Iron Clothes and the others hadn’t expected Shen Miao to come up with such an idea at this critical moment. Though Feng Head Village wasn’t far from Longye, a round trip would still take two days even with fast horses. If something happened on the road—and most importantly, this legendary great master whom no one except the siblings from the Gao household had ever seen, and no one knew if he was real or not—Shen Miao going to look for someone who might not even exist seemed too irrational, too naive.

But Shen Miao seemed determined. She instructed Uncle Tang on what to do over the next few days, then left with Luo Tan. Before leaving, she also ordered that their departure was not to be revealed to anyone.

After disguising themselves, they set off with Ba Jiao, Hui Xiang, Mo Qing, and Cong Yang, along with Luo Tan.

Wearing bamboo hats and commoners’ clothes, no one recognized them. The Prince Rui’s household was adept at such disguises. Although Iron Clothes was somewhat worried, when Shen Miao became stern, even Shen Qiu didn’t dare to interfere easily, let alone these servants.

Watching Shen Miao leave, Uncle Tang asked: “Will Madam be able to find this person?”

Iron Clothes shook his head: “Trying with determination is better than not trying at all. At least she’s someone who values loyalty.” Then he turned to instruct the others: “Keep Madam’s departure from the mansion a secret. If any word leaks out, you’ll bear the consequences yourself.”

In the carriage, Luo Tan looked at Shen Miao and said, “Little cousin, why don’t you sleep for a while? You haven’t rested well these past few days. We’ve been traveling non-stop—you should rest first.”

Shen Miao’s mind was somewhat chaotic. The carriage was bumpy, and although she had no desire to rest, what Luo Tan said made sense. If she didn’t rest properly, it might hinder matters later. So she drowsily closed her eyes and began to doze.

For some reason, this sleep felt particularly long. Shen Miao had departed in the afternoon, and when she was awakened, it was by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes groggily to see Luo Tan looking at her, saying: “Little cousin, wake up, we’ve arrived.”

Shen Miao got out of the carriage with Luo Tan. By now, it was nearly dusk on the second day. The carriage had stopped in the middle of a wasteland, where the growing branches seemed untended, with intertwining twigs almost blocking out the sky. Despite it being evening in the sixth month, when there should still be sunlight, this place felt gloomy and dark, without a hint of warmth, appearing rather frightening.

Mo Qing and Cong Yang also frowned. Cong Yang said: “What kind of ghostly place is this? There’s not even a single person.”

“I heard that this used to be an embroidery house, specializing in phoenix tail patterns. But later the embroidery business declined, and the village was abandoned,” Ba Jiao, ever the information gatherer, immediately explained.

Luo Tan looked up, down, left, and right, then opened the handkerchief with the embroidered map and said: “But according to this map, there should be a small path, but there’s no path here at all.”

Everyone gathered to look, and indeed, the map was clear and straightforward. It showed a small path in front of Feng Head Village, and following that path would lead to fields and houses.

But here, forget about houses and fields—there wasn’t even a shadow of a small path.

“How is there not even one person? It seems like no one has been here for a long time,” Luo Tan said. “Could it be that the grass has grown over the path, so we can’t see it?”

Mo Qing and Cong Yang looked around and shook their heads: “It doesn’t seem so.”

Ba Jiao and Hui Xiang also looked around. Hui Xiang said: “This forest is too large. After the sun sets, it will be easy to get lost walking in it. There might also be wild animals. We’re not very familiar with the roads here. Madam, what do you think?”

As servants, their most important duty was to protect Shen Miao’s safety. It would be terrible if, instead of finding the great master who could change fate, Shen Miao fell into danger. The Moyu Army members were skilled at dealing with enemies, but they weren’t adept at navigating unfamiliar, dark forests in the middle of the night. In truth, Hui Xiang and the others didn’t put much stock in Luo Tan’s talk about a great master. In their view, Luo Tan was being impulsive and overly naive, but now Shen Miao was also going along with Luo Tan’s naivety, making everyone feel somewhat conflicted.

Only Mo Qing unquestioningly carried out Shen Miao’s orders. Hui Xiang and the others didn’t understand Shen Miao, but Mo Qing had been with her from the beginning. Back in Mingqi, Shen Miao’s situation had been even more precarious, yet she had still managed to find her way through those difficult circumstances. Every decision Shen Miao made had played a special role in the future. On this point, Mo Qing never doubted.

Shen Miao looked at the map and asked Luo Tan: “Ben Yue said that after the siblings entered Feng Head Village, they kept going south, right?”

