Jiang Zhiyi was dumbfounded for a moment, recalling that she had fallen asleep listening to the sound of water from the bathing room. Once asleep, she had dreamed of that rainy night in February when she had let him bathe in her room, and in her confusion, thought she was still at that night’s post station.

Looking at the smug expression of the man on the bed, Jiang Zhiyi was so angry that her hair nearly stood on end. “I was just having one of my head episodes!”

“…”

“Stop taking advantage of the situation while pretending to be innocent. You say I touched you first—couldn’t you have pushed me away?”

Yuance turned his head away. “No strength. Couldn’t push.”

Jiang Zhiyi pointed at the useless defensive contraption beside the bed. “But you had enough strength to climb over this?”

“That’s where I used up all my strength.”

“…”

Exhausted from arguing, Jiang Zhiyi rubbed her temple with a headache. “I haven’t slept for a day and night. I’m so tired that my eyelids are fighting to stay open. I just want to sleep but have to win an argument first…”

Yuance looked at the bloodshot veins in her eyes, sat up straight, let out a deep breath, and gestured toward the bed. “You win.”

“If I fall asleep, aren’t you going to try something again? Just let me go back—”

“Then tie up my hands and feet. Would that work?”

Half a quarter-hour later, Jiang Zhiyi looked down at the cloth wrapped ten times around Yuance’s wrists. She pinched the ends of the cloth and tied ten tight knots. Finally reassured, she fell into a deep slumber the moment her head touched the pillow.

The following morning, Jiang Zhiyi was awakened by the sound of someone gasping in shock.

Opening her eyes, she saw Jing Zhe standing helplessly by the bed, surveying the chaos in the room. “Princess, did Young General Shen mistreat you last night…”

Jiang Zhiyi squinted with sleepy eyes, noticing that the bed beside her was empty. Yawning, she closed her eyes again. “He wasn’t capable of mistreating me.”

“Princess, please don’t hide the truth to spare your servant’s feelings!” Jing Zhe said urgently.

“How is what I said not the truth?”

“Then why is this slanted-top table broken?”

“I angered him so much he broke it.”

“Then—then why is the bed curtain torn?”

“Because we needed cloth to bind hands and feet.”

“He dared to bind you…”

“He didn’t bind me. I bound him.”

Jing Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, but halfway through, she realized something was wrong. “Wait, you said Young General Shen had his hands and feet bound by you?”

“Yes, otherwise how could I sleep soundly…” Jiang Zhiyi yawned again, wanting Jing Zhe to stop asking questions as she hadn’t slept enough. Before she could speak—

“But—but I saw him walking out perfectly fine just now!”

Jiang Zhiyi turned her head, blinking. “Then someone must have come in and untied him. I tied ten tight knots!”

“I’ve been waiting outside the door since before dawn. Young General Shen didn’t call anyone in…”

Jiang Zhiyi slowly sat up on the bed, leaned over the edge to look, and saw the pile of cloth on the floor that appeared to have been violently snapped. She drew in the same shocked breath that Jing Zhe had earlier.

Ten loops of cloth, ten tight knots, and he had just snapped them?

Was he treating her like a three-year-old child last night?

“Jing Zhe, this man is truly, truly frightening…” Jiang Zhiyi pressed a hand to her trembling heart. There was no way she could go back to sleep now. “We must hurry and find a way back to the capital…”

“What method does the Princess have in mind now?”

Jiang Zhiyi thought for a moment, then composed herself. “Go tell him that I’ve been in Hexi for many days and need to report my well-being to my uncle. Ask him to let me send a family letter back to the capital. I’ll let him read the letter first, and I won’t mention any of his secrets.”

Jing Zhe acknowledged and went to carry out her instructions.

An hour later, at the Xuan Strategy camp on the outskirts of the city, Yuance sat by a table and received the family letter presented by Mu Xinhong. He pulled the letter from its envelope.

The familiar gold-flecked letter paper and handwriting greeted him, just like every letter Jiang Zhiyi had sent to the Shen residence when she had injured her foot before the new year.

“I believe, given the Young Madam’s personality, when she merely hurt her foot and couldn’t see you for half a month, she wrote you a letter every day. Now that she’s thousands of miles away from the Marquis of Yong’en and has been separated for a long time, if she doesn’t report her well-being, the Marquis would indeed become suspicious. This family letter should be sent. If you find nothing wrong with it, I’ll arrange for its delivery…”

Halfway through Mu Xinhong’s speech, he noticed Yuance’s hand slowly clenching the letter before tossing it aside.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Xinhong cautiously leaned over and briefly scanned the letter. “Isn’t she just rambling about what she’s seen on her journey? What’s wrong with it, Young General?”

“Look at the first character of each line.”

“Uncle-Take-Me-Back-To-Capital-Cancel-Marriage…?”

