In Penglai Palace, the court lamps flickered and incense curled in the air. Behind the pearl curtains, the Empress Dowager reclined on her couch, listening to the Imperial Secretary report that Guo Qinwei’s head had arrived in Chang’an.

She slowly closed her eyes. “I understand.”

The Imperial Secretary tentatively asked, “The head is currently being kept at the Dali Temple. Would Your Highness like Lu Huai to present it for viewing?”

Everyone knew that Guo Qinwei was a general promoted by the Empress Dowager herself. Without her support, Guo Qinwei could never have established the Tianwei Army, let alone secured the position of Deputy Protector of Anxi. Indeed, Guo Qinwei had been a prominent banner of the Great Zhou and a living proof of the Empress Dowager’s achievements.

When Guo Qinwei guarded the Guannei Circuit, the Empress Dowager trusted him completely, providing whatever funds or troops he requested. Now that Guo Qinwei had died tragically with his head separated from his body for six years, the Imperial Secretary naturally assumed the Empress Dowager would be grief-stricken and might wish to see Guo Qinwei’s head out of sentiment for old times.

But the Empress Dowager didn’t even open her eyes. She merely said indifferently, “What’s there to see in an incompetent man?”

The Imperial Secretary was shocked. He suddenly remembered that besides being the Empress Dowager’s favored general, Guo Qinwei was also the main reason she had been forced to return power to the throne. If not for the battle at Luyan Ridge six years ago, the court would still be under the Empress Dowager’s complete control, with no place for Lu Yumin and his faction. He had misread the Empress Dowager’s feelings. Trembling, the Imperial Secretary said, “I shouldn’t have mentioned the defeated general Guo Qinwei. I have sinned.”

This statement irritated the Empress Dowager further. She said coldly, “Do you think I despise Guo Qinwei?”

The Imperial Secretary was confused. He whispered, “Don’t you?”

Otherwise, why would she call Guo Qinwei incompetent?

The Empress Dowager had no patience to explain. She closed her eyes and remained silent. Since returning from the Buddhist hall that day, her temper had worsened. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s displeasure, the Imperial Secretary grew more fearful. He suddenly remembered that with Guo Qinwei’s head arriving in Chang’an, the treason case against Cui Xun would soon be tried. Days earlier, one of the Empress Dowager’s favorites had incited her to execute Cui Xun, but instead, the enraged Empress Dowager had ordered that person beaten to death. The Imperial Secretary thought perhaps the Empress Dowager was concerned about Cui Xun, which explained her poor mood lately. So he said, “Your Highness, Junior Minister Cui is still imprisoned in his home. Lu’s faction intends to have him executed. Please permit me to visit Prime Minister Cui’s residence to discuss ways to save him.”

“Save him?” The Empress Dowager scoffed. “If he cannot save himself, what use is such a waste of space?”

The Imperial Secretary was confused again. The Empress Dowager didn’t seem eager to save Cui Xun, but wasn’t Cui Xun supposedly her most favored courtier? What was happening?

As if sensing his confusion, the Empress Dowager finally opened her eyes. She looked at the young and honest Imperial Secretary beyond the pearl curtain and sighed. “Liang Ping, you are steady, cautious, and meticulous in your work, but reading the minds of your superiors is not your strength. This position of Imperial Secretary doesn’t suit you. Go serve in the Ministry of Revenue instead, which would be more appropriate for you.”

Liang Ping was momentarily stunned, then his eyes filled with tears. Indeed, he was poor at discerning his superiors’ intentions. Though Imperial Secretary was a position he’d worked hard to attain, it had brought him nothing but misery. While the Ministry of Revenue didn’t allow him to remain close to the imperial presence like his current role, it genuinely suited him better. He said emotionally, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

After the Empress Dowager had displayed both kindness and authority, making Liang Ping deeply grateful, she asked, “How will Cui Xun’s treason case proceed in court?”

