The wind howls and the Yi River runs cold, the warrior launches his projectile never to return.

With hair flying wildly and a fierce expression, gnashing his teeth with murderous intent, Xiao Baozi carried the unwavering determination to kill, stepping over the corpses of pastries scattered on the ground. Full of vengeful hatred, he used his body as a cannonball, grinding his teeth menacingly toward the emperor with rare agility for his lifetime, charging to attack.

I charge——

!!!

…

Xiao Jue pressed his lips together and coughed.

Qin Chang Ge looked up at the sky with a mournful expression.

Yu Zixi tilted his head, holding the four-year-old child’s collar with one hand, suspended in mid-air, looking curiously at Xiao Baozi who was swaying back and forth, fox eyes meeting big eyes.

He asked in confusion, “Great hero, what are you doing?”

Xiao Baozi, who had been charging madly but was suddenly and rudely grabbed by someone, forced to halt his assassination attempt, kicked his limbs frantically with a grief-stricken expression, shouting loudly: “Let me go! Give me back my snacks——”

Yu Zixi blinked, smiling charmingly, “Oh my, what are you saying? I can’t hear you.”

Xiao Baozi, still furiously clawing in mid-air, waved for a long time without effect. He struggled to turn his head, preparing to adopt a conciliatory policy to win over this scoundrel with virtue so he would put him down, when he suddenly recognized Yu Zixi’s face.

He was stunned.

Wasn’t this the effeminate man from below Shanglin Mountain?

He immediately remembered that day’s smoke-filled stone pit, the wailing beggars, the lightning-fast sharp arrows, the dripping blood and entrails, and the corpses everywhere. Baozi’s face wrinkled into a ball.

He quietly turned his head and glanced at Xiao Jue.

…He had been too excited and angry just now – how could he not have recognized the perverted prince and the sleepwalking emperor?

Xiao Baozi had always been one to recognize the times – he immediately decided to make amends.

Quick as lightning, he switched to a smiling face. Xiao Baozi chuckled: “I just bought new candy, I’m happy, happy, bringing some for you to try…” While turning his head, he plucked off a candied hawthorn from the dark claws and ingratiatingly stuffed it into Xiao Jue’s mouth.

…

Xiao Jue turned to stone.

Qin Chang Ge surveyed the terrain, preparing to find an escape route.

Baozi cheerfully plucked another one, struggling to turn his head again. Yu Zixi saw this was bad and immediately loosened his five fingers.

Thud! Xiao Baozi fell on his bottom.

…

Grimacing and rubbing his bottom, Baozi looked resentfully at Yu Zixi through the rising dust. You effeminate man, you’re too much! Don’t you understand what it means to cherish beauty and tenderness? Was it necessary to throw me onto the dirtiest spot for a candied hawthorn? Are you more precious than the emperor? The emperor still ate my candied hawthorn.

He smugly looked at Xiao Jue. The emperor stood there expressionlessly, with a bright, sticky sugar ball incongruously attached to his perfectly curved lips.

The guards disguised as common people who had rushed over from all directions formed a circle in the distance, all opening their mouths wide.

Looking at the noble, handsome emperor who had always been magnificent and extraordinary in bearing, like a god whom no one dared to desecrate, now standing silently with candy stuck to him, his expression unbearably tragic.

This was an unprecedented sight in this lifetime, one that would never occur again…

After a long moment, before Xiao Jue could react, the candied hawthorn finally lost its stickiness and slowly slid down, trailing sticky bright red threads before dropping to the ground with a splat.

Xiao Baozi scrambled up and sighed deeply, “What a pity, what a pity! Desheng Shop’s candied hawthorn is the best made in the whole city!”

He patted the dust off his little robe, slipped past those two terrifying figures like smoke, snuck behind Qin Chang Ge, and tugged at her sleeve: “Let’s go, let’s go…”

After a long time, Xiao Jue finally stiffly raised his sleeve, wiped the sugar juice from his lips, and frowned at Xiao Baozi. This boy was bold and shameless!

However… his resilient ability to take hits and falls did somewhat resemble his own childhood.

He was just too cunning and scheming. What kind of couple could produce such a child?

Looking at those bright dark eyes peeking out from behind Qin Chang Ge, his heart suddenly felt a slight pang. If Rong’er were alive, would he be somewhat like this child? Having resilience similar to his own and cleverness similar to Chang Ge’s? If Rong’er were alive, would he be more beautiful and lovely than this mischievous child before him?

His mood slowly declined, and in the decline, a trace of irritability suddenly arose. That restless feeling flickered like flames, licking at his cracked memories, making him dizzy and ringing in his ears, unable to control his desire to lose his temper.

He wanted to vent his anger at this culprit who resembled Chang Ge yet wasn’t Chang Ge, who repeatedly gave him hope then disappointment, repeatedly made him unable to control his emotions and become increasingly depressed and irritable.

