In the back courtyard of Ximing Temple, Cui Xun and Li Ying walked leisurely together.

The plum garden in the back courtyard of Ximing Temple was one of Chang’an’s finest attractions. The entire garden was filled with red plum blossoms in full bloom, as brilliant as the morning glow. The snow that had fallen recently had not yet melted. The snow-white ground complemented the vibrant plum blossoms, creating a picturesque scene. Cui Xun wore a black crane-patterned robe, his face as beautiful as jade. Beside him, Li Ying wore a white fox fur coat, delicate and lovely. Cui Xun’s black leather boots left a series of footprints on the snowy ground. Li Ying, being a ghost, left no trace as she walked on the snow. Li Ying felt somewhat dejected and unconsciously stopped her steps.

Seeing this, Cui Xun said, “Walk behind me.”

Li Ying immediately understood his meaning. She nodded and followed behind Cui Xun, stepping carefully into the footprints he left in the snow, as if she too could still leave traces in this mortal world.

Cui Xun was a man after all, and his footprints were much larger than Li Ying’s would have been. Li Ying lowered her head, her hands warming in her sleeves with a scented hand warmer. She followed his steps as the morning sun cast golden brocade-like light upon Cui Xun, projecting his shadow onto the snow. When Li Ying looked down, she could see his tall, slender silhouette. His shadow enveloped her entire being, dispersing her feelings of desolation and replacing them with a sense of security.

A red plum blossom floated gently from a branch, landing on Cui Xun’s shoulder before falling off. Li Ying stopped in her tracks and reached out with her luminous palm to catch it. The plum blossom floated lightly into her palm. Looking at the flower, she was inexplicably reminded of the plum blossom that had fallen on Cui Xun’s lips the previous night, and the sensation when her fingers had touched his cold lips.

Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Cui Xun noticed she had stopped walking and turned back: “What is the Princess doing?”

Li Ying was startled, feeling guilty as if caught doing something wrong. She quickly hid the plum blossom on top of the scented hand warmer in her sleeve, then shook her head: “Nothing… nothing at all.”

Cui Xun smiled slightly. Under the winter snow, his smile outshone all the flowers. Li Ying’s thoughts wandered. She recalled reading poetry as a child, coming across the verse “Stones piled like jade, pines arranged like emeralds. The gentleman’s beauty is unparalleled, there is no second in the world.” She had wondered if such a man could exist in the world. But upon seeing Cui Xun, she realized that such a person truly did exist. No wonder this man, despite being male, had earned the title “Lotus Gentleman.” With such looks, was he not indeed more beautiful than a lotus?

As her thoughts continued, she felt her heart skip another beat. She lowered her head, holding her scented hand warmer, and hastily changed the subject: “By the way, did Young Lord Cui catch a chill last night? Are you well?”

Cui Xun replied, “Thank you for the clothes the Princess sent. I am fine.”

Cui Xun was not fond of talking, and after saying this, he fell silent once more. Li Ying racked her brain for another question: “Oh, why has Young Lord Cui come to Ximing Temple today?”

Cui Xun was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death.”

Li Ying had not expected this answer, nor had she expected that Cui Xun would be willing to tell her. She was surprised and then stammered, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

Cui Xun said, “It’s alright.”

He continued, “My mother passed away when I was three years old. I don’t even remember what she looked like, but every year at this time, I still come here to light an eternal lamp for her.”

According to Great Zhou customs, when someone died, their relatives would light eternal lamps in Buddhist temples to dispel darkness and illuminate their path after death, helping them to reincarnate sooner. Without the eternal lamp, the soul would be forever trapped in darkness, unable to move on.

When Cui Xun spoke of lighting the eternal lamp for his mother, his tone remained flat, showing no emotion. Li Ying quickly consoled him: “Your mother must have had abundant blessings and surely has already reincarnated.”

“Reincarnated?” Cui Xun smiled faintly. “Sometimes, I would rather hope she hasn’t reincarnated yet.”

Li Ying was taken aback. She recalled rumors that Cui Xun had distant family ties, that his father had already removed him from the family genealogy, so on New Year’s Eve and the Lantern Festival, he was always alone with no family to reunite with. This deceased mother must be his last attachment to family. If his mother had already reincarnated, it would mean that his last familial connection was gone as well.

Li Ying suddenly felt that her consolation seemed somewhat foolish. As she was feeling regretful, Cui Xun added, “However, it would be better for her to reincarnate soon.”

