On New Year’s Eve, Jiang Zhiyi was awakened early in the morning by the bustling sounds of laughter and activity in the courtyard.

The servants working at Yaoguang Pavilion all knew that the Princess feared the cold in winter and loved to sleep in, especially disliking noise when first waking up. Early morning cleaning was always done quietly, except for this one day of the year.

On this day of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, everyone couldn’t contain their joy. The entire courtyard needed to be cleaned, from the roof tiles down to every nook and corner. Window decorations had to be pasted, and peach wood charms hung. One year, while they were busy working and chatting, they accidentally woke the Princess, but to their surprise, she wasn’t angry. Instead, she said New Year’s Eve should be lively, and whoever was the most festive that day would receive the most lucky money.

After privately inquiring among themselves, they learned that the Princess’s mother had passed away at dawn on New Year’s Day. They realized that adding more festivities and joy during New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day might help her forget sad memories.

Since then, every year on this day, everyone would chatter freely without restraint.

Jiang Zhiyi rose amidst the sounds of laughter, looking at the festive atmosphere throughout the courtyard. She regretted that her uncle’s official duty this year was unfortunately timed, preventing him from returning for the New Year, and Jing Zhe couldn’t be by her side either.

A few days ago, news had arrived from Zheng County about Jing Zhe’s condition, saying her injuries had improved significantly. While she still couldn’t walk around, she could move about on her bed without issue.

There was also another piece of good news: it seemed Jing Zhe had taken a liking to an apprentice at the medical clinic. She no longer needed the maid Jiang Zhiyi had sent to attend to her constantly, as the apprentice often helped out.

Jiang Zhiyi had sent lucky money in advance, including a portion for the apprentice. However, the apprentice refused it, saying he was afraid Jing Zhe would think he was interested in her family background.

Jiang Zhiyi had laughed for quite a while when she heard this news, planning to matchmake for the two once Jing Zhe fully recovered. By then, she and Brother A-Ce should also have their engagement settled—it would be a double celebration.

As she was thinking about these things, Gu Yu suddenly rushed in to report: “Princess, there’s been an incident at the small Buddha hall. The guards discovered Madam disguised as a servant trying to sneak out of the residence. We don’t know what she was planning to do.”

Jiang Zhiyi had been thinking such pleasant thoughts, but this interruption instantly ruined her mood. She frowned: “Where is she now?”

“Don’t worry, Princess. The guards have already escorted Madam back to the small Buddha hall, but Madam has been cursing continuously. On such an auspicious day of the New Year…”

She could imagine how vulgar her aunt’s curses must be. On what should have been a joyous holiday, it was truly a disgrace.

Jiang Zhiyi sighed with extreme annoyance and decided to deal with this matter. She put on her cloak, left the courtyard, and got into a sedan chair heading toward the small Buddha hall in the north.

When she reached the courtyard, before even entering, she heard bitter, venomous cursing—

“That ungrateful little wretch, separating us, mother and son, for two months, not even letting us see each other on New Year’s Eve, and preventing the Marquis from returning to the capital… Having lost both her father and mother, she can’t stand to see others having a family reunion…!”

“My brother’s imprisonment must also be her doing… Now that I can’t get out, you find a way to send a message to Kanle Earl’s residence. Tell my brother it’s this girl who wants to destroy my maternal family, deliberately setting him up…”

“Aunt, after worshipping Buddha for two months, hasn’t the Buddha taught you not to think of yourself as so important in everything?” Jiang Zhiyi stepped into the Buddha hall.

Madam Zhong shuddered, turned her head from where she sat on the prayer mat, and scrambled to her feet in shock, staggering as she tried to stand.

Her concubine immediately went to support her.

“You—” Madam Zhong stumbled forward but was blocked by guards a few paces away from Jiang Zhiyi. “I want to see the Marquis, I want to see my son… I want to see the Earl of Kanle!”

“Aunt seems to want to see quite a few people, but unfortunately, they may not wish to see you.” Jiang Zhiyi looked at her with an expression of sympathy. “You plan and scheme so carefully for your eldest nephew, yet after his recovery, the first place he went was Yanzhun House, not taking a single step into this Buddha hall. You keep thinking about the Earl of Kanle pleading for you before the Emperor, but when the Earl heard you were under house arrest, he couldn’t distance himself fast enough—”

“I may have no father or mother, but your family reunion doesn’t look like much either.”