His gaze pierced Qin Chang Ge like a sharp sword. Xiao Jue said coldly: “Audacious palace maid, instead of properly serving the Princess, you dare to sneak out and cause trouble. Aren’t you afraid of state law and palace rules punishing your crimes?”

Taking a step back, Qin Chang Ge looked somewhat surprised at the flush that appeared on Xiao Jue’s face – what was wrong with him? He didn’t get angry at that embarrassing situation just now, but now he was inexplicably furious? His expression and complexion were also wrong. Could the rumors of his changed temperament and unpredictable moods over these years have other reasons?

For a moment, she remembered Xiao Jue’s inexplicable sleepwalking that night at Shanglin Hermitage, vaguely feeling something was amiss. But this wasn’t the time for detailed consideration. Qin Chang Ge smiled slightly and looked directly into Xiao Jue’s eyes.

“Afraid? Of course I’m afraid. But if this servant hasn’t misremembered, you should currently be the wealthy merchant Young Master Xiao. Does Young Master Xiao plan to put chains on the Grand Princess’s maid – someone completely unrelated to your wealthy merchant identity – and escort her through the market in this prosperous, bustling place?”

Xiao Jue was stunned and just frowned when Qin Chang Ge continued faintly: “Or would you reveal your identity in the crowd, turning your incognito visit into a public inspection?”

Without waiting for the dark-faced Xiao Jue to answer, Qin Chang Ge pointed toward the crowd: “Look, this prosperous street scene with continuous commercial ports, the people harmonious with laughter and prosperity. The subjects of Xiliang, bathed in the imperial family’s virtuous governance, have after years of hard work created this excellent place in the mortal world – elegant, peaceful, joyful, and harmonious. These are all beautiful things in the human world that shouldn’t be deliberately abandoned due to spiritual cultivation, nor arbitrarily destroyed due to conflicts. Just as spiritual cultivation should involve both leaving the world and entering it, those in high positions should both command the world and condescend to their subjects. Like this moment – if you were to set up your imperial procession, reveal your identity, establish barriers and defenses, clear the area and drive people away, preventing merchants from conducting business, children from buying toys, elders from being startled and stumbling, all people trembling and kneeling in fear, destroying this rare moment of joy and peaceful atmosphere, all just to scold an insignificant servant girl… Do you think it’s worth it?”

“Clap, clap, clap” – someone applauded, and it was Yu Zixi who had been smiling and listening.

The brilliantly beautiful man leaned against the wall, lazily smiling: “Young master, look at her eloquent and sophistical appearance, tsk tsk…”

He smiled and stopped speaking, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat distant. In his bright eyes like spring waves and autumn water, vague ripples of fragmented, unclear sorrow swayed.

Xiao Jue stood straight, the expression between his brows like the eternal loneliness and coldness of snow on mountains that never melts. He naturally understood what Yu Zixi’s unfinished sentence meant. In that moment just now, that young woman’s upturned, delicately lined chin, her gentle yet clear words, fearless expression, and elegant bearing had required great effort for him to remind himself not to overlay her image with Qin Chang Ge’s.

Only, in these past years, he truly hadn’t seen any woman whose spirit and temperament were so close to Chang Ge’s.

Her casual pointing gesture seemed to encompass the entire world.

But why was there always a faint trace in her gentle, fearless smile, as if having experienced the mortal world only to be left with the vicissitudes of calamitous ashes?

A vague thought suddenly flashed through his heart, but he immediately set it aside. Xiao Jue’s fingers curled in his palm, suppressing the impulse to reach out and wipe away that strange smile of hers. He turned around, no longer looking at Qin Chang Ge, snorted coldly, and said: “Return to the palace!”

Watching his straight back seemingly flee in haste, Qin Chang Ge frowned slightly, thinking about his strange gaze when looking at her… Xiao Jue’s feelings toward her seemed quite peculiar…

Yu Zixi, who had been watching them from the shadows with an ambiguous smile, suddenly approached with a light laugh, picked up Qin Chang Ge’s black long hair, buried his face in it for an intoxicated deep breath, and whispered in her ear: “Become his consort, or become my princess consort. Hmm, which do you choose?”

The lustrous long hair covered his snow-white face like satin. His upturned eye corners were seductive like a deep purple gorgeous dream, but the dream was full of fox-like cunning and smiling intent.

Smiling as she withdrew the ends of her hair, Qin Chang Ge patted Yu Zixi’s shoulder nonchalantly and said wistfully: “Why can’t there be better choices? For example, you, Prince Jing’an, put on women’s clothing and become my lesbian lover?”

…The sight of a beauty staring with wide, confused eyes was quite pleasing. Qin Chang Ge whistled in good spirits as she left, calling to her son who had already run off to continue his efforts at collecting snacks.

“Young master, time to depart! Starting tomorrow we’re going to Prince Zhao’s mansion to do hard labor.”

Note: Lesbian lover: a woman who loves other women.