The day after the Lantern Festival, in the early morning, an urgent report was delivered to the inner palace from a hundred miles away.

Emperor Xingwu sat at his desk, lowered his eyes to look at it, and gave a cold laugh.

“Your Majesty,” asked a eunuch nearby as he poured tea, “what has happened?”

Emperor Xingwu pinched the corner of the report and tossed it aside.

The eunuch looked down and was greatly startled: “My! The male members of the Zhong family escaped during their exile journey. What audacity!”

Emperor Xingwu glanced sideways at him: “Is it the Zhong family who has great skill, or the Shen boy?”

The eunuch pondered for a moment: “If no one is seen alive, it’s an escape. If no corpses are found, it could also be an escape… If it’s the latter, it seems this Zhong family case was indeed Young General Shen’s handiwork?”

“In your opinion, why would he do this?”

“The funds embezzled by the Marquis of Kangle were not from Hexi’s military budget, so I fear Young General Shen wouldn’t make such a move for that reason. Could it be related to the Shen family’s military defeat last May… Perhaps the Marquis of Kangle interfered somehow?”

“If that’s true, it’s not just the Marquis of Kangle,” Emperor Xingwu pointed in the direction of Hedong. “They are all Your Majesty’s ‘loyal’ subjects!”

“Looking at it this way, although Young General Shen is audacious, he’s also relieving Your Majesty’s burdens. Now is not the time to openly confront Hedong. Your Majesty, using Young General Shen’s blade to meet Hedong’s sword is truly the height of wisdom!” The eunuch flattered, soothing the Emperor’s anger.

“But looking at the current Young General Shen, in terms of strategy, he can use minimal effort to achieve maximum results; in terms of military prowess, the young man is formidable; in terms of temperament, he’s ruthless and decisive. Perhaps during his time in the capital, he wasn’t truly as unrestrained as he appeared… With such a blade, I wonder if it might be too sharp and wound the hand that wields it—Your Majesty?”

Emperor Xingwu accepted the tea offered by the eunuch, lowered his head, and gently blew away the swirling steam: “Since he is a blade, when I direct him east, he must point east; when I order him back to his sheath, he must return to his sheath.”

At the same moment, in the main quarters of the postal station, Jiang Zhiyi was awakened by the morning light. Drowsily squinting, she turned her head to see the other half of the bed empty, and strangely reached out to feel the cold bedding.

“Sister?” Jiang Zhiyi gathered her wits and sat up on the bed.

The postal station had only one main room, and last night she had shared the bed with her Sister Baojia. They had fallen asleep together, but when she woke in the middle of the night, she found no one beside her. She asked Gu Yu where her sister was, and Gu Yu replied that the Princess said she couldn’t sleep and went out for some fresh air.

Having been so exhausted from traveling during the day, she had been too tired to think much about it and quickly fell back asleep.

But now her sister was still not there, and the bedding had no warmth left, as if she had gone out for air and never returned.

“Gu Yu?” Jiang Zhiyi called out.

The door was pushed open from outside, and familiar black leather boots crossed the threshold.

“Awake?” Yuance, wearing a fresh mandarin-collared robe, walked forward.

“Brother A-ce, have you seen Sister Baojia?”

Yuance sat on the edge of the bed and thought back—

After traveling over a hundred miles in the night, killing those men and making superficial efforts to dispose of the bodies, he had just returned to the postal station. When he entered the courtyard, he had happened to see Li Dafeng coming out of the side quarters, closing the door behind him very gently, as if not wanting to wake someone inside.

“Maybe I have.”

“What do you mean ‘maybe’?”

“I mean—” Yuance chose his words carefully, “I saw Li Dafeng.”

Jiang Zhiyi discerned the answer from his reluctant expression.

“…I was just thinking how could she go out in such cold wind on the fifteenth night of the first month? So it was Li Dafeng’s wind she was enjoying!” Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes were filled with surprise, thinking how these two weren’t even willing to dine at the same table last evening, yet by night they were sharing a bed. Her Sister Baojia was truly formidable.

With this thought, she sighed and hugged her shoulders self-pityingly: “So I slept alone last night? I spent the night all alone in this postal station in the middle of nowhere…”

Yuance: “It’s already over, what can be done now?”

Jiang Zhiyi threw her arms around his neck: “Then I’ll learn from them in the future. I want to sleep with you, too!”

Yuance paused, lowering his eyes, then raised an eyebrow: “Never mind that, children shouldn’t imitate adults.”

“What children and adults? Sister Baojia can say that, but how can you? You’re only a few years older than me!”

“But I have more experience than you.” Yuance tapped her forehead with his knuckle.

Jiang Zhiyi wrinkled her nose and dodged, then remembered something and brightened, leaning close again: “Oh right, you weren’t here last night, I…”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Zhiyi paused mid-sentence and sniffed at his neck: “Why do you seem to…”

Yuance leaned back, avoiding her nose.

