The matter was not complicated at all—once you knew the truth, it all seemed so simple, yet so unreasonable. Completely unreasonable.
About half a shichen later, in a state of even greater shock, Gui Yuanshu and Old Sun finally learned the truth of the matter.
Yun Xiaozao was indeed a woman who played by no one’s rules. Everyone had assumed she would revel in her triumph before Pei Bancheng for a while longer, but she hadn’t. She truly had no intention of telling Pei Bancheng why.
Gui Yuanshu had assumed Pei Bancheng would at least be kept alive a little longer, since he seemed to still harbor many unsolved secrets. Yet Pei Bancheng was strangled to death on the spot.
The woman inside that palanquin was even more ruthless than Yun Xiaozao.
She said to Gui Yuanshu: “Come with me. I’ll take you to meet someone.”
Gui Yuanshu: “Meet who?”
Yun Xiaozao: “Someone who might frighten you to death.”
Gui Yuanshu: “Ha… do you think I have such small courage?”
Yun Xiaozao replied: “Actually, if it were only a matter of small courage, that would be fine.”
Gui Yuanshu froze, sensing something wrong in her words.
At this moment, in a study on the main floor, gazing at the graceful and magnificently dressed woman seated before him, Gui Yuanshu felt genuinely afraid.
He never could have imagined it would be like this. No matter how long he had investigated, no matter how hard he had tried to uncover the truth behind Fenglin Inn, he never would have expected it to be *hers*.
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu.
Cao Qingli.
Princess Consort of Prince Wu was a woman of the Cao family. Her position was so singular that no second person like her could be found in all of Dachu.
As Cao Ziluo’s younger sister and Cao Lie’s aunt, the Princess Consort of Prince Wu was naturally well acquainted with the existence of the Shanhe Seal—and her standing within it was, in truth, second only to Cao Ziluo herself.
When she had married Prince Wu in those earlier days, it had been a matter arranged long in advance by the Cao family—both a strategic positioning and a means of self-preservation.
But afterward, because of this very identity as Princess Consort of Prince Wu, Cao Qingli’s thoughts had grown complicated.
She cared deeply for her husband and would never allow him to become a pawn in her brother’s hands—yet she could not bring herself to sever ties with the Cao family either.
Prince Wu spent years away campaigning, and the prince’s residence generated virtually no income. Could the meager salary disbursed by the court be enough for the Princess Consort of Prince Wu to live on?
As the former young mistress of the Cao family, the opulence of her former life was beyond most people’s ability to imagine.
So she had, with her own hands, established Fenglin Inn in Daxing City—though of course, on the surface it was merely an inn.
The income from this establishment was how the Princess Consort of Prince Wu maintained her lavish lifestyle.
Gui Yuanshu stood there motionless, but his heart was pounding—and pounding hard.
Yun Xiaozao stood to one side with her hands clasped behind her back, like a child being made to stand in the corner as punishment. Yet she showed no fear, and even wore a slightly impish grin. She would even glance over at Gui Yuanshu from time to time, as if to say: *Don’t be so frightened—I’ve got you covered.*
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu, seated in her chair, kept her eyes fixed on Yun Xiaozao with a steady glare.
“In those days, you wanted to play around—you felt that since your brother could manage the family’s affairs, you could do the same. Your father had no choice but to send you here to me, telling me just to find you something to keep you busy.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu fixed her gaze on Yun Xiaozao: “And yet to this day, you have never once given me a moment’s peace of mind.”
“Auntie…”
Yun Xiaozao called out in a wounded voice.
No—she ought to be called Cao Xiaozao.
In those days, she had clamored to be given something to do, to be as free and unfettered as her brother. Yet how could her father have dared to let her venture out alone? But she would not stop begging, over and over again, until at last Cao Ziluo hit upon a solution: send her to Daxing City, to be placed under the care of the Princess Consort of Prince Wu, who was still residing there at the time.
Everyone had assumed she was simply being willful—including her father, her brother, and her aunt, the Princess Consort of Prince Wu.
But she was not. From a very young age, she had understood one truth: sooner or later, a woman would be married off. She had to rely on herself. She could not depend on everything coming from her husband’s family, nor from her own family.
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu’s wisdom and cunning, her grand vision of the greater picture, her everything—even Cao Ziluo admired her immensely. That was precisely why Cao Ziluo had sent her daughter here.
But later, as the rebellions within Dachu intensified, Prince Wu—who had been idle at home—was called back into service, leading the Left Martial Guard in campaigns across Dachu. Left alone in Daxing City, the Princess Consort of Prince Wu grew restless and returned to reside at the Cao family estate, intending to bring Cao Xiaozao back with her. But Cao Xiaozao refused, insisting that she could not abandon her business in Daxing City.
