On this day, an unexpected visitor arrived at Prince Rui’s mansion.

The visitor wore a long sword, appearing mighty and imposing. One glance was enough to tell he was a man who had been through the battlefields. His features were stern, weathered by the elements. Standing stiffly at the entrance of Prince Rui’s mansion, he gave off an air of hostility.

The guards at the gate stopped this burly man, but he simply said, “Take me to see Prince Rui.”

The man spoke with great arrogance, but the people of Prince Rui’s mansion were accustomed to being domineering themselves. Even the servants carried a certain pride. They weren’t intimidated by this man’s manner and instead responded with utmost respect: “Without an invitation card, His Highness does not receive outsiders.”

Just as the large man was about to lose his temper, an astonished voice came from inside: “General Shen?” Looking up, he saw Tie Yi striding toward them. After approaching, Tie Yi glared fiercely at the guard and respectfully said, “General Shen, the servants are ignorant. Please forgive them. I’ll take you to see His Highness immediately.”

The guard’s eyes widened, perhaps only now realizing who “General Shen” was. He then looked at the visitor suspiciously, seemingly not expecting him to come at this time.

Shen Xin had a belly full of anger. For days, he had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep well whenever he recalled his suspicions from a while back. He had thought that with time, these matters would gradually be forgotten, but unexpectedly, the more time passed, the harder it became to let go.

Shen Xin was not one who liked to meddle. Once he had doubts or troubles, he had to clarify them completely. Moreover, this concerned Shen Miao’s lifelong happiness. Therefore, he finally decided to personally visit Prince Rui’s mansion. Regardless of the outcome, he needed to understand.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, he encountered an inconsiderate guard, making his already uneasy heart more displeased.

Fortunately, Tie Yi was perceptive. Seeing that Shen Xin seemed somewhat displeased, he tried various ways to cheer him up, mentioning that recently everyone in Prince Rui’s mansion had been busy with wedding preparations, all to ensure Shen Miao would have a grand wedding and not lose face in Ming Qi.

Shen Xin walked alongside Tie Yi and indeed saw, as Tie Yi had said, that Prince Rui’s mansion was decorated with lanterns and colored banners inside and out, appearing very festive. Regardless, the people of Prince Rui’s mansion took this marriage seriously in their hearts, which was comforting. Shen Xin’s heart felt much more at ease.

When they reached a room’s entrance, Tie Yi stopped and said, “I cannot enter His Highness’s study. Someone has already announced your arrival. General Shen, please go in directly.”

Shen Xin thought that what he needed to discuss with Prince Rui was indeed very private and certainly couldn’t be overheard by outsiders. If servants weren’t allowed to enter the study, it would be much more convenient. At the same time, he was puzzled: Prince Rui didn’t allow servants to enter but let him in alone—wasn’t he afraid Shen Xin might attack him? But then he realized that with the martial skills Prince Rui had displayed while competing with Shen Qiu that day, he wouldn’t be easily cornered by Shen Xin.

Though his mind was full of thoughts, Shen Xin’s face remained steady. He acknowledged and walked toward the door, but suddenly a fluffy white creature darted out from the doorway. Upon closer look, it was a white tiger with piercing eyes, though still small and not fully grown, making kitten-like noises at him.

Shen Xin almost instinctively swung his knife down.

It was only when Tie Yi quickly came forward and carried the white tiger away that Shen Xin took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.

Inside, Prince Rui was sitting in a chair reading a book. His sitting posture wasn’t particularly proper, appearing lazy and casual. The way he flipped through the book was equally casual, as if he was just casually browsing without really taking it in.

Shen Xin frowned. “Prince Rui?”

Unlike Luo Xueyan, although Prince Rui had warmly allowed the Shen family to call him “Jingxing,” and Luo Xueyan indeed did so, Shen Xin couldn’t bring himself to. Men and women were different; women could judge people’s intentions—whether friendly or malicious—based on intuition, but men couldn’t rely on intuition. Especially Shen Xin, who preferred to act based on evidence.