Luo Tan said: “Yes. But she also said that on the map, there was a small path to the south, but there’s no path here.”

“Let’s go,” Shen Miao said.

Everyone was startled. Cong Yang asked: “Madam, where are we going?”

Shen Miao motioned for Luo Tan to take out the compass and said: “South.”

“But there’s no path here,” Hui Xiang was extremely surprised. “If we take the wrong path, wouldn’t we be wrong from the start?”

Shen Miao glanced at Hui Xiang and said: “Since we’re already here and can’t distinguish which path is right and which is wrong, let’s try them all. There are only so many directions here, and since the siblings said they went south, the direction is the same. No matter where the small path is, at worst, we’ll try all four directions—north, south, east, and west. When there’s no solution, trying is also a method.” She took the lead, carrying the compass forward.

Everyone stood stunned for a moment. Luo Tan said: “Little cousin, wait for me!”

Ba Jiao smiled cheerfully: “Let’s quickly follow them.”

The group caught up.

The sun quickly set. The forest was already dim due to the dense foliage, and after sunset, it became almost pitch-black. Fortunately, Cong Yang had brought enough torches, which they lit to proceed.

But the path was lined with identical branches, and eventually, they couldn’t distinguish if the scenery ahead differed from what they had seen before. Almost everything looked the same. Moreover, it was so cold—it hardly felt like the sixth month anymore. Mo Qing and Cong Yang were fine, but the women were getting chilled.

Shen Miao and the others had brought outer garments, and now they couldn’t help but wrap them tighter. Faintly, the howls of wild beasts echoed through the forest. Mo Qing and Cong Yang simultaneously stopped, their hands slowly moving to the swords at their waists.

Hui Xiang lowered her voice and whispered: “That’s the sound of wolves. There are wolves here.”

“Wolves fear light,” Shen Miao said. “Everyone, take two torches each and light them. Wolves are cunning creatures. If there’s a wolf pack in the forest and they see so many lights, they’ll think we have many people and won’t dare approach.”

Hui Xiang was surprised. Ba Jiao’s round face showed a hint of astonishment: “Madam, you even know how to deal with wolf packs?” It wasn’t strange for members of the Moyu Army or people from the jianghu to know such methods, but Shen Miao was the daughter of an official family. Knowing these things was unusual. Even though the Shen family was military officials, this method seemed too familiar, more like something from an experienced hunter’s household.

Shen Miao smiled: “I just heard someone mention it before.”

Back when Princess Wanyu was to marry the Xiongnu, Shen Miao had heard that wolf packs were common in Xiongnu territory. Worried, she had sought out many methods to repel wolves to give to Wanyu, hoping she could use them in the future. But alas, it was too late.

A flash of pain crossed her eyes, but when Shen Miao looked up again, she was completely calm and said: “Let’s continue forward.”

“Still going forward?” Hui Xiang said. “Madam, we’ve been walking for several hours. Haven’t you noticed? We seem to be going in circles, not making any progress. We’ve walked the same path several times. If we continue like this, even if we walk all night, we probably won’t reach the end.”

Cong Yang also said: “That’s right, Madam. Even if we want to walk, we can’t keep going without a purpose. Otherwise, we’ll just be compounding our mistakes.”

Shen Miao pondered for a moment, then looked at Luo Tan: “Has the compass been pointing south the whole time?”

Luo Tan quickly nodded: “Yes, we haven’t gone in the wrong direction, but the scenery does seem like we’ve seen it before.”

“It’s even more strange that we haven’t taken a wrong turn, yet the scenery is identical,” Shen Miao said. “When things reach an extreme, they become unusual. If we’ve taken a wrong turn and try to go back the same way, we’ll surely fall into the same trap and won’t be able to return. It’s better to keep going forward. But what you said is also correct—seeing the same scenery all the time, with trees that look identical, can easily mislead people. If they’re the same, it makes people feel annoyed and doubtful; if they’re fake, it’s even more confusing.”

She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and asked Luo Tan to do the same. She tied the handkerchief over her eyes and said: “Let’s try this. We won’t be misled by what we see if we can’t see anything. We’ll just follow the compass forward and see where it leads us. Cousin Tan and I will blindfold ourselves. Ba Jiao and Hui Xiang will lead, watching the compass. Cong Yang and the others will follow behind. Let’s try walking forward again.”

Mo Qing hesitated: “Madam, will this work?”

