During the days when Cui Xun was imprisoned in his residence, although he was in chains and given cold leftovers to eat, it was not too unbearable. Li Ying would place the softest white silk woven from mulberry silkworms between his shackles and skin, bring vegetarian delicacies offered to her by the Buddhist temple to sate his hunger, and burn calming incense in his bedchamber every night. Thus, his body didn’t suffer too much hardship. Because he had abandoned all official duties, he had more time to rest, and his complexion looked somewhat better than before. But both he and Li Ying knew that the question of life or death would be determined within this one month.

Li Ying felt very confused. “You didn’t kill General Guo. The cut marks on General Guo’s head would certainly be different from those made by your iron-framed bow’s string. So, how can Jin Ni be so sure that once General Guo’s head is delivered to the Great Zhou, it would condemn you to death?”

“The iron-framed bow has already been confiscated by the Dali Temple,” Cui Xun said. “With Pei Guanyue’s abilities, stealing the iron-framed bow, using its string to sever a head, and then having an experienced coroner forge that head to look like a skull that has been dead for six years is not a difficult task.”

“You mean, even if the Turks send General Guo’s head, Pei Guanyue would still substitute a fake head to frame you?”

Cui Xun nodded. “Initially, he probably didn’t want to go to such trouble.”

But Consort Hui’s sudden change of heart had forced Pei Guanyue to adopt Jin Ni’s strategy. Perhaps Pei Guanyue had already cursed Jin Ni thousands of times in private. One lie requires countless more lies to cover it up, and if there’s the slightest error in between, all efforts would be wasted, and there would be no way back.

Pei Guanyue was now just thankful that Cui Xun was imprisoned in his residence, with only himself there, making it impossible for Cui Xun, despite his far-reaching connections, to save himself in this one month. But what he didn’t know was that although there wasn’t a second person in the Cui residence, there was still a ghost.

Li Ying’s eyes brightened. “Since we’ve guessed Pei Guanyue’s plan, things are much easier to handle.”

Having foreseen his scheme, they could now take preemptive action.

While Cui Xun was confined to his residence, Li Ying could come and go freely.

However, although Li Ying could freely enter and exit the Cui residence and relay messages for Cui Xun, she ultimately couldn’t appear before others. There were many things she couldn’t do.

So Li Ying thought of a person.

Yu Fuwei.

In the luxurious mansion of Qunxian Ward, Yu Fuwei hurriedly arrived at the Peony Garden. Li Ying was resting her chin on her hand, sitting on the green grass, watching a Western Regions musician play the vertical-headed konghou. The konghou’s sound was clear and melodious. When Yu Fuwei saw Li Ying, a warm smile involuntarily lifted the corners of his mouth. He suppressed his joy, first asked the Western Regions musician to temporarily withdraw, then strolled to Li Ying and smiled, “A few days ago, Cui Xun’s residence was surrounded, and I was worried about the Princess. Fortunately, the Princess is safe.”

Li Ying smiled gently. “They can’t see me, so how could anything happen to me?”

“That may be true, but I was still concerned,” Yu Fuwei said.

Li Ying stood up. She had something to say, but as the words reached her lips, she hesitated. Yu Fuwei had already noticed this, but pretended not to see and walked with Li Ying into the peony clusters. The peony garden of the Yu residence had been planted with hundreds of peonies, with brilliant colors and magnificent splendor. Among them, there were more than a dozen newly planted ones. These dozen flowers were snow-white, pure, and lustrous like jade. Li Ying couldn’t help saying, “Moon Palace Flowers?”

Yu Fuwei nodded. “Indeed, they are Moon Palace Flowers.”

Moon Palace Flowers, also called Night-Luminous White Peonies, were among the finest of peonies. The Moon Palace Flower was exquisite and translucent, with a refined fragrance. But beautiful as the flowers were, Li Ying was somewhat distracted. Seeing her absent-minded appearance, Yu Fuwei secretly sighed in his heart. He spoke first, “Princess, this time Cui Xun is doomed. You should not be implicated by him.”

Li Ying shifted her gaze from the Moon Palace Flowers and looked at Yu Fuwei. “Mr. Yu, I came to find you today precisely because of this matter…”

Before she could finish, Yu Fuwei rushed to say, “Princess, please hear me out first.”

Li Ying was slightly taken aback. Yu Fuwei continued, “Cui Xun has already done enough evil by surrendering to the Turks and carrying out cruel interrogations. But who would have thought he could even commit the act of killing his former general? This is simply an outrage against both gods and men, an offense against heaven’s principles. I despise such a scoundrel. Please, Princess, speak no more for him.”

Li Ying argued, “Mr. Yu, this isn’t true.”

“If this isn’t true, then what is?” Yu Fuwei felt that Li Ying was blinded by infatuation. He shook his head and said, “Cui Xun is merely somewhat good-looking. Princess, don’t be deceived by his appearance.”

Li Ying was stunned. “It’s not like that…”

Seeing that she was still defending Cui Xun, Yu Fuwei felt disheartened. He said disappointedly, “If the Princess has come today for Cui Xun’s sake, then please leave.”

After this rebuke from him, Li Ying felt somewhat embarrassed. But then she thought, if a few reproaches from Yu Fuwei made her feel so uncomfortable, how must Cui Xun feel after enduring countless denouncements over these years?

She took a deep breath. He had walked alone through a sea of infamy for six years. This time, she was determined to defend him thoroughly and passionately.