Prince Rui looked up and casually placed the book on the table. Shen Xin saw that it was a military treatise, a particularly obscure one at that. Usually only veteran generals would read such books. Prince Rui was only twenty-two years old; for him to be reading such a book either meant he was putting on airs or he was hiding his true capabilities.

Before Prince Rui had come to their door, in Shen Xin’s eyes, Prince Rui was just an idle prince who acted recklessly because he relied on his status as Emperor Yongle’s brother. However, after witnessing his competition with Shen Qiu that day, Shen Xin felt there was more to Prince Rui than met the eye.

Perhaps this was a man’s intuition.

“General Shen, join me for a game of chess,” he said. He didn’t address him as “Lord Shen” or use other familiar titles, which seemed to carry some other implications.

Shen Xin said, “I don’t know how to play chess.”

“War chess,” Prince Rui reached for a chessboard from the other side and placed it on the table. He gave Shen Xin a jar of white pieces and kept a jar of black pieces for himself. “General Shen, let’s use the board as our country, the chess paths as boundaries, the pieces as soldiers, and battle once. What do you say?”

Shen Xin became excited at the mention of military matters and, looking at his young opponent, felt somewhat annoyed at being underestimated. He said, “Let’s do it then!”

The two set up their pieces and began to play.

Contrary to Prince Rui’s appearance, his chess style shocked Shen Xin. His opponent displayed a shrewdness and ruthlessness that belied his age. War chess was already mentally taxing, requiring careful thought for each move as one move could affect the entire game. Yet Prince Rui seemed to play without spending extra time thinking, placing pieces wherever he wanted quite casually. But these seemingly casual moves, upon closer inspection, were quite ingenious.

Shen Xin was typically good at war chess, but compared to Prince Rui, he found himself frequently at a disadvantage. Shen Xin even had an illusion that he had played chess with Prince Rui before; otherwise, how could Prince Rui seem to know in advance where his next piece would be placed?

When the game ended, the result was naturally as expected—Shen Xin lost.

Prince Rui said, “You lost.”

Shen Xin waved his hand and said, “Again.”

“It would be the same outcome,” Prince Rui said.

“What do you mean?” Shen Xin frowned.

“You’d lose,” he said.

Having lived for so long, even Emperor Wenhuidi had always given Shen Xin proper respect. Except for Luo Xueyan, no one dared speak to him this way. His face immediately reddened with anger. Just as he was about to erupt, Prince Rui lightly said, “General Shen didn’t come to Prince Rui’s mansion today just to play chess.” He raised his lips and asked, “What business brings you here?”

The angry words stuck in Shen Xin’s throat.

Prince Rui seemed to have a talent for provoking someone to great anger and then seamlessly changing the subject as if nothing had happened. This skill closely resembled someone—the younger Marquis Lin’an, Xie Ding. Whenever Xie Ding and Shen Xin argued, he would adopt this carefree, dismissive manner. Shen Xin, being straightforward by nature, often took things too seriously and was constantly outmaneuvered by the rascal Xie Ding.

Suddenly thinking of Xie Ding reminded him of his purpose for visiting Prince Rui’s mansion today. With this thought, Shen Xin’s anger toward Prince Rui dissipated. Looking directly into Prince Rui’s eyes, not missing any subtle changes in his expression, he slowly asked, “Previously, when you were competing with Shen Qiu at the Shen residence, that move where you placed the dagger against Shen Qiu’s throat—where did you learn it?”

Hearing this, Prince Rui smiled. “General Shen refers to the dagger throat-lock? I used it so slowly, I thought General Shen had seen it. Do you need me to demonstrate it again for you?”

Shen Xin was stunned, his heart suddenly wavering. Prince Rui was indeed deliberate!