After two or three years of nurturing her, the Princess Consort of Prince Wu had come to believe that Cao Xiaozao was indeed capable of shouldering this responsibility, and so she had agreed.
She never expected the girl’s love of play to run so deep.
To conceal her identity, Cao Xiaozao had actually gone and taken up residence in Yunshu Pavilion—and the so-called Pei Bancheng had been cover she had chosen herself. Pei Bancheng had never known any of this, right up until the very end.
At the time, Pei Bancheng had already built considerable renown in Daxing City, and Yunshu Pavilion held a very prominent position there as well.
She had dispatched someone to deliver a letter to Pei Bancheng, saying only that the proprietor intended to arrange for someone to come and stay at Yunshu Pavilion, and that he was to protect this person well, with not even the slightest negligence.
And then she had simply gone herself, taking up lodgings in Yunshu Pavilion—though she never showed her face publicly. She simply felt that hiding in a pleasure house was safer.
This was the kind of person the Cao family cultivated. A clever hare has more than three burrows.
Not long before, Cao Xiaozao had received a letter written in her brother Cao Lie’s own hand, delivered by his messenger, asking her to look after Gui Yuanshu.
Cao Lie had no other recourse with this sister of his. He had not contacted her earlier because Daxing City had still been relatively stable. Later he had sent people to her many times, but Cao Xiaozao simply refused to leave.
And so, once they had pieced together most of this, Gui Yuanshu and Old Sun finally understood why Yun Xiaozao had said that the secrets of the Shanhe Seal and the Cloud Mist Scroll were things she had read of merely as one reads a novel.
Only a person of such an identity could enjoy such convenience.
Yet knowing all this still left one question unanswered—the one that Gui Yuanshu found most unreasonable. From the moment he had first laid eyes on the Princess Consort of Prince Wu, this sense of irrationality had only grown more pronounced.
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu cast a glance at Gui Yuanshu, her gaze carrying distinct displeasure—the kind that was layered and complicated. Gui Yuanshu felt that this displeasure resembled nothing so much as… a foolish daughter choosing a man for herself, and the family elders finding more and more fault with him the longer they looked.
“I’ll state my reasons first.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu spoke in a cool, measured tone, then looked toward Yun Xiaozao: “In a moment, if you cannot give me a reasonable justification, not only will your reasons count for nothing—mine will count for nothing as well. I will have both of them killed.”
Old Sun let out a quiet scoff, seemingly rather contemptuous.
But Gui Yuanshu simply waited. For someone whose trade was the investigation of cases, failing to uncover the truth was the thing that tormented him most.
“You both know my identity by now.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu rose, walked to the window, and stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, gazing outward, her voice carrying a subdued weight: “By rights, you are spies sent here by Prince Ning, Li Chi—and I ought to have had you arrested and handed over to the court to be dealt with under the law, or simply had you killed on the spot.”
Gui Yuanshu nodded inwardly. *Now that makes sense.*
For she was the Princess Consort of Prince Wu. Prince Wu was Dachu’s foremost subject and its foremost loyal servant. As Prince Wu’s wife, she had no reason to shield enemies’ spies.
“Lie’er is on your side.”
She said.
That was her reason.
Absurd as it was—even laughable—this was the reason behind her choice. Or rather, it was one reason.
“Prince Wu has never known defeat in battle, but he… but he knows that with his own strength alone, he cannot preserve this Dachu that totters on the brink.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu turned and looked at Gui Yuanshu: “Prince Wu holds Prince Ning in high regard.”
Gui Yuanshu was stunned.
He truly had not imagined that Prince Wu would hold Prince Ning in such esteem.
In truth, there were words that, if spoken in Prince Wu’s capacity as Prince Consort, would be treasonous—a betrayal of Dachu and of the imperial house. But if spoken in the capacity of an aging man of extraordinary experience whose heart was bound to the people, those same words became understandable, even inevitable, however heavy their weight.
Prince Wu had said more than once to the Princess Consort of Prince Wu that among all the rebels in the land, the one he truly admired was Prince Ning, Li Chi.
The others fought to seize the realm; Li Chi fought to nourish it. One only had to look at how the common people lived in each place. Jizhou—once the most exhausted and impoverished of regions—had now become the most prosperous.
Beyond his admiration for Li Chi, Prince Wu also held Tang Pidi in the highest regard.
Prince Wu had also told his wife that he had long been searching among Dachu’s younger generation for someone who might one day be his successor—but he had found no one. He had once thought Gui Yuanshu might be a talent, though not a talent for commanding armies. Later he had thought that if Wei Chiming could grow into his potential, he might barely suffice—but only barely.
