The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Pei Guanyue could never have imagined that after he secretly ordered the substitution of a fake head, that head would again be switched by Cui Xun’s men. This wasn’t entirely Pei Guanyue’s fault—how could he have known that in the tightly surrounded Cui residence, there was a ghost constantly delivering messages for Cui Xun?

In the Cui residence, Cui Xun carefully examined the letter written by Yu Fuwei. After reading it, he placed the letter over the candlelight and burned it. Li Ying said, “Yu Fuwei says everything has been arranged properly, but the Türkic Yabgu is guarding General Guo’s head very strictly. The spies haven’t been able to get it yet.”

“It’s fine,” Cui Xun replied. His face still bore traces of pallor from his recent illness. He coughed a few times, but instead of stopping, the cough grew increasingly severe. Li Ying looked at him with concern. Cui Xun forcibly suppressed the urge to cough rising from his chest. He managed a smile, avoiding her concern about his health, and said, “As long as we know the whereabouts of General Guo’s head, there are other ways.”

But Li Ying persisted, “Cui Xun, are you alright?”

Cui Xun shook his head. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

Li Ying bit her lip slightly. “In Ashina Jia’s memories, I saw that Ashina Wuduo often hung you outside the felt tent during winter. Sometimes for several days at a time. Your sensitivity to cold—it’s an ailment left from that time, isn’t it?”

Cui Xun was momentarily stunned. This experience was something he didn’t particularly want to discuss. Li Ying also knew of his pain and generally avoided mentioning it, but for some reason, she brought it up today.

Li Ying seemed to perceive his unspoken question. Looking at him, she said, “I just feel that you, Cui Wangshu, are the most resilient person I have ever met.” She smiled bitterly. “I often wonder, if I were in your place, how long could I have endured? I think probably no more than ten days.”

She continued, “Not just me—anyone in the world should consider how many days they could last. Cui Xun, you always feel that your experience brings you shame. You said that in the Türk lands, you weren’t a person but livestock. I understand—the prisoner presentation ceremony, and also…” She paused, then continued, “They all caused you great harm. You were the son of a noble family, one who would rather die than be humiliated. But I don’t see it as humiliation; rather, I see it as the same pride as Su Wu herding sheep in captivity.”

Her voice gradually became firmer. “If one day the world learns of everything you’ve done, I believe no one would consider it shameful.”

She said, “So, Cui Xun, when you were among the Türks, you weren’t livestock; you were a hero.”

Cui Xun stared at her intently. Her eyes sparkled like stars, full of frankness and sincerity. Perhaps she was too sincere, causing Cui Xun to momentarily feel bewildered. Hero… he had never imagined that this word could be associated with him.

He lowered his head, hiding the emotion that appeared in his eyes. He murmured, “You still remember what I said that day…”

He hadn’t expected that the words he used when rejecting Li Ying—about being livestock or a vicious dog—would be brought up by her today, just to comfort him.

Li Ying nodded. “I remember, because your words kept me awake for several nights. When I thought about them in the middle of the night, I would sit up and tell myself: you’re not a vicious dog or livestock. But then I thought, what good does it do for me to tell myself? You don’t know. I need to tell you.”

She pressed her lips together, then added, “I know you don’t like to talk about what happened in the Türk lands, but even if you blame me, I still need to say it—I can’t stand to hear you speak about yourself that way.”

Cui Xun didn’t speak, only keeping his head lowered. After a while, he said hoarsely, “I won’t blame you.”

“Hmm?”

“I won’t blame you,” Cui Xun softly repeated. “In the future, I won’t speak about myself that way anymore.”

Li Ying immediately felt relieved. “Then I can finally get a good night’s sleep.”

Hearing this, Cui Xun couldn’t help but laugh softly. When he laughed, it was like spring water melting ice—the corners of his eyes and the tips of his eyebrows all radiated warmth. It was quite a beautiful sight. Li Ying was momentarily entranced. When she came to her senses, she lowered her head in embarrassment. When she looked up again, she noticed a few strands of Cui Xun’s hair scattered at his temples. Born into a noble family, Cui Xun had always maintained a proper appearance, but weakened by his recent illness, he had simply pinned his hair with a jade hairpin. However, due to his weak wrists and the limitations of the shackles, he hadn’t done it well. Seeing those few loose strands, Li Ying said, “Cui Xun, let me tie your hair for you.”

As usual, Cui Xun refused. “This isn’t something a Princess of the Great Zhou should do.”