Liang Ping replied, “I hear they plan to shackle him and take him to the Dali Temple in a prisoner’s cart for trial. However, Lu Huai disagrees, saying that a suspect who hasn’t been convicted shouldn’t be treated this way.”

The Empress Dowager smiled lightly. “Lu Huai is indeed a straightforward official.”

Liang Ping said, “Lu Huai is truly straightforward and distinguishes clearly between public and private matters, but one man alone cannot overcome Lu’s faction.”

There was another sentence he dared not speak: Lu Huai, alone, could even less resist His Majesty.

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes again. She remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, “They’ve vented their anger for a month now. That’s enough. Do they still want to humiliate him to death?”

This statement seemed to indicate the Empress Dowager was standing up for Cui Xun, but Liang Ping didn’t dare speculate about whom she meant when she spoke of someone venting anger on Cui Xun.

He couldn’t wait to begin his new position at the Ministry of Revenue.

The fragrance from the hollow gold sachet in the Empress Dowager’s palm drifted to her nose. After a moment of silence, she finally said, “Liang Ping, go and convey my decree: Cui Xun shall wear his official robes to court. Before the case is clarified, no one is permitted to humiliate him further.”

Liang Ping was surprised. The Empress Dowager wouldn’t save Cui Xun, yet she wouldn’t allow others to humiliate him either. Unable to guess her intentions, he could only respond, “Yes, Your Highness.”

After Liang Ping left, the herbal fragrance from the sachet mingled with the sandalwood scent in the great hall, creating a rich, sweet aroma that gradually calmed the Empress Dowager’s mind. Liang Ping thought she despised Guo Qinwei, but that wasn’t true. She merely regretted that he had trusted the wrong person, leading to his downfall.

The destruction of the Tianwei Army was unjust, and she knew it. She was also aware that for three years, Cui Xun had been openly and secretly trying to redress the injustice done to the Tianwei Army. But the matter was settled, and with six prefectures in Guannei Circuit still in Turkic hands, she couldn’t risk public outrage by reopening the case of the Tianwei Army.

Besides herself, even Cui Songqing, known as the commoner minister, had chosen to ignore the honor and lives of these fifty thousand men and instead focused his limited energy on more meaningful ideals.

No one would dwell in the past.

Except Cui Xun.

Although she disliked Cui Xun—disliked his Boling Cui clan identity, his lack of integrity, his fawning sycophancy, his scheming nature—sometimes she had to admit that the man possessed a kind of solitary courage.

He had at least done right by Guo Qinwei.

At the Cui residence in Xuanyang Ward, jailers from the Dali Temple were removing the shackles that had tormented Cui Xun for a month. A jailer said, “The Empress Dowager has decreed that Junior Minister Cui should wear his official robes to court.”

Cui Xun silently nodded. He was somewhat confused. He knew His Majesty despised him because of the rumors about him and the Empress Dowager. The month in shackles was likely His Majesty’s idea, and naturally, he would be transported to court in a prisoner’s cart, losing all dignity. But in everyone’s eyes, he had no dignity to preserve anyway, and even the Empress Dowager thought so. He didn’t understand why the Empress Dowager would now show mercy, even risking discord with His Majesty to preserve his face.

For the past three years, he had become adept at discerning the intentions of his superiors. He could usually guess seven or eight parts out of ten of the Empress Dowager’s thoughts, but when it came to her attitude toward him, he truly couldn’t fathom it.

Since he couldn’t understand it, he decided not to try. There were more important matters at hand.

He removed his white hemp prisoner’s clothes and changed into clean, deep crimson official robes, fastened his belt, and prepared to leave for his trial at the Dali Temple.

But his steps suddenly halted because Li Ying had passed through the closed wooden door and now stood silently before him.

Li Ying’s face showed concern, but she still tried to maintain her composure. She said, “These official robes suit you better.”