“You, you don’t need to show off your eloquence here! It’s just that you intercepted my messages to the Earl’s residence and prevented your eldest cousin from coming to see me…”

As Madam Zhong said this, she seemed to recall something deeply painful and pointed at Jiang Zhiyi with a trembling finger: “You ungrateful wretch! You’ve only been involved with that Shen Yuance for a few days, yet you had him break your eldest cousin’s leg… After all these years, your eldest cousin grew up under the same roof as you, treating you with his whole heart, yet he can’t compare to an outsider you’ve known for just two months!”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked: “What sort of relationship do I have with General Shen? Didn’t Aunt know before the New Year?”

“What do you mean before the New Year…?” Madam Zhong was startled. “What did I know…?”

After her momentary confusion, she seemed to realize something: “So you were already having an improper relationship with that Shen Yuance before the New Year?! Very well, when I tell your uncle, we’ll see how he breaks Shen Yuance’s…”

“Aunt plays this role quite well,” Jiang Zhiyi looked her up and down with appreciation. “I remember all the obstacles you secretly placed in the way of General Shen and me before the New Year. Feel free to speak to Uncle. When we confront each other, we’ll see if Uncle thinks his niece is improper or his wife is malicious.”

Madam Zhong stood stunned for a long moment: “…What obstacles did I place in your way before the New Year? Don’t you dare make false accusations!”

It being New Year’s Eve, Jiang Zhiyi couldn’t be bothered to argue further. She sighed: “Say what you will. I came here today first to wish you a happy New Year, and second to remind you that no matter how much you shout, it’s useless. You cannot leave this Buddha hall. Why not save your energy, curse less, and perhaps accumulate some virtue before Buddha?”

After this encounter with Madam Zhong, Jiang Zhiyi had inexplicably become filled with anger and lost her appetite for lunch.

Actually, on a day like New Year’s Eve, allowing the mother and son to reunite would have been harmless. After all, she and Brother A-Ce were almost engaged, and this mother and son pair couldn’t cause any more trouble.

But the problem was that the Zhong family’s corruption case was still under investigation. Although Madam Zhong was foolish, she knew many things about her and Brother A-Ce. If she went around making accusations, claiming that she and Brother A-Ce had conspired against the Zhong family, wouldn’t it be like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat and hitting the truth?

Previously, she had asked Brother A-Ce why he had investigated evidence of the Zhong family’s crimes in advance. Brother A-Ce said it was because her aunt had treated her cruelly, so he held onto evidence against the Zhong family as a precaution.

Though Madam Zhong had no concrete evidence, some hurtful words could easily sway public opinion if spread. She couldn’t let Brother A-Ce fall under the suspicion of the Xuande Marquis, so before the Zhong family case was concluded, Madam Zhong had to be kept under watch.

Jiang Zhiyi barely touched her lunch, and by evening, she decided to visit her sister Princess Baojia at the Princess’s residence earlier than planned.

On New Year’s Eve in previous years, she would either attend the banquet in the palace or have the New Year’s Eve dinner with her uncle and the Fang family at the Marquis’ residence. But this year, with the exposure of a corruption case involving hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, Emperor Uncle had canceled the New Year’s Eve palace banquet to set an example of frugality. With her uncle away, she chose to spend the New Year with her sister Baojia, who had established her household.

As soon as she entered the Princess’s residence, Baojia teased her: “I reckon this is the last year you’ll be having New Year’s Eve dinner with me?”

Jiang Zhiyi was stunned, not understanding what she meant. Beside them, Cuimei chimed in with a smile: “Of course, once you’re married, you’ll naturally spend this family reunion night in your husband’s home.”

Jiang Zhiyi stamped her foot and sat down next to Baojia: “I’ve just arrived, and you’re already teasing me… If Sister is so reluctant to part with me, why not make the military doctor from my future husband’s household your Prince Consort? Then the four of us can celebrate together!”

Baojia choked for a moment, then turned to Cuimei: “Look at how ungrateful she is. After giving her excellent advice, this is how she repays me, even making jokes at her sister’s expense.”

“This servant thinks that’s quite a good suggestion,” Cuimei replied.

Baojia glanced at Cuimei, then asked Jiang Zhiyi: “Why isn’t your Brother A-Ce accompanying you tonight, knowing you’re alone?”

“He has a mother at home, and though she’s a stepmother, there’s still the grace of upbringing if not birth. They haven’t seen each other all year, how could he not be home on such a day? Besides, the soldiers in his camp have followed him far from home to Chang’an, and they need to be rewarded, too. He already has two New Year’s Eve dinners to attend tonight. I told him that I would have your company tonight and that he should go about his business.”

