The letter landed squarely on Lord Pei’s handsome nose bridge before falling to his feet.

He was stunned for a moment, looked down and stared for a while, then slowly bent down to pick it up. Suddenly, he straightened, turned around in one motion, and strode to the fire stove, throwing the letter in with extraordinarily swift movements.

“You dare burn it? Just you try!”

A voice came from behind him, sweet as honey.

Lord Pei, disregarding the burning heat, hurriedly snatched the letter back from the stove. One corner of the envelope had already caught fire, and he frantically patted it several times until he finally managed to extinguish the sparks.

Jia Fu took the envelope from his hands, removed the letter inside, helped him unfold it, and placed it back in his hand.

“Read it,” she said, smiling sweetly at him.

Pei You’an held the letter with an embarrassed expression, standing before her for a moment. Suddenly, he began to cough, growing increasingly intense until he was bent over, his face flushed red.

Jia Fu quickly helped massage his chest and pat his back. After quite some time, Pei You’an gradually stopped coughing, tightly grasping her small hand and gratefully saying, “Fuer, you are truly too good to me.”

Jia Fu withdrew her hand.

Pei You’an reached for it again.

Jia Fu slapped his hand away with a “smack”: “Don’t touch me! Do you think a few coughs will soften my heart? My heart is firm! You won’t read it? Fine, then eat it instead—eat this letter for me, and don’t miss a single word!”

Pei You’an smiled bitterly: “My dear Fuer, please spare me. I was truly wrong before. I won’t dare do it again in the future. If I ever do this again, I’ll…”

“You still think there will be a future?”

Jia Fu sneered.

“I won’t believe your words anymore! Before you left, you promised with your mouth that you would bring me back, but once you turned away, how did you treat me? You liar, nothing you say now matters. Either read it or eat it—the choice is yours!”

After speaking, Jia Fu left him and climbed onto the bed, comfortably leaning against the headboard, coldly watching him.

Pei You’an slowly went over to her, sat on the edge of the bed, and gazed at her without saying a word.

This man was truly handsome like a beautiful tree with jade branches. Having just bathed, and with the room warm as spring, he wore only a loosely draped inner garment half-covering his chest—three parts sickly, seven parts alluring. His two jet-black eyes gazed at her coldly and silently, as if conveying thousands of words without speaking. After being looked at like this for just a moment, Jia Fu’s heart couldn’t help but beat rapidly. Hating her weakness, she simply turned her face toward the wall, refusing to look at him. Suddenly, she heard him say softly:

“An old friend thousands of miles away, mountains and passes difficult to cross. I expect from now on there will be no messages from the paired fish, and the bluebird will not arrive. Only leaving behind a sickly body that has died countless times, dreams shattered by the sound of the horn at the fifth watch. Don’t say the road ahead is not soul-destroying. On a snowy night before Mount Yanran, the jade beauty unexpectedly crosses the Kunlun Mountains, her face like a lotus, her smile like a dream.”

He paused.

“Fuer, this is another letter I wrote for you. I, Pei You’an, have failed you before. What virtue or ability do I have to deserve your unwavering loyalty, following me to this place? Yet I was still blind-hearted wanting to send you back. I was blessed but didn’t know it! Never mind eating the letter—even if you wanted me to eat stones, I wouldn’t frown. I’ll eat it now, without missing a single word!”

Jia Fu turned her head to see him gazing at her earnestly. To her astonishment, he tore the letter in half, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth. She was utterly surprised—she had only been too angry and wanted to teach him a lesson. How could she let him eat paper? Moreover, those words at the beginning of the letter were like his declaration of love to her—how could she bear to destroy it? She lunged forward to retrieve the paper ball from him, unfolded it, and saw that it had already been torn in half and was crumpled beyond recognition. She grew angry again and kicked him: “You owe me for this!”

Pei You’an caught her foot in one motion and pulled. Jia Fu slid down, her garments rolling up to her waist, immediately revealing two smooth, snow-white jade legs that were eye-catching. Jia Fu cried out, quickly drawing her legs together and trying to pull her clothes to cover herself, but she was already pinned beneath him.

Pei You’an gazed at her passionately: “Fuer, will you forgive your husband this time?”

