Yue Ning’s heart was filled with melancholy, yet she had no one to confide in. Though the mansion had been decorated anew, she felt none of the joy that should come with an approaching wedding.
After observing Yue Ning for two days, Princess Long could no longer hold back and called her over. “Ning’er, what’s wrong with you? Why haven’t you shown any happiness these past few days?”
Not wanting Princess Long to see through her, Yue Ning forced a bitter smile and said, “It’s nothing… I’m just worried about Qin Wan.”
Princess Long raised an eyebrow, as they had received Qin Wan’s letter several days ago. “It made sense to worry before, but what is there to worry about now? She and Yan Chi have already settled in the Northwest. This is the least appropriate time to be concerned. Ning’er, you can’t fool your grandmother with such excuses.”
Hearing this, Yue Ning felt even worse inside, but she didn’t know how to explain to Princess Long. She only lowered her head and said, “Grandmother, you don’t need to worry…”
“Ah, your wedding day is approaching, yet you spend all day in a daze without a single smile. Grandmother can tell you truly have something weighing on your mind. Since you’re unwilling to speak of it, Grandmother won’t force you. But Ning’er, if you’ve truly been wronged in any way, you must tell Grandmother. You’re my only direct granddaughter – if I couldn’t protect Wan’er, could I not even protect you from suffering?”
Yue Ning felt a surge of bitterness in her heart but still didn’t speak up. “Grandmother, I haven’t been wronged.”
Princess Long sighed. “Very well. Just remember, as long as Grandmother still draws breath, I have the power to protect you. If anyone has said or done something to upset you so, don’t hide it from Grandmother. Your father is fighting in the north – if he knew you were unhappy before your wedding, he would surely be heartbroken.”
At the mention of Yue Qiong, Yue Ning quickly asked, “When will Father return?”
Princess Long shook her head. “That’s still unknown. He likely won’t make it back for your wedding, but with Grandmother here, I’ll make sure your wedding is beautiful and perfect. You needn’t worry.”
Princess Long patted Yue Ning’s hand, but Yue Ning still couldn’t bring herself to smile.
Seeing her like this, Princess Long suddenly grew thoughtful. Yue Ning absently kept Princess Long company for a while before leaving. She hadn’t walked far from the door when she encountered Yue Jia. Though Yue Jia had returned from the Northwest many days ago, because of his involvement there, even though he had no connection to Yan Chi’s rebellion, he was now avoiding public appearances at home. Seeing Yue Ning’s dispirited state, Yue Jia approached her. “What’s wrong?”
Yue Ning looked up at her eldest brother and suddenly said, “Brother, let’s talk over there.”
Unlike Princess Long, Yue Jia wasn’t particularly perceptive and only noticed Yue Ning seemed to be in a bad mood. He led her to a nearby pavilion.
Once inside the pavilion and seated, Yue Ning suddenly asked, “Brother, what is the Northwest like?”
Yue Jia instinctively glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, sat beside Yue Ning and spoke softly, “That place has vast plains and many mountain ridges. When you climb the ridges, the stars are right above your head. Every year by October, continuous snowfall begins. Though it’s extremely cold, the soldiers in the Northwest camps never stop training – no one slacks off because of the cold weather. It takes time to get used to it, but after staying there a while, you understand how the Northwest Army has managed to hold White Wolf Pass. The military discipline there is excellent, even after Prince Rui’s incident…”
Yue Jia spoke intermittently, saying whatever came to mind, while Yue Ning listened in a daze.
“If Brother had another chance, would you go back to the Northwest?”
Yue Jia smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? That place truly tests one’s mettle, and the officers and soldiers are united in purpose.”
Having been home for many days, he hadn’t anticipated such major changes at the time. Now back home waiting, he harbored no resentment. With the current political situation unclear, he naturally wouldn’t act rashly, given his strategic mind. Thinking of this, he sighed, “It’s a shame I probably can’t go back anymore.”
Yue Ning straightened up and blurted out, “Why can’t you go…”
Both were startled by her words. Yue Jia sighed, “Don’t be silly, I’m the heir to the An Yang Marquis title.”
Yue Ning seemed to want to say something but held back. Yue Jia looked around once more and said quietly, “If you’re worried about Qin Wan, you could go.”
Yue Ning’s eyes brightened. “Brother, do you mean it?!”
Yue Jia smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re a young lady – what’s there to stop you? But your wedding is approaching, and once you become someone’s wife, you won’t be able to act so freely anymore. Be patient – the day will come when you’ll see Sister Qin Wan again.”