He had said that the person in this world whom he believed capable of becoming a second himself was actually someone on the enemy’s side: Tang Pidi.
Prince Wu had also said: the Central Plains needs a wise ruler, and the Central Plains needs a god of war. Looking across all under heaven, it seemed only Li Chi’s camp truly fit these requirements—with a wise ruler to bring lasting peace to the realm, and a god of war to make foreign enemies tremble with dread.
“I must think of what comes after.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu spoke, her voice heavy: “Prince Wu has said that if the realm must pass to another, the one he most hopes to receive it is Prince Ning—not a hypocrite like Yang Xuanji who is all performance and no substance, and not a man like Li Xionghu whose vision reaches no further than the crude ambitions of a bandit chieftain.”
Gui Yuanshu nodded: “The realm will be Prince Ning’s.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu did not grow angry at these words. At this moment, she was not speaking with Gui Yuanshu in her capacity as Princess Consort of Prince Wu.
“Is Lie’er faring well over there?”
She asked.
Gui Yuanshu nodded: “He and Prince Ning address each other as brothers.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu slowly exhaled: “That’s good… that’s good.”
After a brief silence, she continued: “Prince Wu and I no longer have any choice. Prince Wu bears the burden of Dachu on his shoulders—sooner or later, he will face Prince Ning on the battlefield in a decisive showdown. I am Prince Wu’s wife. Where the husband stands, there the wife must stand. Do you understand?”
Gui Yuanshu inclined his head slightly: “I understand.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu said: “But the younger generation still has a choice. They should not have to perish alongside the old generation for mistakes the old generation made. I am not only Prince Wu’s wife—I am also a mother, and I am Lie’er and Zhao’er’s aunt. Prince Ning did not execute my brother, and for that I am grateful. So now, I am repaying you with one act of favor.”
She turned to face Gui Yuanshu: “My hope is that if Prince Ning truly does one day enter Daxing City, my son… my son Yang Zhenting will not be implicated by Prince Wu’s fate. Prince Wu must fight for Dachu—must even die for Dachu—but my son does not have to make the same choice.”
Gui Yuanshu said: “I will relay the Princess Consort’s words to Prince Ning, word for word.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu nodded: “This is also why I chose to see you in person. The matter concerns Prince Wu’s bloodline—I could not but appear myself.”
Having spoken these words, she turned her gaze to Yun Xiaozao: “Now—give me a reason why you have set your eyes on this man.”
The words carried a chill.
Gui Yuanshu understood in an instant what the Princess Consort of Prince Wu had meant earlier. She had stated her own reason—but if Yun Xiaozao’s reason proved insufficient, the Princess Consort of Prince Wu could abandon her present choice. She intended to be responsible for Yun Xiaozao’s lifelong happiness.
Yun Xiaozao glanced at Gui Yuanshu, then let out a soft sigh.
She stepped to stand before him: “What I’m about to say may wound you. Try not to take it too hard—it’s all the truth, and I have no intention of deceiving you.”
Gui Yuanshu: “Just say it.”
Yun Xiaozao looked toward her aunt: “First—he is not ugly.”
Gui Yuanshu considered this. *Reasonable.*
Yun Xiaozao continued: “Second—while his standing is somewhat modest and he cannot be counted among Prince Ning’s most important ministers, my brother says he has unlimited promise ahead of him. So think of it as an early investment in a business venture.”
Gui Yuanshu’s mood began to sour—yet when he thought about it, it was still, undeniably, *reasonable*.
Yun Xiaozao pressed on: “Third—Auntie has chosen Prince Ning’s side, and I can only choose Prince Ning’s side as well. Besides, my brother is there too. So while he does not fully satisfy me, he is my most direct path toward Prince Ning’s camp. My brother is another path, but I don’t want to rely on my brother for everything.”
Gui Yuanshu grew more and more displeased. Having someone state these calculations so plainly to his face—how could he possibly feel good about it?
Yet it remained, at every point, *reasonable*.
Yun Xiaozao said: “Fourth—he is a decent person. Not the sort who forgets all principle at the sight of a pretty face.”
“Fifth—though he can be a bit foolish, that’s still barely tolerable.”
“Sixth—while I don’t hold him in especially high regard, he is still the only man I have any feeling for at present. I’ll simply grow fonder of him as time goes on. I can do that—just as Auntie did with Prince Wu.”
“Seventh…”
Yun Xiaozao looked at Gui Yuanshu, running her gaze over him from head to toe, then continued: “His constitution seems like it should be… adequate.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Wu raised a hand: “Enough.”
Gui Yuanshu let out a long, heavy sigh.
Old Sun, however, found the whole thing rather alarming. This Miss Yun had actually thought through all of that.
—