The room grew quiet.

Jia Fu stared back at him for a moment, then raised her hand to part his clothes, exposing the shoulder she had bitten for so long earlier. Seeing a deep bite mark there, she gently caressed it with her fingertips and softly said, “Husband, does it hurt where I bit you earlier?”

Pei You’an nodded, then shook his head: “It doesn’t hurt.”

Jia Fu’s eyes showed pity as she leaned forward, her lips gently kissing the mark with tender affection.

Both wore only a single layer of clothing, their bodies rubbing against each other. Pei You’an’s body had already softened from the friction, though below he was gradually becoming engorged. With his eyes closed, enjoying her kisses and starting to entertain amorous thoughts, a sudden pain shot through his shoulder, immediately clearing his mind. Opening his eyes, he saw Jia Fu had opened her mouth and bitten him again, fiercely. Only then did she release him, smiling sweetly: “Since it doesn’t hurt, I’ll bite you once more so you’ll remember! This way you won’t forget your promises to me next time!”

Pei You’an touched his shoulder, now covered with her teeth marks and saliva, and smiled bitterly.

Jia Fu ignored him, pushed him away, took the torn letter, got off the bed, went to the table to spread it out, and busied herself trying to find something to flatten it.

His grandmother had been deceased for over a year now. Although as her principal great-grandson, he should continue mourning for two more years, having been banished to this place, with the vast wilderness around him, the various constraints that had bound his nature seemed to gradually fade away, and he felt a freedom in his heart that he had never experienced before.

They had been married for about two years, but subtracting the gaps, the time they had spent together amounted to barely a few months. After being separated for so long, their sudden reunion last night had made it truly difficult to restrain their feelings. Having already broken the mourning abstinence, he thought that if his grandmother’s spirit was watching from heaven, she would not blame him. With no more hesitation, he followed her, picked up a few books from the floor, placed them on the table, and then embraced her from behind, lowering his head to kiss the delicate, snowy skin exposed at her collar.

Jia Fu found it ticklish and kept shrinking her neck, avoiding him.

Seeing no response from her, Pei You’an resigned himself, forcibly carried her to the bed, and whispered in her ear: “Fuer…” His voice is slightly tense.

A small hand cautiously reached out to him under the covers, tentatively touching lightly, then quickly withdrawing.

Jia Fu lowered her eyes shyly: “Cousin, are you uncomfortable again?”

Pei You’an felt her small hand’s light touch which, even through a layer of clothing, made his blood surge and his heart beat faster. He gazed at her, his fingers lightly caressing her lips.

“Let’s go to sleep. Sleep will make it better!” Jia Fu removed his hand.

Pei You’an was taken aback.

“Before I came, you didn’t take care of yourself. The room leaked wind, the stove wasn’t warm, and you didn’t take your medicine properly. Your constitution is already weak, and you’ve been sick for so long. Last night was an exception, but tonight you still want to? Just sleep well. While you’re sick, don’t think about anything else!”

After saying this, Jia Fu rolled out of his embrace.

Pei You’an pulled her back: “Fuer… my illness has already improved… you’ll see tonight…”

Jia Fu shook her head like a rattling drum: “No means no! I want to sleep now! You sleep too!” She turned over, facing away from him, then thought for a moment and turned back, her lips pressing against his ear: “Cousin, be good, and I’ll be very good to you in the future.”

Pei You’an felt that after that long sleep last night, his energy was abundant and his illness was mostly cured. Tonight, he could easily go three hundred rounds, yet she wouldn’t let him be intimate with her. He thought it was partly because she genuinely worried about his recent illness and weakness, but also partly to deliberately punish him.

He couldn’t beat her, and now he couldn’t put on a stern face to discipline her as before—he no longer had that authority.

Pei You’an was momentarily at a loss with her and could only smile bitterly. Seeing she had already turned away ignoring him, he had no choice but to close his eyes and slowly regulate his breathing. After a long while, he finally suppressed the desire that had been aroused earlier. Opening his eyes, he saw she had indeed abandoned him and fallen asleep.