“I told you to look, not read it aloud!” Yuance shot him a glare.

“…” As if not reading it aloud would somehow lessen the letter’s devastating impact.

Mu Xinhong smiled apologetically. “Fortunately, the Young General’s keen eye immediately saw through the Young Madam’s scheme. So we won’t send this letter, we won’t send it…”

After failing to seek refuge with the Imperial Envoy, failing in direct negotiation, and now failing with a hidden message in her letter, Jiang Zhiyi remained in the residence, at a complete loss.

Coincidentally, Yuance had been too busy with military affairs to come home these past two days, so she had nowhere to vent her frustration. The atmosphere in the inner courtyard was somber.

Seeing her confined to her room from morning to night, Jing Zhe and Gu Yu urged her to go out for a walk.

“Once I step outside that door, I’m still being watched like a prisoner,” Jiang Zhiyi said, lacking enthusiasm.

Jing Zhe: “But staying cooped up in here won’t make solutions fall from the sky. What if you go out and have some unexpected encounter?”

Gu Yu: “Even without an unexpected encounter, just think that someday you’ll leave this place. Treat this as a chance to see the sights. Staying shut in like this is such a waste!”

After their earnest persuasion, on this clear day, Jiang Zhiyi finally followed their advice and went out to the streets.

On the sunny market street, there were many peddlers with their stalls, but with that soldier named San Qi trailing behind her like a persistent ghost, Jiang Zhiyi had little interest in browsing. She simply followed along with her two maids, going with the flow.

“Princess, they even sell candy figurines in Guzang! Didn’t you use to like these? Shall we buy one?” Gu Yu pointed at a candy figurine stall across the street, trying to cheer her up.

Jiang Zhiyi looked where she pointed, remembering the last time she and Pei Xueqing had competed jealously at a candy figurine stall. She was about to say she no longer enjoyed them when she suddenly noticed a young man in Central Plains attire standing in front of the stall, dressed in a round-collared robe, with a tall, graceful figure and a refined, gentle profile.

Jiang Zhiyi stared at that profile, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

How could Pei Zisong be here in Guzang, over a thousand miles from Chang’an?

Had she been shut in her room so long that she was hallucinating? Thinking of Pei Xueqing and now seeing her brother Pei Zisong?

Jing Zhe followed her gaze and exclaimed in shock: “Princess, isn’t that—”

Jiang Zhiyi pinched Jing Zhe’s arm.

Jing Zhe quickly realized, sensing the watchful gaze behind them, and immediately continued: “—a type of candy figurine different from those in Chang’an? Let’s go take a look.”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded and headed across the street with her two maids. As they got closer, she could see more clearly.

Though she didn’t know why Pei Zisong would suddenly appear in Guzang City, since he was here, it must be her lucky encounter!

Jiang Zhiyi quickened her pace in delight, but when she was just a few steps away from the candy stall, she saw Pei Zisong take a candy figurine from the vendor, pay for it, and walk away.

Jiang Zhiyi urgently opened her mouth to call out to him, but remembering the person following closely behind, she closed it again.

Watching the direction in which Pei Zisong was leaving, Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes darted around. Suddenly inspired, she pointed to a nearby stall. “Oh, they sell ocarina flutes over there. Let’s go look at those first.”

The two maids followed Jiang Zhiyi to the antique stall.

Jiang Zhiyi picked up a bone ocarina from the stall and asked the vendor: “May I play this ocarina here to test its sound?”

“Miss, that won’t do. This ocarina needs to be placed at the mouth to play. If everyone came to try it, how would I sell any?”

“Then I’ll buy it,” Jiang Zhiyi gave Jing Zhe a meaningful look. “But I still need to test its sound here.”

“Please, go ahead.” The vendor happily accepted the gold leaf that Jing Zhe handed over.

Jiang Zhiyi glanced at Pei Zisong’s distant figure and recalled the song “Yu Boya Mourns Zhong Ziqi” that she had performed with Pei Zisong at the academy last year. She quickly raised the ocarina to her lips and began to play.

The melody drifted on the wind. At the far end of the street, Pei Zisong unexpectedly stopped and looked back.

Catching this from the corner of her eye, Jiang Zhiyi’s heart raced, but she continued playing as if nothing unusual was happening, until Pei Zisong walked toward her. Behind her, San Qi sensed something amiss and stepped forward.

“Princess?” Pei Zisong approached Jiang Zhiyi.

Seeing San Qi’s hand move to his sword, Jiang Zhiyi quickly said: “This is the eldest son of Prime Minister Pei’s family, not an ill-intentioned person.”

San Qi’s expression changed slightly, but his hand remained on his sword.