Jiang Zhiyi pursued, tugging at his collar, sniffing upward from his neck to his hairline: “You seem to have the smell of blood?”

Yuance had only had time to take a quick bath but hadn’t washed his hair.

“Your nose is that sharp?” Yuance curved his lips. “I went out last night and caught a wild rabbit. Today I’ll roast it for you.”

“So this is… the smell of rabbit blood?”

Yuance nodded: “What were you about to say just now?”

She was going to say that last night, while he was away, she and Sister Baojia made lanterns together. Sister Baojia made a fox lantern, and she made a—

Jiang Zhiyi slowly turned her head to look at the rabbit lantern hanging by the window.

“…Never mind, it’s nothing.”

It was time to set out on the journey, and seeing that Jiang Zhiyi was still drowsy, Yuance carried her out wrapped in her quilt.

Outside, the soldiers of the Xuan Strategy Army stood facing the wall, eyes fixed on their noses, neither looking nor reacting. Jiang Zhiyi, huddled in her “cocoon,” was carried into the carriage and continued her nap on the bed.

As the group was about to depart, Baojia still hadn’t appeared, supposedly unable to get up. Li Dafeng remained temporarily at the postal station, saying he would wait for the people coming to escort Baojia before catching up with Yuance.

Back on the westward road, Jiang Zhiyi gradually grew accustomed to this way of life. Sitting in a carriage all day and stopping at postal stations at night, they proceeded methodically and smoothly for half a month. By the time of Jing Zhe (Awakening of Insects) in the second month, the rains increased.

At first, there were only a few drizzling showers, and wearing a raincoat while riding didn’t delay their journey. Later, one night, it rained all night, making the roads so muddy that the carriage couldn’t pass. They had to wait half a day at the postal station until the road surface dried somewhat before setting out.

Jiang Zhiyi had commented then that fortunately, this happened before they departed, otherwise they would have had nowhere to stay. Half a month later, they encountered misfortune.

After a heavy downpour in the afternoon, not only was the carriage difficult to move, but the horses also grew weary. Jiang Zhiyi was dozing when Yuance woke her. Still confused, she heard him say a bunch of things she didn’t quite understand before a thick cloak was thrown over her head, and she was pulled out of the carriage.

Then she saw Yuance standing beside the carriage, lifting the hem of his robe and bending down, presenting his back to her: “Get on.”

Jiang Zhiyi glanced at the carriage wheels stuck in a pothole and quickly climbed onto his back.

The sky was gloomy, with fine, dense rain drifting in the wind. Jiang Zhiyi took the umbrella handed to her by Gu Yu, and just as she had a firm grip on the handle, Yuance carried her on his back into the mountains, with neither Gu Yu nor any of the soldiers following.

Jiang Zhiyi finally realized that Yuance had said the soldiers would camp in place for the night, while he would carry her across the mountain on foot to reach the postal station.

…Across the mountain?

The cold wind blew, jolting Jiang Zhiyi fully awake. She lowered her head and asked in astonishment: “You’re going to carry me over this mountain?”

Yuance kept walking, stepping through mud and water up the mountain: “Would you rather camp outside?”

“But, but there’s no need to cross the mountain—”

“Without taking this shortcut, we wouldn’t reach the station even if we walked all night.”

Jiang Zhiyi held his neck with one hand and raised the umbrella with the other, looking at the mountain whose peak was too high to see, then at the slippery, muddy path beneath them: “…Can you manage?”

“I won’t drop you.” Yuance supported her leg bend with one hand, occasionally grabbing tree trunks along the way to help climb the slope. He made it look effortless, but to cross an entire mountain this way, with the downhill path still to come… and the rain seemed to be getting heavier.

Jiang Zhiyi said worriedly, “Maybe we should just camp instead. I can handle it…”

“Move the umbrella back a bit,” Yuance completely ignored her suggestion. “It’s blocking my view.”

Jiang Zhiyi quickly moved the umbrella back, only to realize that while her back was now fully sheltered, Yuance was completely exposed to the rain.

“Where’s your raincoat?” Jiang Zhiyi suddenly asked.

“It got wet. How could I carry you while wearing it?”

“Does the umbrella block your view? Or do you just not want me to get rained on?” Jiang Zhiyi asked suspiciously.

“If you get rained on and catch a cold, who will have to deal with it?”

“Won’t you catch a cold if you get rained on?”

“You call this little bit of rain?”

Well, in this season of fluctuating temperatures, if she were caught in the rain, she probably couldn’t withstand it. Jiang Zhiyi gave up trying to act tough and held the umbrella firmly over herself, wiping the raindrops from Yuance’s face and neck with a handkerchief every so often.