He gazed at the completely relaxed, adorably innocent sleeping face of the woman beside him, and his heart gradually filled with an indescribable warmth. He extinguished the light, extended his arm to embrace that warm, soft body, and with the scent of her fragrance, fell asleep amid the howling northern wind outside.

After a good night’s sleep, the next day was the last day of the year.

Of the seven or eight old soldiers in the timber yard, except for Old Ding and his wife, the rest were single and had lived there for years with nowhere to go for the New Year. Early in the morning, Jia Fu gave Auntie Ding some money to shop in the city, with Yang Yun driving her in a carriage. Ding brought Tan Xiang along, and by afternoon, the three had returned. They had bought rice, flour, chicken, a pig’s head, two sides of lamb, and the only vegetables available in winter—radishes and cabbage—plus several jars of good wine.

The old soldiers knew that because of the madam’s arrival, they would have a feast that night. Judging by these ingredients, even the New Year’s meal at the city’s Defense Command Office might not be better than this. They were all smiling with joy and rushed to help carry things when they saw the carriage arrive. The kitchen of the timber yard also livened up, with firewood crackling, the pig’s head slowly stewing and releasing its savory aroma, knives chopping stuffing on cutting boards, and the sizzling sound of scallions frying in oil coming from the large iron wok. The food’s fragrance wafted far, and the old soldiers, who rarely got to eat meat, couldn’t wait until dark and all gathered in front of the kitchen, swallowing their saliva.

Jia Fu and Pei You’an emerged after checking on the pregnant mare to see Old Ding walking from the direction of the main gate, carrying a food box. Upon seeing Pei You’an, he excitedly hurried over, calling out: “Lord Pei, just now someone from Lord Hu in the city came by, saying that since you arrived, the timber yard has been well managed. Today being the last day of the year, as your superior, he wished to show his appreciation, so he specially sent some wine and dishes, asking me to give them to you.” He handed the food box over, then happily added: “Thanks to the madam, I’ll also get to feast tonight. It’s getting dark, so I’ll go close the main gate now.” With that, he bowed slightly and hurriedly walked away.

Jia Fu stepped forward to open the lid but was gently stopped by Pei You’an. “No need to look.”

Jia Fu immediately became suspicious and, ignoring his obstruction, forcibly opened it to find a plate of rotten cabbage stalks, a chicken carcass that had been gnawed on, and several other cold leftovers that were the remains of someone else’s meal. She was stunned, instantly understanding that Hu Liangcai was seizing the opportunity to humiliate Pei You’an. Fury rose three zhang high as she kicked the food box over and trampled it several times.

“Let it be, be careful not to hurt your foot.”

Pei You’an smiled, walked over, took Jia Fu’s hand, rubbed it, and blew a breath of warm air onto it.

Thinking of how he had fallen from grace and was being treated this way by these people, even if he didn’t mind, Jia Fu still felt upset. She looked at him, motionless.

Pei You’an gently traced her pretty nose and smiled: “Let’s go back to the room, it’s cold outside.”

The sky slowly darkened. Old Ding wrapped firecrackers around a bamboo pole, stuck it in the snow, and set them off with crackling sounds for a while. By this time, the New Year’s dinner was ready, and a large table was set for the old soldiers of the timber yard. Jia Fu put the earlier incident out of her mind and cheered up. Out of gratitude to Yang Yun, Tan Xiang, and Mu Xiang for accompanying her to this cold, harsh frontier, tonight she set aside the master-servant distinction and invited the three to join the table. However, they refused. Jia Fu, knowing that even if she forced them to join, they would feel constrained and not enjoy themselves, relented and respected their wishes. She distributed wine and dishes, and the servants ate together with Auntie Ding, while she and Pei You’an dined alone in their room with the door closed. At a small table with several dishes, and a pot of sweet rice wine warmed on a small stove, the two sat opposite each other. The rich wine and warm spring atmosphere kept the icy snow world outside the doors and windows.

Since Pei You’an was still coughing occasionally, after just one cup, Jia Fu took his wine cup away and wouldn’t let him drink more, allowing him only tea. Because the wine was brewed very sweet, she unconsciously drank several cups herself, gradually warming up. She shed layers until only a water-colored inner jacket remained, with two buttons undone, revealing a patch of snow-white skin below her collarbone, brilliantly white, followed by peach-like, full breasts.