He had thought that the dagger throat-lock that day seemed to have been deliberately executed slowly, almost as if intentionally showing him what move it was. Now hearing Prince Rui admit it, Shen Xin couldn’t describe his feelings, though most were still suspicious. He asked, “You know it’s called the dagger throat-lock. How did you learn it?”

“I learned it a long time ago,” Prince Rui said lazily. “Hasn’t General Shen seen it before?”

“Hasn’t General Shen seen it before?”

Shen Xin’s mind went blank with a crash, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his heart, making every inch of his body tremble uncontrollably.

Many years ago, on the streets of Ming Qi, he had inadvertently seen the heir of the Lin’an Marquis Household, Xie Ding’s son, use this move against someone. At the time, he had thought that Xie Jingxing’s execution of this move was much more impressive than his father’s.

Now Prince Rui said, “Hasn’t General Shen seen it before?”

Prince Rui had never been to Ming Qi before, and Shen Xin had never seen anyone else use this move!

Shen Xin’s heart surged with shock. At this moment, he actually felt momentarily at a loss, not knowing whether he should show surprise or shock. But part of his heart was calm; the suspicions that had kept him awake at night had been confirmed in this moment. His suspicions were correct.

He asked, “Are you Xie Jingxing?”

Prince Rui directly removed his mask.

Shen Xin gasped.

The relationship between the Shen family and the Lin’an Marquis Household had never been good, but precisely because of this, Shen Xin was most familiar with the Lin’an Marquis Household. Xie Ding had a son who seemed born to torment him, and Shen Xin had once expressed great satisfaction with this. But inwardly, he admired Xie Jingxing, feeling that although the youth was somewhat mischievous, he had a frankness and freedom that the noble young masters of the capital lacked.

Thus, Shen Xin clearly remembered Xie Jingxing’s appearance.

The person before him now looked more mature and handsome, but there were still traces of his former self in his features. Shen Xin understood in that moment. Some of the puzzling matters that had troubled him finally had answers.

He said, “What’s going on? Don’t you think you should explain?”

His tone was exactly like that of an elder disciplining a junior. Shen Xin even had a ridiculous feeling at this moment, as if he were helping Xie Ding discipline his son.

Xie Jingxing smiled slightly, poured a cup of tea for Shen Xin, and said, “Father-in-law, drink some tea and listen carefully.”

Over the next half hour, Shen Xin heard an incredible secret from Xie Jingxing’s lips that he had never imagined.

Shen Xin had never imagined that Xie Jingxing was a prince of Da Liang, with such an extraordinary and tumultuous background. Even more surprising was Xie Jingxing’s audacity—having become Prince Rui of Da Liang, he still dared to come to Ming Qi so openly. Wasn’t he afraid of the trouble it would cause if his identity were exposed?

After hearing Xie Jingxing’s words, Shen Xin’s heart was filled with shock, indignation, regret, hesitation, and various complex emotions intertwined. But he still understood as quickly as possible what decision he should make at this moment. He said, “Since this is your identity, Jiaojiao cannot marry you.”

“Why not?” Xie Jingxing asked.

“Your purpose is certainly not just to come to Ming Qi as a tribute,” Shen Xin’s words were ruthlessly incisive, cutting open everything. He said, “Da Liang’s ambition won’t stop at this. One day, Da Liang will move against Ming Qi, and at that time, you and we will inevitably face each other in battle. If Jiaojiao marries you, how will she position herself? Would you have her torn between you and Ming Qi? Even if I have to defy imperial orders or find other means, I will not let Jiaojiao be placed in such a difficult position.”

“Father-in-law worries too much,” Xie Jingxing smiled carelessly. “She knows my identity and understands the situation she will face better than you do. Perhaps you should consider the relationship between the Shen family and Ming Qi.”

Hearing the implication in his words, Shen Xin frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”

Xie Jingxing snapped his fingers, his gaze falling on the chess game they had just completed. On the board, Shen Xin’s white pieces had been almost completely devoured, while Xie Jingxing’s black pieces still dominated the board. Shen Xin had lost badly, yet the game didn’t appear particularly intense. Xie Jingxing said, “The chess game I just played with you, Father-in-law, was played by me in the identity of Ming Qi’s royal family against you. Didn’t you notice anything?”