“I know what you want to say,” Shen Miao said with her eyes covered, her tone brooking no argument. “To be honest, I don’t know what will happen if we keep going, but Xie Jingxing doesn’t have much time left. Every step we take is another chance. If we don’t even try to walk, then the outcome won’t be surprising.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Luo Tan quickly said. “No matter what, we have to try first. Talking a thousand times is useless—it’s better to take action ourselves.”

Hui Xiang was somewhat surprised. She felt she really couldn’t understand this lady. When she first married into Prince Rui’s household, the Moyu Army subordinates had secretly observed her, feeling that this lady was calm and steady, perhaps not enthusiastic enough toward their master. But she couldn’t be called unfeeling either, as she was now risking herself in this dark forest all night for her master. She seemed like a smart person, rationally analyzing advantages and disadvantages, yet now she was naively believing in legends about changing fate and using such simple methods.

Hui Xiang couldn’t understand Shen Miao’s contradictory actions, but in reality, it wasn’t as complicated as she imagined. In special moments, people unconsciously reveal their true hearts, and in urgent times, it’s not rationality or intelligence that drives them, but instinct.

In this moment, wisdom couldn’t match the urgency of her feelings.

Mo Qing silently followed behind Shen Miao as she walked forward. Hui Xiang and the others hesitated, but finally said nothing more and continued to follow.

The people in Longye city were unaware of what was happening at Feng Head Village. The ministers only knew that Prince Rui had been injured during the hunt, but no one knew the extent of his injuries, and naturally, no one dared to ask. Xie Yuan’s position in the Longye court was very delicate—some desperately hoped for his death, while others had their lives tied to his, praying fervently that nothing would happen to him.

No matter how much people speculated, Prince Rui’s mansion was like a fortress, not revealing the slightest information. People were left wondering, unable to sleep from curiosity, yet unable to uncover even a hint of what was happening.

So the restless remained restless, and those gloating continued to gloat, with no one able to help anyone else.

In the Lu mansion, Lu Wan’er was pacing back and forth in her room, pleading with Madam Lu: “Mother, I want to go see Prince Rui. I don’t know how badly he’s injured. What if it’s serious?”

Madam Lu reassured her: “How serious could it be? If it were truly serious, they would surely be looking for physicians everywhere. Now that there’s not a whisper from the Prince’s mansion, it’s probably nothing. Why are you trying to join in the commotion?”

“But I’m so worried,” Lu Wan’er said. “It’s all that Shen Miao’s fault. She’s simply a disaster star. As soon as she married in, Prince Rui had such a major incident. She’s husband-killing material! He needs to divorce her soon. If he stays entangled with her, who knows what else might happen to Prince Rui?”

Madam Lu smiled and said: “Yes, yes, yes. But you can’t go over now. Wait until Prince Rui is better, and I’ll have your elder sister find a way for you two to meet. Now is not the time to add to their troubles.”

Lu Wan’er said unhappily: “Mother, don’t deceive me.”

After Lu Wan’er left, Madam Lu’s smile faded. She instructed the maid beside her: “Watch the young lady carefully. Don’t let her go out these days. If you ruin the master’s plans, I’ll hold you accountable.” By the end, her tone was vicious, her expression ferocious, quite similar to the violent and cruel General Lu Zhengchun.

The maids repeatedly bowed in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, in the Chancellor’s mansion, Madam Ye and Master Ye were also discussing this matter.

Madam Ye was playing chess with Master Ye. Ye Maocai looked completely different from Lu Zhengchun. Lu Zhengchun was a typical warrior, clearly someone who had rolled in the battlefield, with a fierce aura and a terrifying appearance that could probably make children cry. Ye Maochun, however, had a harmless appearance—pale-faced and beardless, looking amiable. If you didn’t know, you might think he was some scholarly bookworm.

However, this Chancellor, who could make Longye’s officials not dare to trifle with the Ye family despite having few descendants, and whom Emperor Yongle couldn’t openly confront, was certainly not as harmless as his appearance suggested.

Madam Ye placed a chess piece and said with a smile, “The Prince Rui’s mansion is like an iron bucket. There’s no news coming out now, and I don’t know what state the Prince is in. I can’t eat well or sleep well—it’s troubling.”

“Doesn’t Madam already have a plan in mind? Why would you still be troubled by this?” Ye Maochun smiled, placing a chess piece in turn.

Madam Ye gave him a reproachful look. She was no longer a young woman in her prime, and when she tried to act coquettish, it seemed somewhat inappropriate. Yet Madam Ye herself hadn’t noticed this. She placed another piece and said, “No news is bad news. A proud person like Prince Rui would surely appear if he could be seen. The fact that he hasn’t shown himself means he probably can’t.”