Li Ying didn’t understand, and Cui Xun did not explain. After a pause, he suddenly asked, “Has the Princess ever heard of a place in the netherworld called the City of Wrongful Deaths?”

Li Ying was surprised but quickly responded, “The City of Wrongful Deaths? I have heard of it a little.”

Li Ying began to explain: “I’ve heard it’s a place for those who died unjustly. If someone doesn’t die of natural causes but dies with grievances or is murdered, they cannot reincarnate but are instead sent to the City of Wrongful Deaths, guarded by the King of Fixed City from the netherworld. This prevents them from becoming vengeful ghosts due to their excessive resentment and causing harm to the living. These wronged souls can neither receive offerings from the living nor be saved by high monks. They can only stand on the city walls, watching and waiting until they witness their murderers receive retribution. Only then can their resentment dissipate, allowing them to leave the City of Wrongful Deaths and reincarnate. Otherwise, their souls will remain trapped in the City of Wrongful Deaths, unable to attain salvation.”

After listening, Cui Xun was silent for a long time before sighing: “So that’s how it is.”

Li Ying sensed that Cui Xun must have had a reason for asking about the City of Wrongful Deaths. Just as she was about to inquire, Cui Xun asked, “Then why hasn’t the Princess’s soul entered the City of Wrongful Deaths?”

Li Ying had never considered this question before. She was momentarily stunned, and before she could respond, Cui Xun continued, “Perhaps it’s because the Empress Dowager had eternal lamps lit for the Princess in all forty thousand Buddhist temples across the country, offering them before Buddha. That’s why the Princess doesn’t need to be confined in the City of Wrongful Deaths.”

The more eternal lamps that were lit, the stronger the soul’s spiritual power would be. Li Ying thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps that’s the reason.”

Cui Xun nodded, then fell silent. He gazed at the plum blossoms covering the trees, lost in thought. Seeing him deep in contemplation, Li Ying didn’t dare disturb him. Instead, she carefully held the plum blossom hidden in her sleeve. The plum blossom, resting on the scented hand warmer, seemed to release a subtle plum fragrance along with the scent of the warmer, intoxicating her.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard, crunching on the fallen snow. Cui Xun’s gaze suddenly froze.

Li Ying followed his line of sight curiously and saw a woman in a red pomegranate-colored skirt standing under a plum tree in the distance. She held a broken plum branch and looked at Cui Xun with an arrogant expression.

The woman’s skin was paler than that of ordinary women, and her facial features were more defined. Her nose was high, and her eyes were very dark. Her features were voluptuous, and she didn’t look like someone from the Central Plains but rather like a Turk.

What surprised Li Ying was not that she was a Turk, but that on her right cheek, there was a lifelike red lotus tattoo. This lotus did not detract from her beauty; rather, it made her entire face appear more vibrant and captivating, making it difficult to look away.

The woman gripped the plum branch and walked step by step through the snow toward Cui Xun. Cui Xun’s expression suddenly changed. His already pale face became even paler. Li Ying saw him clench his teeth, his eyes turning cold, but he eventually bowed with clasped hands: “Greetings, Consort Hui.”

So this woman was Li Ying’s younger brother’s—the current Emperor’s—Consort Hui.

When Li Ying was trapped in the Lotus Pond, she had heard palace maids talking on the shore, saying that the Turks had sent a beautiful princess to form a marriage alliance. The Emperor was very fond of this princess and had immediately made her Consort Hui upon her arrival. The woman’s name was Ashina Jia—could this be the woman before them now?

Ashina Jia held the broken plum branch in her hand. She stepped forward until she was in front of Cui Xun, who was bowing with his head lowered. Ashina Jia used the plum branch to gently lift Cui Xun’s chin. The blossoms on the branch were as vibrant as clouds at sunrise, contrasting with Cui Xun’s snow-white face, making his features appear even more exquisite. Ashina Jia suddenly smiled and said in not very fluent Great Zhou official language, with a Turkic accent: “Although your Central Plains plum blossoms are beautiful, they are not as beautiful as you.”

Cui Xun’s eyes grew colder. He pressed his lips tightly together, furrowed his brow, and pushed away the plum branch that had lifted his chin. Ashina Jia sneered: “Still the same temperament.”

She continued languidly: “I know you don’t want to see me, but I deliberately waited here for you. I found out that today is the anniversary of your mother’s death, so I specifically left the palace to wait for you here.”