Cui Xun couldn’t help but smile slightly. Li Ying continued, “I’ll burn the prisoner’s clothes later. I don’t want to see them again.”

Cui Xun made a sound of agreement. There were no marks from the shackles on his wrists and ankles. When the jailers first brought spoiled food, Li Ying threw it out and replaced it with delicious vegetarian delicacies. So, apart from restricted movement, he hadn’t suffered much hardship. He said, “Thank you for taking care of me this past month, Princess.”

Li Ying sighed. “I would rather have had no occasion to care for you.”

Her words were charmingly frank, and Cui Xun felt a warmth in his heart. Looking at her radiant face, he wondered fleetingly what virtues he possessed to earn her favor.

After this questioning came shame. She was so beautiful, so good. She shouldn’t be a wandering ghost. How could he, out of selfish desire for her warmth, entice her to remain in the mortal world?

Cui Xun pressed his lips together, hesitated, but still said, “After this trial, I’ll find a way to learn the truth about the Princess’s death from Jin Ni.”

Hearing this, Li Ying frowned. “I don’t want to investigate. Don’t trouble yourself.”

Cui Xun was slightly taken aback. Li Ying said, “If I investigate, I’ll have to be reincarnated. I don’t want to be reincarnated.”

As for why she didn’t want to be reincarnated, she didn’t say, but Cui Xun knew.

Cui Xun’s throat moved. He had many things he wanted to say, but they all became a single sigh: “Why insist?”

Li Ying looked at him steadily. “Never mind whether I reincarnate or not. Aren’t you going to court now?”

“Yes.”

“Who will preside?”

“Lu Huai.”

“Lu Huai is an upright person, but his uncle stands behind him. Can he truly be impartial?” Li Ying didn’t quite believe it.

If Lu Huai could be impartial, why hadn’t he dealt with the person who sent those ruffians to break into Cui Xun’s residence?

Yu Fuwei had told her everything. He said He Shisan had confessed to Lu Huai, who had instigated him, but there had been no follow-up. Presumably, Lu Huai had let the matter drop out of consideration for his uncle.

So Li Ying couldn’t trust Lu Huai.

But Cui Xun said, “It will be fine.”

Li Ying was still worried. Although he had made preparations, this journey remained extremely dangerous. If he failed, he would never return.

She bit her lip, then suddenly removed the five-colored brocade sachet hanging at her waist and placed it in Cui Xun’s hand. “This contains a lock of my hair. Take it with you to court.”

She continued, “Although you have always rejected me, and just now still hoped I would be reincarnated, I won’t change my mind. I said I would always be with you. Since I can’t accompany you to court this time, I can only let this lock of hair represent me. Where the lock of hair is, I am there too.”

Cui Xun stared at the peony-patterned five-colored brocade sachet in his palm. The stitches were fine and dense, the pattern exquisite. Li Ying forced a light smile. “This lock of hair is my precious possession. You must return alive to give it back to me. Otherwise, I’ll be very sad.”

Cui Xun looked up. The young woman’s eyes were filled with deep concern—concern for his safety. Cui Xun slowly tightened his grip on the sachet and said softly, “All right.”

Cui Xun left the residence, got into a carriage, and headed for the Dali Temple.

Like the Investigation Office, the Dali Temple was located in Yining Ward of Chang’an. The carriage moved quickly, driven by a jailer from the Dali Temple. Mounted jailers from the Dali Temple rode alongside the carriage, ostensibly as escorts but serving as guards who preserved his dignity.

The sachet in his palm seemed to retain Li Ying’s warmth. Throughout the journey, Cui Xun held onto it, his expression inscrutable. Only when the carriage reached the Dali Temple did he lower his eyes and place the sachet in his sleeve.

After alighting from the carriage, he followed the jailers to the main hall. As soon as he entered, he was somewhat stunned.

Because on the dais, besides Lu Huai, who was presiding over the trial, sat the Empress Dowager and the Longxing Emperor.