At first, Pei You’an continued eating, but gradually his gaze fell upon her. Seeing her drink one cup after another, her face flushed, he slowly put down his chopsticks, took the wine cup from her hand, finished the remaining wine himself, and then rose to lift her into his arms. He carried her to the bed, sat on the edge, and leaned down to kiss her gently.

“Am I being obedient today?”

His warm breath lingered by her ear.

Though Jia Fu wasn’t drunk at all, her mind was foggy. She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded foolishly.

Pei You’an smiled slightly and, unhurriedly, with his long fingers, undid all the buttons on the front of her jacket one by one. Slowly, he stripped her bare, transforming her into a tender white lamb under his gaze—just as he had imagined earlier.

On this New Year’s Eve of the old year, the creaking sounds of the old bed desperately holding on, accompanied by the howling northern wind sweeping over the roof, continued intermittently, sometimes slow, sometimes urgent, for a long time. Of the two maids sleeping nearby, Mu Xiang, being younger, had drunk a bit more in the evening and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay down, hearing nothing. Tan Xiang, however, didn’t look well when she woke up in the morning, yawning with dark circles under her eyes.

On the first day of the new year, early in the morning, Pei You’an found some pieces of wood and personally reinforced the bed legs to prevent them from making noise next time. This way, his dear Jia Fu wouldn’t be anxious, constantly asking him to be gentler for fear that the sounds would be heard by the maids sleeping nearby, and they could fully enjoy themselves.

While he was busy, he did not know that at this moment, thousands of miles away in the capital, an event was unfolding.

That day, early in the morning of the first day of the first month of the second year of Zhaoping, many people gathered outside the city gates, waiting to enter.

Although they had stayed up the previous night for New Year’s Eve, and all businesses were closed today, there were still many people from all directions who had come early to wait to enter the city. This was because there was a City God Temple fair in the city today, and if they were lucky enough, they might even witness the grand spectacle of officials and regional princes lining up to enter the palace to pay New Year’s respect to the Emperor. The harvest had been good this year, and the Emperor had reduced taxes. People wore new clothes and chattered excitedly, each face radiating happiness.

Among the crowd stood a travel-worn young man, quietly standing by the roadside, listening to the discussions of those around him. When the city gates opened, he followed the flow of people into the capital.

His skin was dark, tanned by years in the sun—a characteristic of people from the southern coastal regions. Many people there might never have the opportunity to witness the splendor of the imperial capital in their lifetime. Yet this young man seemed very familiar with everything here.

He walked through streets with newly pasted peach wood charms on doorways, amid the laughter of children chasing and playing around him, and came directly to the outside of the imperial palace. He told the guards that he had news of the Chengning Young Emperor, after which he was blindfolded and taken into the palace. Li Yuangui immediately saw him in secret, questioned him about many things, and finally reported to the Emperor that this young man, who claimed to be the person the Emperor’s navy had been looking for, was indeed likely to be Xiao Yu.

He was familiar with the palace’s layout, knew every corner of it, and could even describe how the second golden dragon coiled on the right armrest of the throne had a bent toe on its front claw. This was because, in the past, the nine-year-old child who sat there listening to ministers report affairs below would secretly bend it. If he had continued to sit there for a few more years, perhaps one day he would have broken off that dragon claw.

Xiao Lie was immensely shocked, but he did not immediately meet with him. This Emperor, who had not yet recovered from the major setback inflicted by the son of the woman he loved, had recently been ill-tempered, frequently reprimanding his ministers, who responded with trepidation. Harboring attitudes of suspicion and hatred toward everything, he ordered the young man to be taken to the Peacock Garden in the Western Palace, and then secretly observed his actions.

Although Xiao Lie and Xiao Yu were uncle and nephew, by the time Xiao Yu was born, his imperial uncle had already been in Yunnan for many years.

This was the first time Xiao Lie saw his nephew’s appearance. He saw a young man standing by the pool in the Peacock Garden, head slightly tilted back, eyes narrowed, gazing at the horizon. His line of sight seemed to transcend the Peacock Garden that confined him, beyond the high palace walls, looking toward the infinite distance on the horizon.