It started raining at night.

The rain pattered softly, falling on the newly planted banana leaves in the small courtyard, creating a melancholic sound.

Lu Tong had a dream.

In her dream, she returned to the Lu family residence in Chang Wu County. It was the twelfth lunar month, approaching the New Year, with gentle snow falling. Lu Rou walked out of the house.

Her elder sister still had the appearance of a young maiden, though her hair was styled like a married woman’s. She wore a plum-colored plain velvet jacket with embroidered flowers, as lovely and gentle as ever.

Seeing Lu Tong, Lu Rou reached out to take her hand, chiding gently: “Where have you been running off to, you naughty girl? Mother has been calling for you half the day without a response. Be careful, or your father will scold you again. They’re about to paste the red characters, Lu Qian is writing them now, quickly come change your clothes.”

In her confused state, she docilely let Lu Rou lead her toward the house, hearing her sister say softly ahead: “You’ve been gone for so long, all these years, sister has been keeping that hairpin for you, thankfully you’ve returned…”

Hairpin?

What hairpin?

Why did Lu Rou say she had been gone for years? Where had she gone?

As if struck by sudden thunder, Lu Tong’s eyes snapped open.

The room was lit with a yellow glow, and in the pitch-black sky, only the sound of falling rain could be heard.

She slowly sat up in bed, unable to fall back asleep, silently watching the lamplight until dawn.

When dawn came, Yinzheng also rose from her bed. The two opened the medical hall’s main door, and before long, Du Changqing and A’cheng arrived as well.

As spring was ending and several consecutive days of rain had fallen, fewer people came to buy medicinal tea. The early morning shop was quiet.

Du Changqing brewed a pot of hot tea and sent A’cheng to buy two hot flatbreads for breakfast.

Lu Tong walked up to him and said: “Manager Du, I’d like to borrow some silver from you.”

Du Changqing nearly choked on his bread. After finally swallowing it down, he looked at Lu Tong: “What did you say?”

“I’d like to borrow some silver from Manager Du,” Lu Tong said. “I’ll write you an IOU and return it in a few days.”

Du Changqing looked her up and down, snorted, walked past her into the back, and soon returned with a key he retrieved from under the medicine cabinet, producing a box that he handed to Lu Tong.

Yinzheng eyed the box and tentatively asked: “This is…?”

Du Changqing said irritably: “I calculated a few days ago, these past two months, after deducting materials, Spring Water Life netted two hundred taels of silver. Doctor Lu, although your monthly wage is two taels, I’m not one to take advantage of you, and you helped me teach that old turtle Bai Shouyi a lesson, which I greatly appreciate. These hundred taels are your share.” He painfully tore his gaze from the box, as if it hurt him deeply, “No need for an IOU. Just make more medicinal teas like this in the future, and we’ll call it even.”

Lu Tong was surprised. This man usually pinched every penny, yet now he was unexpectedly generous—no wonder he had managed to lose such a large family fortune.

She looked at Du Changqing: “Thank you.”

Du Changqing waved his hand, focusing on continuing to eat his bread.

Yinzheng let out a slight sigh of relief.

Perhaps because of inexplicably losing a hundred taels of silver, though he pretended to be generous, he was still troubled at heart. Du Changqing was rather depressed all day. Before dusk had even fallen, he took A’cheng and left early.

Yinzheng closed the main door and returned to the small courtyard behind the medicine shop. Lu Tong had already changed her clothes.

She wore a half-worn lotus gray plain padded robe in men’s style, which Yinzheng had bought from a woman selling used clothes at the temple entrance. Lu Tong had tied her long hair in a man’s topknot, simply fastened with a bamboo pin. She was naturally delicate and attractive, and in men’s dress appeared even more fair and refined, her female identity obvious at a glance.

Yinzheng shook her head and smiled: “We’ll need to apply some powder to conceal it better.”

After hastily applying some powder and rouge, night had nearly fallen completely. Yinzheng noticed that someone had hung a tuft of grass on the shop’s main door outside, and said to Lu Tong: “Miss, we can go now.”

Lu Tong nodded, picked up the bamboo-framed umbrella leaning in the corner, and left with Yinzheng.

…

The spring rain was cold, like the quiet weeping of parted lovers.

But the southern part of the city was lively.

Under Falling Moon Bridge, painted boats played music, coming and going endlessly. Hundreds of ox-horn lanterns were tied to the bridge railings, like silver pearls, making the river surface shine brilliantly.

Around the corner of the ward was Clear River Street, located between wards, the entire street filled with teahouses, taverns, gambling houses, and brothels. Officials and noble young masters often drank here until dawn or gathered to drink and view flowers. On clear nights, fireworks filled the sky, and lanterns made it bright as day everywhere, presenting a scene of peaceful prosperity and romance.

Tonight was no different.

A carriage stopped in front of the Meeting Immortals Tower.

A young man wearing a gold-threaded cloud-patterned padded robe stepped down from the carriage, his features as beautiful as jade. He stood straight and tall, carrying no umbrella, and walked directly into the restaurant through the light rain.

The Meeting Immortals Tower was bustling with activity. Everywhere were wine banners and embroidered ribbons, their shadows brushing fragrant winds. The courtesans’ rouge fragrance mixed with wine aroma, warming this desolate rainy night until not a hint of cold remained. In the flower hall on the first floor, opera performers were singing “A Touch of Crimson Lips.”