Yue Ning pressed her lips together, holding back what she wanted to say. The siblings sat together discussing other matters before Yue Ning returned to her courtyard.
She hadn’t been in her courtyard long when a servant came to report that Yan Ze had arrived.
Yue Ning was startled and her expression darkened. Since that day, she hadn’t visited Prince Yi’s mansion for two days, nor had she entered the palace, so she hadn’t seen Yan Ze. She hadn’t expected him to come here. Yue Ning collected herself before heading to Princess Long’s quarters. There, she found Yan Ze chatting and laughing with Princess Long. When he saw Yue Ning arrive, his gaze softened. Previously, such looks from him had filled her heart with warmth, but now they only brought bitterness and doubt – she could no longer trust them completely!
Princess Long smiled and said, “Why have you only come now? Ze’er brought you some food – the newest pastries from Xiangfu Restaurant, the ones you love.”
Indeed, there was a food box beside Yan Ze, with a faint osmanthus fragrance wafting from it.
Yue Ning forced a smile. “I almost fell asleep earlier. I didn’t expect Third Brother to come.”
Yan Ze looked at her indulgently. “If you sleep now, you might not rest well tonight. Besides, I had no other business – I just came to see Aunt Grandmother and you. The pastries should be warmed up before eating—”
Yue Ning nodded but didn’t show her usual intimacy and talkativeness. Yan Ze gave her a deep look but didn’t point it out. Instead, he said, “I came just to deliver the pastries, nothing else. Father is waiting for me at the mansion, so I should head back.”
Usually, Yue Ning would invite Yan Ze to stay for dinner, but today she merely nodded and said, “Then I’ll see you out.”
Yan Ze nodded and rose, bidding farewell to Princess Long before leaving. Neither spoke as Yue Ning accompanied him to the mansion gate. At the gate, Yan Ze turned to look at her. “Ning’er, are you feeling unwell? You seem off somehow.”
Yue Ning quickly smiled. “No, no, I’ve just been tired these past few days. I feel quite fatigued.”
Yan Ze assumed it was related to her monthly cycle and, hearing her explanation, naturally didn’t inquire further. He nodded and returned to Prince Yi’s mansion.
Yue Ning lingered at the gate for a moment. When she returned to Princess Long, her expression was even heavier. Princess Long observed her several times but forced herself not to ask.
Early the next morning, Princess Long had the kitchen prepare pastries for Yue Ning to take to Prince Yi’s mansion. This was a common occurrence, so Yue Ning went with the pastries. At Prince Yi’s mansion, Yan Ze wasn’t there – only Tan Xiang remained. Upon asking, Yue Ning learned that Yan Ze had gone to the palace.
Tan Xiang smiled and said, “He should be back soon. Why doesn’t the Young Lady wait a while?”
Since the end of the month would be Yue Ning and Yan Ze’s wedding date, Tan Xiang already treated Yue Ning as the mansion’s future mistress and naturally hosted her attentively.
Yue Ning hadn’t planned to stay long, but something stirred in her heart. She smiled and responded, “I just remembered Third Brother has some storybooks in his study. I’ll go to his study and read while waiting for him.”
Yan Ze wasn’t one to read story books – those had been brought by Yue Ning for him before. Hearing this, Tan Xiang hesitated slightly but didn’t dare stop her, respectfully showing Yue Ning in. Though Yue Ning often came to Yan Ze’s study, she had never looked through his things before. Seeing Tan Xiang waiting only at the door, Yue Ning said, “Is there any Jun Mountain Silver Needle tea from last month left? I’d like some.”
Tan Xiang smiled and agreed, “Whatever the Young Lady wants to drink, we have!”
With that, Tan Xiang left. Alone in the study, Yue Ning took a deep breath and immediately began searching through the drawers of Yan Ze’s desk. Opening them, she found only ordinary items. She couldn’t believe it – the study was where Yan Ze spent most of his time, surely there must be important things here.
Yan Ze had only recently taken office, yet he was close friends with Zhao Yu, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, and they even met in such places. The two must have secrets they couldn’t reveal!