Shen Xin suddenly looked up, angrily saying, “Nonsense!”

“Whether it’s nonsense or not, you and I both know,” Xie Jingxing suddenly shed the smile on his face. His lazy demeanor immediately disappeared, replaced by an almost cruel sharpness. “What is Ming Qi’s attitude toward the Shen family? I don’t believe Father-in-law has noticed anything before. In fact, if not for Shen Miao’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the Shen family probably couldn’t have maintained its current position of keeping out of trouble. I’m not some compassionate Buddha; I just don’t want to see Shen Miao protecting your Shen family alone while you all know nothing. She’s playing the villain, but she’s just a young girl—I can’t bear it.”

Shen Xin was so angry that the whiskers on his lips stood straight, but he still caught the key point in Xie Jingxing’s words and pursued it: “What happened to Jiaojiao? What do you mean by what you just said? Explain clearly to me!”

“Father-in-law and Mother-in-law guard the Northwest daily, with hearts concerned for the world, naturally too busy to pay attention to everything and unable to look after Shen Jiaojiao. But I fortunately know. Do you think the second and third branches of the Shen family are good people? They once conspired with Prince Yu to send Shen Miao to Prince Yu’s bed, putting incense that induces unconsciousness in Wolong Temple. How did Shen Yuan die? How did Ren Wanyun go mad? How did Shen Gui and Shen Wan get into trouble? Jing Chuchu and Jing Guansheng. The Shen family plotting against Shen Miao is one thing, but the Ming Qi royal family has never spared a thought for your head either.”

“Do you think when you retreated to defend Xiaochun City, who was it that mediated? Su Yu of the Su family suddenly appeared, accidentally allowing the Emperor to show leniency—was that just a coincidence? Is it heaven’s blessing that the Shen family escapes intact each time?”

Looking at Shen Xin’s rigid expression, he said mockingly, “Two years ago, when Father-in-law returned triumphantly to the capital, it coincided with Old Lady Shen’s birthday celebration. The fire in the Shen family ancestral hall—Shen Miao personally set it to make you all see the ambitions of the Shen family. She used her own life to warn and counsel. General Shen, do you dare say you can still protect her safely?”

Shen Xin was thunderstruck.

These events had occurred one after another since he and Luo Xueyan had returned to the capital. He had suspected that something was amiss, but each time his investigations led nowhere. Later, with the multitude of affairs in the Ministry of War, he didn’t have much time to dwell on these matters and put them out of his mind.

Since Shen Miao hadn’t mentioned anything, Shen Xin had overlooked it. Now, hearing the causes of these matters one by one from Xie Jingxing’s mouth, Shen Xin couldn’t tell whether he was shocked or angry, and was speechless.

“The second and third branches of the Shen family have reached their current state entirely due to Shen Miao’s planning. General Shen shouldn’t blame her for being ruthless. If not for her actions, you might already have grass growing tall on your graves.” Xie Jingxing’s words were mocking, but his gaze grew increasingly sharp, almost making it hard to breathe. He said, “Father-in-law may be considered a good general by the world, but for Shen Miao, I think not. I don’t know why she takes all these matters upon herself alone, as if she owes the Shen family. But in my view, General Shen is not a good father, though the Shen family is very fortunate to have raised Shen Miao as a daughter.”

“She is working for you all, trying every means to protect the Shen family. The Ming Qi royal family is also her future adversary. General Shen now says Shen Miao will be troubled by this, and I don’t understand,” he said coldly and mockingly. “Do you truly know Shen Miao?”

Shen Xin sat in the chair, but at this moment suddenly felt unworthy.

“On the contrary, although my friendship with Shen Jiaojiao may not be considered very deep, we have at least shared joys and sorrows. We’ve listened to people’s brief joys, and we’ve strategized together at night. I once saved her life, and I’ve also rescued her from danger,” Xie Jingxing said. “Why can’t I marry her?”