Li Ying stepped forward, looking directly at Yu Fuwei, and said frankly, “Mr. Yu, you say I’m bewitched by Cui Xun’s handsome appearance. Yes, I admit I am attracted to his looks. But appreciation of beauty is common to all, and though I am a woman, I also have the right to admire a beautiful appearance. However, if you think I defend Cui Xun solely because of his looks, then you are mistaken.”

Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes. “If you, like me, had seen a supposedly cowardly surrendered general whose body was covered with numerous torture wounds, being humiliated and tormented like a beast by a Turkish princess who supposedly had deep feelings for him, you would also doubt his alleged surrender. And if you, like me, had seen a supposedly cruel and merciless official vomit blood in extreme pain upon hearing of his friend’s wrongful death, and even bow his head and kneel before others to find his friend’s remains, you would also doubt his alleged cruelty and mercilessness. As for being a court favorite who uses his looks to curry favor, if a woman whose husband died many years ago employs a handsome young man, causing rumors and gossip, and if that constitutes using one’s looks to curry favor, then I have nothing more to say.”

Yu Fuwei was dumbfounded by her speech. Li Ying continued slowly, “You all accuse him of being narrow-minded and vindictive, yet I’ve seen that he never retaliated against the officials, commoners, or entertainers who insulted him. You all accuse him of being harsh, ungrateful, and rebellious, yet I’ve seen him give all the salary and rewards he’s received over three years to the families of his fallen comrades, while living simply himself. You all accuse him of killing his former general, an outrage against gods and men, yet I’ve seen how he regarded his former general as a father, and how this proud man nearly choked with grief because his general’s corpse was desecrated.”

Li Ying paused, then spoke her final words with deliberate emphasis: “Mr. Yu, I am not bewitched by Cui Xun’s appearance. I am bewitched by what lies behind his appearance—the emotion and righteousness, the blood and tears.”

Yu Fuwei was completely stunned. After a while, he finally said in amazement, “I have never heard these things before.”

“Because no one has ever defended him,” Li Ying said. “He doesn’t like to explain himself, but I’m different. The more I see, the more I want to speak up for him.”

Yu Fuwei said nothing more, but there was still an expression of surprise on his face. Li Ying said, “Mr. Yu, if you still think I shouldn’t have come here today, then I’ll leave now.”

She waited for Yu Fuwei’s answer. Yu Fuwei pressed his lips together and finally spoke, “What does the Princess need me to do?”

At his words, Li Ying finally let out a sigh of relief. She said, “Mr. Yu, thank you for believing in Cui Xun.”

Yu Fuwei shook his head. “I don’t believe in Cui Xun. I believe in the Princess.”

Li Ying was slightly taken aback. Yu Fuwei added, “What the Princess has seen must be true. So perhaps Cui Xun is not the kind of person I thought he was. For the Princess’s sake, I am willing to set aside my prejudices and get to know this Junior Minister of the Investigation Department again.”

Li Ying couldn’t help but smile gently. “Whether Mr. Yu believes in Cui Xun or me, I still must thank Mr. Yu.”

As the weight lifted from her heart, this smile outshone all the national treasure peonies in the garden. Yu Fuwei was momentarily dazed. He couldn’t help but avoid Li Ying’s gaze, turning his head to look at the snow-white Moon Palace Flowers. “How should I help Cui Xun?”

Li Ying said, “Cui Xun is imprisoned by the Dali Temple in his residence. I can only relay messages, but as a ghost, others cannot see me, which is ultimately inconvenient. May I ask for Mr. Yu’s assistance?”

Yu Fuwei nodded. “Of course.”

Seeing his agreement, Li Ying felt somewhat guilty. She said, “This matter is somewhat dangerous. Whatever payment Mr. Yu wants, please feel free to name it.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Fuwei smiled. “What I want in payment is a priceless treasure, something that money cannot buy.”

Li Ying thought that no matter how precious it was, she should be able to afford it. So she said, “Please tell me, Mr. Yu.”

Yu Fuwei didn’t answer, but looked at the vertically headed konghou left by the Western Regions musician. He said, “We’ll discuss the payment later. The musician’s konghou piece was not yet finished, and half a melody left incomplete always leaves one feeling unsatisfied. Does the Princess know how to play the konghou?”

Yu Fuwei was doing Li Ying such a great favor, and she was very grateful to him. She said, “Indeed, I do know how to play.”

Having been trained by renowned teachers, she had studied all aspects of the four arts—qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Naturally, she was also proficient with the vertically headed konghou. She walked to the konghou, sat down properly, and her delicate white fingers plucked the twenty-three strings. A clear melody flowed from her fingertips, like ethereal immortal music, or like a flowing crystal spring. Yu Fuwei could even see the bright moon reflected in that clear spring.

Beside her were the swaying, blooming Moon Palace Flowers. The flowers moved with the wind, and the moon moved with the ripples. Yu Fuwei slowly closed his eyes, immersing himself completely in this konghou melody.

The tip of his nose was filled with the lingering, delicate fragrance of the Moon Palace Flowers. At this moment, he forgot everything. He forgot his merchant status, forgot the painful thoughts of his unfulfilled ambitions, forgot the twenty years of unwillingness and resentment. Instead, he was filled with complete tranquility and peace.

As the piece concluded, Yu Fuwei slowly opened his eyes. “Thank you, Princess. Now, what do you need me to do? Please feel free to tell me.”

Li Ying couldn’t help saying, “But I haven’t given Mr. Yu his payment yet.”

Yu Fuwei smiled. “The Princess has already given it.”

Li Ying was momentarily stunned. Yu Fuwei said, “A konghou melody—this is the payment I wanted.”