Cui Xun coldly said, “Consort Hui, please show some restraint.”

“Restraint?” Ashina Jia laughed. “Are you worthy of saying such words to me?”

She looked Cui Xun up and down, sneering: “You refused to submit to me back in the Turk lands, and I thought you had such integrity. I didn’t expect that once you returned to Great Zhou, you would become the Empress Dowager’s lover. She’s old enough to be your grandmother. It seems your integrity isn’t worth much after all. If that’s the case, why did you endure those two years of torture in vain?”

As she spoke, the previously bewildered Li Ying suddenly recalled the lute maid mentioning that a Turkic princess had liked Cui Xun. Could it be this Turkic woman before them?

When she mentioned “two years of torture,” could the scars all over Cui Xun’s body be her doing?

Cui Xun frowned; he rarely displayed his emotions openly, but facing Ashina Jia, he didn’t bother to hide his disgust. He stepped back twice and said coldly: “If Consort Hui has no other business, this subject will take his leave.”

“Go ahead,” Ashina Jia said coolly. “That old woman won’t have many days left anyway. When she dies, I wonder where you’ll go then.”

A flash of anger crossed Cui Xun’s eyes, but he pressed his lips together and remained silent. Ashina Jia smiled maliciously: “At that time, you will be mine again, Lotus Slave.”

At the words “Lotus Slave,” Cui Xun’s face turned deathly pale. These three words seemed to remind him of an extremely humiliating past. Li Ying became more certain that Cui Xun’s scars were indeed related to Ashina Jia.

Seeing Cui Xun’s ghastly pallor, Ashina Jia’s smile grew more pleased. She seemed to enjoy tormenting Cui Xun. She stepped closer and stroked the lotus tattoo on her face, saying, “Speaking of which, I owe this lotus tattoo to you. Tell me, after your patron dies, how should I punish you? Should I pierce your bones with iron thorned chains and hang you up, or should I strip you naked, put you in a dog cage, and let everyone who passes by see the beauty of the Lotus Slave?”

Cui Xun’s teeth ground audibly. He clenched his fists, glaring at Ashina Jia with fiery eyes. Ashina Jia raised an eyebrow: “What? Do you want to kill me? Hmph, I am now Great Zhou’s Consort Hui. If you dare touch a hair on my head, you won’t need to wait for that old woman to die—the prison of the Dali Temple has been waiting for you for a long time!”

Cui Xun’s knuckles had turned white, his nails digging deep into his palms, causing piercing pain. He gritted his teeth but ultimately decided to swallow the humiliation and turn to leave.

But just then, Cui Xun saw Li Ying squat down and carefully pick up a plum branch from the ground.

Ashina Jia suddenly felt a tug on her arm. She turned around but saw nothing.

Then she felt another hit on the back of her head. Ashina Jia was furious, but looking left and right, she still saw nothing.

Li Ying was hitting her on the arm and shoulder with the plum branch, muttering, “Why don’t you leave? Why don’t you leave?”

Ashina Jia’s expression finally changed. She said anxiously, “This plum garden… has ghosts! Ghosts!”

She fled in panic without looking back. Li Ying sighed in relief: “Finally, she’s gone.”

She tossed away the plum branch and turned to look at Cui Xun. She wanted to offer him some comfort, but as the words reached her lips, she didn’t know what to say.

Cui Xun’s face was still paler than the pristine white snow, and in his eyes, there was a trace of bewildered helplessness. He glanced at Li Ying without thanking her, then turned away, clutching his crane-patterned robe tightly around him, and walked away with his head bowed.

Li Ying watched his solitary figure, biting her lip. She sighed: “Let it be.”

From the way Cui Xun had stubbornly refused to faint in front of others the previous night, she knew that he was not shameless as the world claimed, but rather had extremely strong self-esteem. Therefore, having his most humiliating past witnessed by her must have been extremely mortifying for him.

Li Ying took out the plum blossom that had fallen from Cui Xun’s shoulder, which she had placed on her scented hand warmer in her sleeve. She gently held it to her nose, inhaling its rich fragrance. For the first time, she was somewhat curious about what this man, described by many as a treacherous official who had surrendered to the Turks, had experienced.

As she smelled the red plum blossom, she silently speculated. Suddenly, she heard hurried footsteps: “Wasn’t Consort Hui in the plum garden? Why can’t we find her?”

Several elegantly dressed noble ladies arrived in haste. Among them, one was Wang Ranxi, whom Li Ying had been seeking.