Li Ying asked, “Then what do you think a Princess of the Great Zhou should do? Does being a princess mean one must maintain pride and wait for the beloved to approach, rather than actively approaching the one she loves?”

She paused, then added, “A Princess of the Great Zhou also has the right to actively pursue love.”

She spoke so frankly and passionately that Cui Xun couldn’t refuse. He dared not refuse, fearing that if he did, she would say even more things that he couldn’t handle or answer.

Before the bronze mirror, Li Ying gently removed the jade hairpin, and his black hair immediately cascaded down like a waterfall. Li Ying took a silver comb and gently combed his hair, then carefully pinned it up with the jade hairpin. No more loose strands remained at his temples. While she was combing his hair, Cui Xun remained quiet, watching her in the bronze mirror. The young woman beside him had a beautiful face and a gentle expression. Afraid of hurting him, her movements were very slow and light. She truly cared about him, just as she had said—she didn’t want him to suffer even the slightest harm.

The scene was so beautiful that he almost felt it was unreal. Was this truly not a dream?

But he quickly recalled that day when she had embraced him and looked up to ask, “Cui Xun, am I a dream?”

His body seemed to still retain her warmth from that day. Suddenly, he felt relieved. This was not a dream.

It was real.

She truly existed.

When Li Ying had secured Cui Xun’s hair bun with the jade hairpin, she noticed him staring blankly into the bronze mirror. She couldn’t help asking, “What are you thinking about?”

Cui Xun looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled wryly. “I was thinking that if the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager knew you were tying my hair, they would probably kill me.”

Li Ying smiled. “Are my father and mother really that frightening?”

Cui Xun also smiled. “Perhaps only the Princess thinks they are not frightening.”

The imperial couple, feared like tigers by everyone in the world, only became gentle as wool around Li Ying’s little finger.

Li Ying smiled. “No, you’re the one I care for. If Father and Mother knew, they would be kind to you too.”

Cui Xun made no reply. The late Emperor and Empress Dowager had chosen men like Zheng Yun for Li Ying—those with pure family backgrounds, gentle temperaments, as clear and bright as the wind and moon. They just hadn’t anticipated Wang Ranxi.

They wouldn’t like him.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager disliked him very much.

People in the world said he was the Empress Dowager’s favorite, which was completely unjust. Only Cui Xun himself knew clearly that the Empress Dowager treated him like any ordinary official, or perhaps even worse than an ordinary official.

In her heart, the Empress Dowager had always despised him.

That disdain was not directed at him but was an extension of her hatred—because the Empress Dowager despised his uncle, Cui Songqing, her disdain extended to him as well. The reason she employed him as the Deputy Commissioner of the Investigation Office was simply because he was a useful tool.

Just as the late Emperor had viewed Jin Ni—Jin Ni was a despicable person, and the late Emperor must have disliked him as well. But when an emperor employs people, how can it be based solely on personal preferences? As long as someone is useful, they are used. If appointments were made purely based on likes and dislikes, how could one maintain stable rule over the realm?

However, the Empress Dowager hated Cui Songqing, yet when Cui Xun, as the only survivor of the Imperial Guards, returned from the Türks and was imprisoned in the Dali Temple jail for an entire year, the Empress Dowager showed no concern. Why had she suddenly gone to the Dali Temple jail after a year, ignoring memorial after memorial from the censors, disregarding the whispers of the common people, and defying public opinion to rescue him?

If it were only because he was a useful tool, there were far too many useful tools in the world to make this necessary.

This matter had always puzzled Cui Xun.

While he was pondering this, Li Ying noticed a few strands of his black hair wrapped around the teeth of the silver comb. She removed the hair from the comb teeth, looked at it for a moment, and instead of discarding it, quietly tucked it into her sleeve.

That night, the Empress Dowager, whom Cui Xun was certain would never like him, was reclining on a couch. A young man knelt beside her, gently massaging her shoulders.

The young man’s appearance was not as beautiful as Cui Xun’s but rather had a martial air. His technique was skilled and quite comfortable. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was resting her head on her hand, her expression not as cold as usual, the young man boldly said, “Empress Dowager, Cui Xun killed his commanding officer, enraging both gods and men. The common people hate him so much they gnash their teeth.”

The Empress Dowager did not speak. After a long while, she finally raised the corner of her mouth in what was almost a smile. “It sounds like you want me to kill him?”