It was truly a paradise of tenderness and wealth.

The handsome youth entered the building, and seeing his brocade clothes and outstanding appearance, a beautiful woman in red makeup swayed gracefully toward him, reaching out to take his arm, but was pulled back by a friend beside her, who whispered: “Don’t go.”

The beauty paused, hesitating, and in that moment the man before her had already passed by, his peripheral vision not sparing her a single glance.

She bit her lip, still feeling unwilling, when suddenly she saw the young man proceed directly to the upper floor private rooms, and her expression changed.

The upper floor… was a place only for distinguished guests.

She quickly took her friend’s arm and hurriedly turned away.

In the upstairs private room, moon-scented incense burned in a warm jade plum blossom censer.

The fragrance was rich, even making the moonlit gauze curtains seem more elegant.

The room was arranged very tastefully, with a green jade bamboo bonsai set before the low table. Fresh cloud mist tea filled the chrysanthemum-petal jade cups, and fresh lychees were arranged in a sapphire blue enamel fruit plate, their brightness perfectly measured.

The young man sat casually by the window, absently lifting the bamboo curtain.

From here, the entire view of Clear River Street’s lantern scene could be taken in. The night rain fell steadily, breaking into yellow ripples under the lanterns, and a streak of yellow light slipped in, making the youth’s features appear even more exquisitely striking.

He turned his head carelessly, looking out, when his gaze suddenly stopped.

In the deep night’s light rain, under the eaves where palace lanterns flickered between bright and dim, in front of the bustling gateway across the street, two people were closing their umbrellas. One had their hair tied in a topknot, their features blurred by the lamplight, only a pair of deep pupils remaining visible, like the night carrying a thin layer of frost.

Pei Yunying’s eyebrows twitched.

Lu Tong?

The person’s features were remarkably similar to that of Doctor Lu he had met outside Baoxiang Tower.

He watched the person under the lantern, feeling something unusual.

Pei Yunying had a deep impression of Lu Tong.

Due to his duties, he inevitably encountered dangerous moments where blades showed no mercy, and he had seen few women. Yet only Lu Tong was distinctly different from other women.

She was very beautiful, with autumn-water eyes and cloud-like temples, like a willow swaying in the wind, appearing so delicate that a breeze could break her, like a fragile flower. Yet her strikes were more vicious than anyone’s.

Pei Yunying had seen Lu Dashan’s face, with gashes deep enough to show bone across his cheeks. If he wasn’t mistaken, at that time, Lu Tong had been aiming for Lu Dashan’s eyes.

She had originally intended to blind Lu Dashan.

Pei Yunying lowered his eyelids.

An ordinary woman, when held captive, would not first think of using a velvet flower to blind her captor’s eyes.

An ordinary woman’s hairpin would not be as sharp as a blade.

Those three silver needles were not mere hairpins but concealed weapons.

In the rouge shop filled with sweet fragrance, before a large folding screen where hibiscus bloomed brilliantly, the woman’s gaze had been calm to the point of coldness, just as she had been from being captured by Lu Dashan to breaking free, showing not a moment of panic from beginning to end—

Someone called to him from beside: “Hong Man pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Pei Yunying withdrew from his thoughts and looked at the newcomer.

It was a young woman with her hair styled in double-ring buns, wearing a crimson gold-embroidered hibiscus phoenix-tail long dress that set off her snow-white skin. She too had a face full of charm, and just standing there exuded grace and allure.

Hong Man of the Meeting Immortals Tower was beautiful and bewitching, unmatched among beauties. How many noble young masters had lavishly spent thousands of silver to win a smile from her? Now the beauty stood in the room, facing the young man sitting drinking tea, with a rarely seen reverent expression, seeming to contain a trace of hidden fear.

Hong Man took a letter from her sleeve, stepped forward two paces to present it to Pei Yunying, and said softly: “The Prince has sent his men to search for someone in Dingzhou. In the matter of the Military Horse Supervision case, now that the Right Chancellor has intervened, it’s inconvenient to act. The Prince asks Your Highness to observe quietly.”

Pei Yunying made a sound of acknowledgment and reached out to take the letter.

Hong Man retreated to one side, respectfully lowering her head to wait.

Pei Yunying quickly read the letter, placed it before the lamp to burn, then picked up the teacup from the table and drank it in one go, placing the empty cup on the table.

He said: “I won’t be coming here these few days. If there’s anything, seek out Duan Xiaoyan at the Commander’s mansion.”

Hong Man quickly agreed.

He rose to leave, but suddenly seemed to remember something, and lifted the bamboo curtain to look across the street.

The rain had grown heavier, and the gateway was empty of people, with only a solitary lantern swaying under the eaves, casting yellow reflections on the wet ground.

Pei Yunying asked: “What place is that opposite?”

Hong Man followed his gaze and softly replied: “It’s the Happy Tower gambling house.” Seeing Pei Yunying’s unusual expression as he gazed out the window, she carefully inquired, “Did Your Highness see someone there?”

The young man let go of the curtain, and it fell to block out the wind and rain outside.

He smiled and spoke carelessly: “Nothing, I mistook someone for another.”