, I do.”

Everyone in the room except Chen Ying wore gratified smiles. Chen Ying wondered how simply asking a question had led to such a tragic outcome.

After Chen Ying left the room to rest in the guest room of Hao Yue Residence, Duan Xu put his arm around the drowsy He Simu’s shoulders, patting her gently, and asked with a smile, “When will you recover?”

“What for?” He Simu asked hazily.

“We’ve been confined for many days. It’s time to go out. In a couple of days, there’s a polo match. Would you like to watch me play polo?”