Ye Maochun smiled: “Perhaps it’s to mislead others.”

“Master is underestimating me, teasing me,” Madam Ye said. “It’s not a trick.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Madam Ye looked at the chessboard and said: “The Prince Rui’s household may not be clear, but the Emperor hasn’t concealed anything. Hasn’t he already begun to deal with the Lu family? Seeing how heavily the Emperor is coming down on them, it seems Prince Rui’s injury isn’t light.”

Ye Maochun laughed heartily: “So Madam sees through things so clearly. Even court matters are transparent to you. I feel ashamed. Then, would Madam care to guess what my plans are?”

Madam Ye lowered her head with a smile and said: “That’s hard to say. It depends on what happens to Prince Rui.” Seeing that Ye Maochun didn’t deny it, Madam Ye felt she was correct and continued smoothly: “The Emperor and the Lu family have been secretly contending for many years. Lately, he’s been trying to win over our Ye family, but we’re not fools to be used as tools. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Let the Emperor and the Lu family fight it out. Before, with Prince Rui around, we leaned toward the Emperor, happy to be on good terms with him. But if Prince Rui doesn’t survive this time, with just the Emperor alone, this world will ultimately fall into the Lu family’s control.”

“It’s just one Prince Rui. How could he be as miraculous as you say?” Ye Maochun smiled faintly.

“Prince Rui is a formidable person,” Madam Ye also smiled. “Doesn’t Master feel the same?”

Ye Maochun paused while holding a chess piece, giving Madam Ye a meaningful look, and said: “Madam always seems to guess my thoughts. However, does Madam think Prince Rui can escape this calamity?”

Madam Ye thought for a long time before uttering four words: “Inescapable fate.”

Ye Maochun looked at her.

“Does Master remember two years ago when Prince Rui just returned to Longye? He was also seriously injured then. The Emperor could hide it from others but not from us. At that time, we thought Prince Rui had no hope of recovery, but somehow he had good fortune and survived, later even using his power to disrupt the court’s situation.” Madam Ye smiled: “But a person can’t have good luck twice. Last time he was blessed by heaven, but this time, who can bless him? A person’s fate is probably predetermined from the start. Prince Rui is destined to have no future. He escaped two years ago but can’t escape two years later.”

“Is that so?” Ye Maochun immediately placed a chess piece after Madam Ye and said: “I think exactly the opposite of you. Two years ago, medicine couldn’t help Prince Rui, yet he survived a great calamity. A person’s fate is probably predetermined from the start. Prince Rui is destined to have a future. Just as he escaped two years ago, he can naturally escape two years later.”

Hearing this, Madam Ye didn’t get angry or argue with Ye Maochun, but simply said: “Then let’s wait and see.”

Ye Maochun also smiled, placing the final piece, and said: “It seems Madam has lost.”

Madam Ye looked and saw it was true. Half-coquettishly, she said: “It’s not fair for Master to play chess while I’m talking. Let’s have another round.”

Ye Maochun shook his head with a smile and said: “Another day perhaps. Today I need to test Hongguang’s lessons. It’s about time.”

Madam Ye quickly said, “Then Master should go first. Hongguang’s lessons are important.”

Ye Maochun rose and left. Madam Ye watched his departing figure, her expression gradually turning cold and extremely ugly. She said sharply: “Just a cripple. So what if he’s learned in all fields? He still has to spend his entire life confined to the mansion.” Still feeling indignant, she swept the chess pieces off the table with a “whoosh” and said in a low voice: “Just like that vixen.”

The maids serving in the room didn’t dare move. Everyone knew that Madam Ye disliked that young master Ye Hongguang the most—the son born to the concubine but raised under Madam Ye’s name, the disabled legitimate son, the Ye family’s only descendant.

The dawn light was faint, the sun shining through the gaps in the branches onto the ground like scattered silver, quite beautiful. In the pitch-black night, this silver-like sunlight finally drove away the gloom. Though it was just a little, it was enough to make one feel consoled.

Hui Xiang and Ba Jiao stopped, turning to support Shen Miao and Luo Tan, who still had cloth tied over their eyes, and said to Shen Miao: “Madam, day has broken.”

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, Hui Xiang and the others could never have imagined that Shen Miao, a noble young lady, could walk with them all night in such a desolate forest in the dark. Hui Xiang and the others, having undergone special training, naturally didn’t feel it, but even Luo Tan, with her martial arts foundation, was very haggard, with weariness written all over her face. Yet Shen Miao still looked clear-minded.