In Shen Xin’s heart, he suddenly felt boundless fatigue. The Shen Miao in Xie Jingxing’s words was unfamiliar and strange to him. Along with the experiences Shen Miao had gone through, he was completely unaware. Just as Xie Jingxing said, regarding his daughter, he believed he had cherished her greatly, yet couldn’t even achieve the most basic understanding. What, then, had he been doing all these years?

He looked at the remnants of the chess game on the table for a long time, until his eyes began to ache, before softly saying, “Tell me everything.”

“Everything you know about Jiaojiao, tell me.”

When Pei Lang awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. Around him were many elegantly dressed maids attending to him, helping him take medicine. Pei Lang’s last memory before losing consciousness was of Prince Ding’s dungeon, where a masked person in black had rescued him from the fire. Or at least he assumed he had been rescued, since he was still alive.

He didn’t know who had rescued him or why they had done so. When he asked the attending maids, he only learned that this was Prince Rui’s mansion.

Pei Lang vaguely sensed that Shen Miao and Prince Rui might have some connection, though he didn’t know to what extent. He thought that Prince Rui wouldn’t shelter him without reason; if he did, it must be because of Shen Miao. Shen Miao hadn’t given up on him—the thought moved Pei Lang’s heart.

It was as if everything he had persisted in was worthwhile at this moment, though Pei Lang didn’t understand where this inexplicable feeling came from.

As he pondered, the door to the room opened, and a young man entered from outside carrying a medicine box. He walked over and sat down in front of him, apparently intending to check his pulse.

Pei Lang didn’t look carefully at first, assuming this was a physician sent by Prince Rui. When he saw the physician’s face, he was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed, “Imperial Physician Gao?”

His movement was too abrupt and pulled at his wounds, causing him to hiss in pain. Gaoyang quickly pressed on his wound and said, “No need to be so surprised. Be careful not to pull your wounds.”

Pei Lang looked at Gaoyang, his mind racing with many thoughts. Gaoyang was the youngest imperial physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Whether his medical skills were truly exceptional was unclear. However, the royal family greatly favored this young physician, perhaps because he was good at conversation, often delighting Emperor Wenhuidi. His handsome appearance also made him more pleasing to the eyes of the imperial consorts than the old men of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Being an imperial physician, he wouldn’t treat people outside the palace without reason, especially not in Prince Rui’s mansion. Pei Lang’s first thought was that perhaps Prince Rui had borrowed Gaoyang from Emperor Wenhuidi for him, but he quickly dismissed this idea. Although skilled physicians in the capital were precious, Gaoyang wasn’t the only one. Prince Rui did not need to specifically seek out Gaoyang and trouble the royal family.

The second possibility, then, was that Gaoyang and Prince Rui already had some private connection.

This possibility was truly shocking. He looked up at Gaoyang, his gaze somewhat doubtful, but his face showed a cultured and elegant smile as he asked, “Why is Imperial Physician Gao here?”

While checking Pei Lang’s pulse, Gaoyang said, “Prince Rui summoned me to treat you, so I came.” After finishing the pulse examination, he said, “It’s mostly stabilized now. However, Prince Ding previously tortured your legs, damaging your tendons and bones. I need to apply acupuncture; otherwise, your legs will be crippled before long.”

Pei Lang was startled. Fu Xiuyi had been extremely brutal with him, seemingly harboring great hatred for those who betrayed him. Although he hadn’t taken his life, it seemed he hadn’t planned to keep him intact either. So he didn’t care much about physical mutilation. If not for someone rescuing him from that great fire, according to Fu Xiuyi’s words, his kneecaps would have been dug out by now.

Now hearing Gaoyang’s words, even though Pei Lang was typically calm, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of surviving a calamity.