Jiang Zhiyi answered with the graceful manner of a general’s wife.

Baojia nodded thoughtfully: “So… he’s going to the military camp in the evening?”

“Yes, we agreed that after Sister and I finish our dinner, I would send him a message. Then we can stay up all night together…” Jiang Zhiyi paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing, “Sister is trying to get information from me, wanting to know where Military Doctor Li is tonight, right?”

Baojia smiled silently as she took a sip of tea.

Jiang Zhiyi sighed: “I’ve laid all my cards on the table for Sister, yet I don’t know a single detail from you. It’s no fun when this reunion dinner isn’t a reunion but rather a case of ‘people’s hearts are as hidden as their stomachs’!”

“It’s not that I won’t tell you, but it’s all in the past. Don’t you know that Li fellow left the capital seven years ago? What else could there be?”

“Then why did he abandon Sister and leave the capital back then?”

“Who says the one who stays is necessarily the one who’s abandoned? It wasn’t him abandoning me; it was me abandoning him.” Baojia smiled and stood up. “I didn’t know you’d come so early, and I haven’t had time to dress up yet. Chat with Cuimei for a while, and later we’ll have the New Year’s Eve dinner together. Then I’ll take you to release lanterns.”

With that, Baojia went to dress up. Jiang Zhiyi propped her chin on her hand and looked at Cuimei: “Cuimei, you won’t refuse to tell me either, will you? Look at what Sister said before leaving—she told me to chat with you for a while, which means she doesn’t want to talk about it but wants you to. You understand that, right?”

Cuimei laughed: “This servant doesn’t know the details of why the Princess and Mr. Li parted ways, but Mr. Li didn’t leave the capital by choice. He had to follow his father, who was punished and exiled to the border.”

Jiang Zhiyi was shocked: “Punished? What crime?”

“If you want to hear about it, I need to tell you about an old incident.”

“Of course I want to hear about it. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Cuimei complied: “This happened before the Princess was born, during the reign of the Late Emperor. The Late Emperor was a devoted believer in Taoism. At that time, there was a Taoist master called the ‘Jianwei Celestial Master’ who, despite his young age, was extremely skilled in divination and reading celestial signs. It was said he could predict the future. Whether his predictions were accurate or not, the Late Emperor trusted him greatly. Has the Princess heard of this person?”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded.

Previously, Madam Zhong had fabricated a story, claiming that the bewitched sachet was a safety amulet given by the Jianwei Celestial Master. The amusing part was that Madam Zhong didn’t know that this Celestial Master had coincidentally requested leave from Emperor Uncle this year to travel the world, so currently no one could obtain his charms.

“Please continue. What happened to this Celestial Master?”

“About ten years ago, this Master observed the stars one night and saw a great ominous sign. He predicted that in that year, twin star demons would be born into the world, and in the future, they would shake the foundations of the state and endanger imperial power. So that year, from the capital to the border regions, all twin babies born were secretly ordered by the Late Emperor to be put to death…”

A chill ran up Jiang Zhiyi’s spine, and she tightly held the hot tea in her hands, as if frozen in shock: “So many infants, just born, completely innocent, were all killed in their cradles?”

“Not all of them. Since such an order had to be passed down through many layers, some information inevitably leaked out. Mr. Li’s father was serving in the Imperial Medical Office at that time, and out of kindness, he secretly saved a pair of newborn twin girls from an official’s family. Eight years ago, this old matter was exposed by a rival of Dr. Li in the official circles. Dr. Li was then dismissed from office and sentenced to five years of exile.”

“What about those twin girls? They should be grown-ups by now. Are they to be put to death?”

“The twin girls didn’t live past their first birthday; they both died of illness. I don’t know what would have happened if they had survived. However, the current Emperor doesn’t put much faith in those magical arts. After ascending the throne, he didn’t favor the Celestial Master much. Dr. Li was punished for disobeying the Late Emperor and committing the crime of deceiving the throne. Even if those twin girls were still alive, as females, they couldn’t enter official positions, so they probably wouldn’t have been put to death. These days are peaceful, and such things won’t happen again. The Princess need not worry.”

Jiang Zhiyi drank tea to calm her shock, completely forgetting to inquire about romantic matters. She also forgot to ask why, although the exile was only sentenced for five years, Li Dafeng hadn’t returned to the capital for a full seven years.