The young man was startled and respectfully said, “It’s not that Xingzhi wants Your Majesty to kill him; it’s the common people who want Your Majesty to kill him. Your Majesty has confined Cui Xun to his residence instead of imprisoning him, and the people think Your Majesty is showing favoritism. Xingzhi is only thinking of Your Majesty’s reputation.”

The Empress Dowager sneered. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to compete with him for my favor?”

Upon hearing these words about competing for favor, the young man was speechless. After a moment, he said softly, “Everything Xingzhi does is for Your Majesty.”

“You say it’s for me, but it’s really for yourself,” the Empress Dowager said languidly. “You want to incite me to kill Cui Xun? You dare?”

The last three words were as cold as an ice dagger. Even though the young man was foolish, he could hear the anger in the Empress Dowager’s tone. Frightened, he scrambled off the couch and knelt. “Your Majesty, please spare me.”

After pleading for mercy, he still felt dissatisfied. Why should Cui Xun hold the fourth-rank position of Deputy Commissioner of the Investigation Office when he had no official position at all? Gathering his courage, he looked up at the Empress Dowager, whose appearance showed no signs of aging and remained quite beautiful. “Your Majesty, Xingzhi just feels it’s unfair. Cui Xun has caused Your Majesty too much trouble. Why keep such a person? Whatever Cui Xun can do for Your Majesty, Xingzhi can do too. Xingzhi is younger, more handsome, and better able to please Your Majesty than he is.”

The Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes and looked coldly at the kneeling young man, as if looking at the most foolish insect. “You don’t think Cui Xun gained my favor with his looks, do you?”

The young man was dumbfounded. “Isn’t… isn’t that the case?”

The Empress Dowager had been widowed for twenty years, and rumors had never ceased. Yet among those around her, only Cui Xun had obtained such a high position. If not for his appearance, what else could it be?

If Cui Xun could do it, so could he.

The Empress Dowager glanced at him, finding it somewhat amusing. “You want to replace Cui Xun as Deputy Commissioner of the Investigation Office? Yet you don’t know that he has never even been on this couch.”

The young man was even more stunned. The Empress Dowager was already too disgusted to explain further to him. She simply said, “A plaything should know its place as a plaything. I despise those who think themselves clever.”

The young man’s face had turned deathly pale. He kowtowed repeatedly. “Your Majesty, please spare me… Your Majesty, please spare me…”

As the Empress Dowager watched him beg for mercy, his face, which should have been vibrant and spirited, was now distorted with fear and looked utterly ugly. She immediately felt revulsion. Her final words came lightly: “What a pity for such a face.”

That night, in Penglai Palace, servants scrubbed the bloodstains from the bluestone floor again and again. But the Empress Dowager was no longer in Penglai Palace; she had gone to the Buddhist Prayer Hall.

The Buddhist Prayer Hall stood at the top of the Daming Palace’s high tower. Besides enshrining Buddha, it also housed the memorial tablets of all the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Empress Dowager walked slowly into the Prayer Hall and silently gazed at one particular tablet.

That was her teacher, her husband, her sovereign.

In her ears, she seemed to hear his voice: “Jiang Lingye, your greatest weakness in life is your soft heart and excessive concern for family ties.”

Those words were spoken when one of Jiang’s aunts had been bribed by Consort De to slander her, claiming she had been involved with someone before entering the palace. After the truth was revealed, she still begged Emperor Taichang to spare her aunt, who had cared for her in the past. That was when Emperor Taichang had spoken those words.

He had also said: “I have nothing more to teach you, except this final lesson: one who wishes to achieve greatness must be willing to kill even one’s closest kin.”

The Empress Dowager looked at the cold tablet and suddenly smiled strangely:

“You said I was soft-hearted. I’ve killed all dozen or so of your sons. Is that enough to graduate from your teachings?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s not right. Even if I killed all your sons, you wouldn’t shed a single tear. A person like you had nothing in your heart except your grand ambitions.”

“What a pity that you died so early, leaving the power you loved so much and the grand enterprises you worried about most in my hands.”

“In the underworld, you must be quite dissatisfied.”

“Before you died, you didn’t even say a word asking for my forgiveness. Was it because you thought it beneath you to ask, or because you knew the answer and didn’t dare to ask?”

She felt as if all strength had left her body. Slowly falling to her knees, her throat emitted a venomous sob: “Listen well, I, Jiang Lingye, will not forgive you. I will never, ever forgive you…”