“Fu Xiuyi is truly ruthless.” Gaoyang took out a row of golden needles from his medicine box, had Pei Lang sit properly, rolled up his pants, and began slowly applying acupuncture. As he worked, he said, “His exterior doesn’t reveal how cold-hearted he is.”

Pei Lang’s heart stirred. Gaoyang was, after all, a subject of Ming Qi and an imperial physician dedicated to treating the royal family. Yet he directly called Prince Ding by name, and not only that, when speaking of Fu Xiuyi, his tone showed no trace of respect, as if commenting on someone insignificant. For someone of Gaoyang’s status to be neither cautious nor reserved was indeed strange.

Gaoyang didn’t look up, focusing intently on applying acupuncture to Pei Lang. He suddenly asked, “Are you wondering what connection I have with Prince Rui?”

Pei Lang paused, then smiled and said, “Is Imperial Physician Gao willing to tell me?”

“To be frank, I am Prince Rui’s man,” Gaoyang said.

This time, it was Pei Lang who fell silent. He was surprised by Gaoyang’s identity, but what shocked him most was that Gaoyang had so openly told him this secret. What did that make Gaoyang now? A spy sent by Da Liang to infiltrate the Ming Qi royal family? Was his purpose to poison Emperor Wenhuidi?

Or had he simply been bought by Prince Rui, turned into a traitor?

“Are you surprised why I would tell you such a big secret?” Gaoyang seemed to guess what Pei Lang was thinking and continued.

“Indeed,” Pei Lang admitted. “I truly don’t understand.”

“What’s so difficult about it?” Gaoyang smiled. “A great fire broke out in Prince Ding’s mansion. After the fire is extinguished, Fu Xiuyi will send people to search for bones. When they can’t find your bones, Fu Xiuyi is not a fool—he’ll know someone rescued you. The person who rescued you also burned down his dungeon. Fu Xiuyi will naturally hold you accountable for this. Having offended Prince Ding’s mansion, within Ming Qi, only Prince Rui’s mansion can protect you. Whether you like it or not, you’re tied to Prince Rui’s mansion. Since that’s the case, we’re all on the same side—what secrets can’t be shared?” Gaoyang looked up and smiled at Pei Lang. “We’re all in the same boat.”

Pei Lang didn’t know what had happened but was forcibly tied together with these people, now being told they were “in the same boat.” He felt frustrated yet couldn’t express it. However, he quickly caught the key point in Gaoyang’s words and said, “You set that fire in Prince Ding’s mansion?”

Gaoyang replied, “Of course.”

Pei Lang gasped. That dungeon was the most important part of Prince Ding’s mansion, and the people detained there were very useful to Fu Xiuyi. Having it completely burned down, Pei Lang could imagine Fu Xiuyi’s raging fury. That someone dared to do this—Gaoyang was right; in the entire capital, only Prince Rui’s mansion could make Fu Xiuyi somewhat wary, and only Prince Rui’s mansion could shelter him.

Pei Lang hesitated, but still asked the question he most wanted answered: “Was it Prince Rui who saved me?”

“Who else would have the ability to rescue you?” Gaoyang said. “No one else would dare take such a risk.”

“But why would he save me?” Pei Lang probed. “Was it because someone else asked him to do so?” He didn’t know whether Gaoyang knew about Shen Miao, so he dared not mention her name, fearing it might bring her trouble.

Gaoyang gave him a meaningful look, inserting a golden needle into his knee. Pei Lang’s brows furrowed slightly, and Gaoyang said, “Indeed, it was at the request of our Princess Consort.”

“Princess Consort?” Pei Lang was stunned. “Prince Rui’s Princess Consort?” He had never heard that Prince Rui had a Princess Consort, let alone that she had any connection to him. He asked, “Why would Prince Rui’s Princess Consort do this?”

“Perhaps because of the teacher-student relationship you once shared,” Gaoyang smiled considerately. “After all, the Princess Consort was once your student.”

Pei Lang asked, “She is—”

“Shen Miao.”