Hui Xiang and Cong Yang were muttering to themselves—could this lady be trained in martial arts to have such strong willpower?

They were overthinking. When Shen Miao was in the Cold Palace, she was sometimes mistreated by Madam Mei and other concubines. The palace never lacked for people kicking others when they were down. She would wash clothes throughout the night. Moreover, with the current urgent situation and her heart set on getting out of the forest, how could she have the mood to feel drowsy?

“How far have we walked?” Shen Miao asked.

“In reply to Madam,” Cong Yang said, “We’ve walked all night and gone quite far. Judging by the markers we left along the way, which we haven’t seen a second time, we haven’t backtracked. The method of blindfolding ourselves worked well. It seems we were indeed deceived by our own eyes before.”

“But these trees still all look the same,” Luo Tan said weakly.

“Let’s continue,” Shen Miao said. “We’ve come so far, we must be able to reach the end.”

Hui Xiang was taken aback but didn’t say anything this time. Last night, they had tried to stop Shen Miao several times. Not only did Shen Miao not listen to them, but perhaps irritated by their persistent objections, she had sternly rebuked them. These Moyu Army subordinates, usually overbearing and domineering, were shouted down by Shen Miao like cats seeing a mouse. Hui Xiang and Cong Yang wondered inwardly: how could this lady, who seemed gentle, composed, and approachable, be so frightening when she was truly angry?

Even the Empress Xiande in the palace wasn’t necessarily this intimidating or commanding.

The group continued to follow behind Shen Miao. Luo Tan was somewhat dejected. Although she practiced martial arts, she couldn’t compare to Hui Xiang and the others, nor had she endured hardships like Shen Miao. Now she was barely holding on, trying to keep her eyes wide open to find things to distract herself.

With this distraction, she noticed something unusual. She grabbed Shen Miao: “Hey, there are flowers here! We didn’t see any flowers along the way before.”

Everyone was startled and came over to look. Indeed, among the trees, there were small, delicate flowers that would have been overlooked without careful attention.

Mo Qing suddenly frowned: “I think I hear chickens.”

Hui Xiang, Ba Jiao, and Cong Yang, with their high martial arts skills, all pricked up their ears to listen, and finally said: “That’s right.”

“How could there be chickens here?” Shen Miao pondered. “Could there be houses and people ahead?” She said: “Don’t look anymore, let’s go. Since there are sounds, the exit must be closed. We’ll soon be out of this forest.”

Hearing that they could leave the forest, everyone’s spirits were lifted, and they immediately regrouped and set off. This time, luck was on their side. After walking for about half an incense stick’s time, they noticed the gaps between the branches getting larger. Previously, the forest had been dense, but now it was much more sparse. With more sunlight coming through, everyone felt more at ease.

“It looks like we’re really about to get out.” Luo Tan’s sleepiness was swept away by excitement. “Let’s walk faster!” Before she finished speaking, they saw the end of the forest and a small path. Everyone looked at each other in surprise, and Shen Miao took the lead in entering.

Following the small path to its end, they suddenly came upon a garden. Though it was a garden planted with flowers, vegetables, and herbs, it looked very disorderly, as if someone had planted it but hadn’t properly tended to it, letting it grow naturally, resulting in a messy appearance.

Nevertheless, behind it stood a house.

The house was made of straw, looking so rickety that it seemed the roof might be blown away by the wind at any moment. As they walked forward, Ba Jiao ran in first, then came out shaking her head, saying: “Madam, there’s no one inside.”

No one? Luo Tan’s eyes flashed with disappointment: “How could there be no one?”

This place was very different from what they had imagined. They had pictured the dwelling of a transcendent master, yet it was so dilapidated, and now with no one there, it was even more disheartening.

Shen Miao said: “The flowers and herbs are still growing. It doesn’t look uninhabited. Let’s wait here. Someone will surely appear.”

No sooner had she spoken than a broken, grating voice rang out: “Oh, distinguished guests have arrived! Forgive me for not greeting you from afar.”

Everyone turned around together. When Shen Miao saw the man’s face, she couldn’t help but be startled, exclaiming: “It’s you!”

Ba Jiao asked: “Does Madam know him?”

The smiling middle-aged man approaching them, dressed in tattered Daoist robes, was none other than the strange Daoist who had taken a golden peanut from Shen Miao at the Putuo Temple in Mingqi, and had divined for her: “Though your phoenix fate is good, you’ll be confined for life,” “Past life like a dream, beware of entanglement,” and “After extreme misfortune comes great prosperity, with purple qi coming from the east.”