Late at night, at the Xuance Camp on the outskirts of Chang’an.

Two figures, one in black and one in white, stood side by side on the tall watchtower, their robes fluttering in the wind. In silence, they clinked their wine jugs together.

Li Dafeng took a sip of wine, lifted his robe to sit down, and sighed deeply: “A man with a family, and on New Year’s Eve, you’re here drinking depressing wine with me?”

Yuan Ce held his wine jug with one hand and glanced down at him: “What family?”

“You know what I mean. You’re a military man; why split hairs with me, a scholar?”

Yuan Ce gazed toward Chang’an: “Then go ask your Princess why she hasn’t let her go at this hour?”

“So you’re waiting for the sisters to finish their dinner.” Li Dafeng gave a light chuckle. “Those nobles enjoy themselves without regard for time; staying up all night is common for them. And by the way, the Princess is just the Princess, what do you mean by ‘my’ Princess?”

“Isn’t it a romantic debt you owe?”

“Trying to extract information again,” Li Dafeng glanced at him. “Why have you been so interested in this matter lately?”

Yuan Ce took a sip of wine: “You think I want to? Someone asked me to inquire.”

“Your Princess has deep curiosity.” Li Dafeng shook his head. “If you have this much leisure time, why not worry about your brother’s romantic entanglements? How’s the investigation into that, Miss Pei?”

Yuan Ce shook his head. Earlier, he had assigned someone to closely monitor the movements at the Pei residence. If Pei Xueqing truly had some history with his brother, she might go inquiring about his brother’s affairs over the years after noticing his strange behavior.

But after a day of surveillance, there was no movement whatsoever.

Miss Pei had spent years at home caring for her ill mother, gaining enough experience to be considered half a medical practitioner. When she went out, it was only to the medical clinic, with no unusual traces. No letters were sent from the residence either. Minister Pei also carried on as usual.

This made him suspect that perhaps it was Jiang Zhiyi’s “jealous” eyes that had complicated the situation that day. After all—his brother presumably wasn’t the type to be unfaithful.

A faint sigh sounded in the wind.

“If you didn’t find anything, you didn’t find anything. What are you sighing about?” Li Dafeng looked up at him with a smile. “Are you so eager for your brother to be a bad person?”

Yuan Ce glanced at him sideways: “I’m sighing because dealing with these young ladies’ affairs is more troublesome than fighting in battle.”

“That’s certainly true.” Li Dafeng nodded in agreement, then suddenly noticed a pair of sky lanterns with dim flames floating in the distance. “How many of these have we seen tonight? Why does the wind keep blowing them this way?”

Yuan Ce was also annoyed by these lanterns. When the oil ran out, they would fall, and earlier, one had gotten caught in a tree in the camp, nearly starting a fire. Looking at the direction these two were heading, they would also likely fall into the camp, creating more work.

Seeing that the flames of the pair of sky lanterns were almost extinguished, floating closer and lower, passing right by the watchtower, Yuan Ce simply reached out and caught them.

Li Dafeng: “That’s rather inconsiderate of you. What if by catching them, you prevent their wishes from coming true?”

“They were about to fall to the ground anyway. What’s the difference?”

“Since they’ve come into your hands, it must be fate. Why not see what wishes they made? Perhaps you could help fulfill them.”

“With such a kind heart, why are you a doctor instead of a Buddha?” Yuan Ce was about to crumple the lantern in his hand when he suddenly noticed the character “Li.” He paused, looked at Li Dafeng, and then unfolded the lantern.

On it were seven bold, flowing characters:

“Li Dafeng will die alone and lonely.”

Li Dafeng: “…”

The two men slowly looked at each other, and after a moment of silence—

Yuan Ce: “Buddha Li, with such a kind heart, why don’t you help fulfill this?”

Li Dafeng turned his head away: “You were right to catch it.”

Then he turned back and looked at the other extinguished sky lantern.

Yuan Ce had also guessed who had sent the other one. He put down Li Dafeng’s lantern and hesitated before slowly unfolding the other one.

The character “Shen” immediately caught his eye.

Following it, familiar delicate handwriting revealed itself character by character—

“Shen Yuan Ce and Jiang Zhiyi, together till white hair, faithful unto death.”

So it was indeed Shen Yuan Ce.

Of course, it was Shen Yuan Ce.

Among the myriad lights of the city, any name in all of Chang’an might appear on these sky lanterns, except for the name “Yuan Ce.”