Thinking this, Yue Ning went to check the bookshelf. Yan Ze’s bookshelf was full of books. After searching around, she suddenly noticed that while the bottom row of books was covered in dust, the spot where the Historical Records was placed had no dust. Being on the bottom shelf, this difference wasn’t normally noticeable, and no one would usually take that history book, but from her position, she could just see the dust in the light coming through the pre-noon window…
Yue Ning frowned, instinctively sensing something amiss. She crouched down and pulled out the Historical Records. As she did so, Yue Ning immediately noticed something wrong – this book was shorter than expected, yet the bookshelf slot was quite long. Yue Ning’s heart began to race wildly. She reached her hand into the gap where the book had been and quickly found a wooden pin inside. Yue Ning’s heart tightened, and she instinctively looked back. Seeing Tan Xiang hadn’t returned, Yue Ning immediately twisted the pin. As soon as she did, she heard the sound of a mechanism turning behind the bookshelf, and soon the bookshelf split open from the middle, revealing a hidden compartment the size of a Buddhist shrine!
Yue Ning’s heart nearly jumped out of her throat. She had always conducted herself openly and honestly – when had she ever done something like this?!
With trembling hands, Yue Ning opened the hidden compartment and found several letters inside. Her teeth clenched as she grabbed all the letters. Just seeing the first one made her gaze freeze – the handwriting was someone else’s. Yue Ning felt it was familiar but couldn’t remember whose it was. She looked back once more, quickly opened the envelope, and unfolded the letter with shaking hands. When she saw what was written, Yue Ning was thunderstruck!
Yue Ning was frozen for a moment, but she quickly realized what she was doing. She bit her lip hard and opened the second letter with trembling hands. After reading four or five letters this way, Yue Ning suddenly heard footsteps outside. She drew in a sharp breath, hurriedly packed up the letters, and returned them all to the hidden compartment, but didn’t know how to close the bookshelf. After a moment of panic, she remembered the wooden pin and reached to twist it back. With two creaking sounds, the bookshelf closed firmly.
When Tan Xiang entered with the tea, Yue Ning was already sitting by the window with a storybook. However, her face was pale, and she looked quite dejected. Tan Xiang was startled, “Young Lady, what’s wrong? Are you unwell? You don’t look good…”
Yue Ning let out a long sigh and tossed aside the storybook. “This story is too heartbreaking.”
Tan Xiang was surprised – she had never thought of Yue Ning as particularly sentimental, so how could a mere storybook affect her so much now?
Tan Xiang said helplessly, “These are all fake stories. Story books always write about unfaithful people to draw tears, that’s all.”
Yue Ning picked up the tea to drink. After two sips of hot tea, her cold hands finally warmed up. She looked outside. “Third Brother isn’t back yet?”
Tan Xiang was about to comfort her when Yue Ning stood up. “Never mind, I won’t wait. When Third Brother returns, remember to give him the pastries.”
Hearing this, Tan Xiang quickly agreed and saw Yue Ning out of the mansion.
Once in her carriage, Yue Ning began trembling uncontrollably. She collapsed against the carriage wall and took a long time to recover her senses. She never could have imagined that now, with the Empress and Crown Prince having fled after plotting rebellion, Yan Ze’s hidden compartment would contain letters in the Empress’s hand. The letters revealed they had long been allied, and now with the war in Feng Prefecture intensifying and her father supervising the battle there, Yan Ze was helping the Empress strategize. The earliest letter even mentioned the reason for their alliance.
An old year’s grudge… the Empress promised to help Yan Ze avenge an old year’s grudge, but what was this grudge?!
Yue Ning’s mind was in chaos. She couldn’t think of who in the capital Yan Ze might have a grudge against. Thinking of what the Empress and Crown Prince had done, a terrible thought occurred to her… Yue Ning’s palms were covered in cold sweat. If before she had only felt Yan Ze was deeply sophisticated and hard to read clearly, now she felt as if she had never known him at all.
When the Empress and Crown Prince fled in rebellion, Yan Ze’s eye condition hadn’t yet healed. Everyone in the capital knew him as the blind Prince Yi’s heir, but likely no one could have imagined that even then he was able to help the Empress and Crown Prince rebel. How much power did he have? What were his goals?
Yue Ning’s heart was in complete chaos. Not daring to return to the mansion, she hurriedly had the attendant drive elsewhere. Her ears were ringing, and she didn’t know how long they had traveled when she looked outside and saw they had somehow reached the south of the city. She quickly had the attendant stop. The imperial street was bustling with carriages and horses, but sitting in this cramped carriage compartment, she felt as if the world was dissolving around her. After an unknown time, someone suddenly knocked twice on the outside of the carriage.
The sound startled Yue Ning. Before she could lift the carriage curtain, a voice sounded from outside, “Zhan Yang pays respects to the Young Lady. Is the Young Lady in the carriage?”