The mountain path seemed endless. She watched as his face became drenched with rain, his robe hem and boots completely soaked in muddy water, while she remained clean and dry on his back, untouched by even a speck of dust.

Near the second watch of the night, they finally reached the postal station.

In the main quarters, Jiang Zhiyi removed her cloak to reveal completely dry clothes. There was no urgent need to bathe; she washed her feet, changed into comfortable slippers, and sat by the charcoal stove drinking ginger soup.

The sound of splashing water came from the inner bathing room, making Jiang Zhiyi inexplicably nervous.

This postal station was already in the western region, and the facilities were not as complete as those near the capital. The side quarters didn’t even have a proper bathing room, so earlier, when Yuance needed to clean himself up, she had pushed him into her bathing room.

The bathtub inside was the one she had been using throughout the journey, delivered to the postal station by the courier just before the heavy rain today. Such a personal item as a bathtub had never been shared with anyone before.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhiyi’s face grew so hot that the chill in her body was completely driven away.

After some time, the sound of water gradually diminished, eventually leaving only the soft rustling of someone dressing.

Moments later, Yuance emerged from the bathing room in clean, casual clothes. Seeing Jiang Zhiyi holding her soup bowl with flickering eyes, he asked: “Are you up to something?”

Seeing that he seemed quite relaxed and natural, without any extra thoughts, Jiang Zhiyi looked him over: “How was your… bath?”

“?”

“I mean, were my things convenient for you to use?”

“Do you really—” have to ask so directly? Can’t you keep anything to yourself?

Yuance stared at her for a while, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then turned his head away: “…Too fragrant.”

Jiang Zhiyi coughed lightly and also averted her gaze.

After a moment of silence—

“I—”

“You—”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked: “You go first.”

“The bathtub has been dirtied by me. Don’t bathe tonight, just sleep like this.”

“How dirty could it be after just one bath?” Jiang Zhiyi was surprised. “Didn’t you carry me to the postal station so I could have a good bath and a good night’s sleep? I absolutely must bathe…”

“There is no ‘absolutely must,'” Yuance interrupted her firmly. “Sleep.”

Jiang Zhiyi was about to protest when a knock came at the door: “Young General, there’s a report for you.”

Yuance pointed to the bed, gesturing for her to lie down and sleep, then turned and left the room.

The messenger followed Yuance some distance away from the main quarters where Jiang Zhiyi was staying and lowered his voice: “Young General, a report from the capital: a former maid of the Princess named Jing Zhe was injured by mountain bandits three months ago and has been recuperating in Zheng County. She returned to the capital a few days ago, learned about you and the Princess, and is now rushing this way on a fast horse—”

Yuance suddenly raised his eyes.

“Do you want us to…?” The soldier raised his hand, making a slicing gesture across his throat.

In the windy, rainy night, a flash of white lightning broke through the thick, rolling clouds on the horizon.

Yuance’s hand, hanging at his side, slowly rubbed together before he nodded to the soldier.

The soldier acknowledged the order with a bow and hurried into the wind and rain.

Yuance stood silently in the corridor when suddenly a clap of thunder sounded overhead.

This was followed by a woman’s scream.

Yuance quickly returned to the main quarters, pushed open the door, and saw Jiang Zhiyi covering her ears, curled up in the corner of the bed, looking terrified.

Jiang Zhiyi looked up and immediately rushed toward him as soon as she saw him.

“It’s just thunder.” Yuance sat on the edge of the bed and took her into his arms.

“What do you mean ‘just thunder’… The thunder during Jing Zhe is the most terrifying!” Jiang Zhiyi clung to his waist, still shaken. “What report was so important that you had to go out to hear it, leaving me alone in this strange room…”

Yuance swallowed lightly: “Nothing important.”

Jiang Zhiyi began to mutter: “…There’s only one candle in this room. In the past, when it thundered during this season, Jing Zhe would light the lamp tree full by my bedside.”

Yuance’s eyelashes fluttered: “Jing Zhe?”

“Yes, don’t you remember? She’s the maid who has been with me since childhood. But she was severely injured while protecting me, and I haven’t seen her for a long time…” Jiang Zhiyi spoke her thoughts as they came. “I had hoped to arrange her marriage when she recovered, but now who knows when we’ll meet again.”

“Was she… very good to you?”

“Of course! Just as good to me as you were today, but she’s been that good to me for ten years.”

Yuance’s hand on Jiang Zhiyi’s back stiffened slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Zhiyi looked up at him.

Yuance blinked: “If one day, she and I both fell into a river, and you could only save one person, who would you save?”

Jiang Zhiyi was taken aback: “What nonsense are you talking about? You both know how to swim, and I don’t. I should be the one on the shore cheering you on!”

“…”