Pei Zisong was startled and made a bow: “I am Pei Zisong, a former classmate of the Princess at the academy. I merely happened to see the Princess and came over to greet her, with no intention of offense.”

Jiang Zhiyi: “Back away at once! If you harm the Prime Minister’s son, the Young General will be held accountable.”

San Qi nodded and retreated behind Jiang Zhiyi.

“How did Master Pei come to Hexi? Is this an official assignment?”

“Not an official assignment. My younger sister fell ill for over half a month in the first month of the year. After recovering, she said she wanted to visit Hexi. My family was concerned about her traveling alone, so I, as her brother, accompanied her. We set out just a few days after the Princess and Young General Shen. I had planned to rest for two days before visiting you.”

So that was it. Pei Xueqing wanted to visit Hexi, surely because of Shen Yuance…

Shen Yuance, you’ve finally intervened from heaven to control your terrifying brother!

Jiang Zhiyi took a nervous breath: “Could Master Pei speak with me somewhere quiet?”

“What? You want to cancel the marriage?” In a private room on the second floor of a teahouse by the street, Pei Zisong was surprised after hearing Jiang Zhiyi’s hurried explanation.

“I can’t talk to you for long right now, and there are no writing materials here on the street. Just do as I say: after leaving the teahouse, immediately write a letter and send it urgently to Chang’an, conveying my wish to cancel the marriage to the Marquis’s residence. Tell my uncle to quickly send someone to bring me back.” As she spoke, Jiang Zhiyi kept glancing out the window, observing the area below the teahouse—San Qi had surely gone to the military camp to report, and she didn’t know how much time she had left.

In Chang’an, Pei Zisong had only ever seen Jiang Zhiyi as proud as a peacock. This was the first time he had seen her so anxious, as if fearing each sentence might be her last with him.

“Princess, is this just because of some ordinary disagreement with Young General Shen, or have you encountered some major trouble?” Pei Zisong recalled how Jiang Zhiyi had played the ocarina to get his attention and remembered the soldier who seemed more like a guard than a protector. He hesitantly guessed, “Young General Shen hasn’t detained you against your will, has he?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched slightly.

Beside her, Jing Zhe exchanged glances with her, signaling that she should tell the truth.

After a long silence, Jiang Zhiyi gripped her sleeve hem and smiled: “No, how would he dare detain me? We’ve just had some unpleasantness. Though it’s just an ordinary matter, I’ve made up my mind. Please, you must help me.”

As always, Pei Zisong didn’t press further about things she wouldn’t discuss. After a pause, he said: “Very well, I understand. However, the eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch can only be used by imperial envoys or for military emergencies. If I borrow my father’s name, the fastest would be a four-hundred-li urgent dispatch.”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded: “As long as it’s under Prime Minister Pei’s name and ensures the letter reaches its destination safely, that’s fine. Thank you.”

Pei Zisong rose to take his leave: “Then there’s no time to waste. I’ll go attend to it now.”

Jiang Zhiyi watched Pei Zisong leave the teahouse. It was as if the tension holding her together suddenly dissolved. She sat at the tea table, lowering her eyes and staring into space.

Jing Zhe stood beside her, anxious: “Princess, why didn’t you tell him the whole truth? Even Young General Shen couldn’t intercept a letter from the Prime Minister. With such a rare opportunity to send a message, you should have revealed all of Young General Shen’s misdeeds. If His Majesty intervened, we wouldn’t need to wait for the Marquis to send someone—once the imperial edict arrived, we could return to the capital immediately.”

Jiang Zhiyi sat quietly for a moment, then murmured with her head lowered: “If Pei Zisong knew too much, he would be in danger.”

Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open from outside.

Jiang Zhiyi looked up at the newcomer, startled, and abruptly stood up.

Jing Zhe immediately moved to shield Jiang Zhiyi.

Yuance stepped across the threshold, his black leather boots moving slowly into the room, each step ominously making their hearts tremble.

Both mistress and servant shrank back slightly.

Yuance stopped in front of the tea table, lowering his eyes to look at the still-steaming cup of tea across from her. After a moment, he asked: “You want to leave that badly?”

Jiang Zhiyi took a breath, pushed Jing Zhe aside, and looked up at him: “If I don’t leave, am I to be kept like a prisoner for the rest of my life?”

Yuance kept his eyes lowered and said nothing.

Jiang Zhiyi followed his gaze to Pei Zisong’s teacup: “Since you won’t let me go, I had to resort to this. By now, the message should have been sent. You surely can’t intercept the Prime Minister’s letter.”

“What if I insist on intercepting it?”

Jiang Zhiyi stomped her foot in frustration: “I’ve already said I won’t reveal your secret. If I wanted to tell, just now would have been the perfect opportunity, but I said nothing—why won’t you let me go?”

Yuance’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he raised his eyes: “Could it be because I like you?”