As the sun rose behind the mountains, morning mist swirled through the bamboo grove behind Shu Xiang Temple. The wind rustled through the bamboo, alternating between clamor and stillness, accompanying the chanting from the temple and creating an otherworldly atmosphere.
A man and a woman stood before a newly completed grave. The man, tall with broad, sturdy shoulders, was Feng Suige. He silently observed Fu Yixiao standing beside him. After a long while, he advised softly, “The mist is so heavy, your outer robe is soaked. Why don’t you go back and change clothes before returning?”
Yixiao’s eyes remained fixed on the cold, damp paper ashes in front of the tombstone. She seemed to be in a trance, showing no reaction for a long time. Feng Suige sighed inwardly and gave up trying to persuade her.
The woman before him was a mixture of ice and fire. At this moment, the usually blazing fire was deeply buried beneath layers of ice, painfully suppressing her grief and refusing to let anyone share her burden.
“My mother was originally a maid in the Fu family,” Yixiao suddenly spoke. “Even after she married my father, she never had a good day. The concubines from powerful families often bullied her, and the First Madam treated her like a servant. My father was biased and joined in scolding her.”
“Later, when I joined the army and achieved military merit, His Highness granted me an independent courtyard. I was so excited I nearly went mad. I asked His Highness for leave and rushed back to the capital, wanting to bring my mother to Lu City.” Yixiao’s lips curved in a bitter smile. “But my mother said she had been taking care of my father’s daily needs for so many years, and she worried he wouldn’t be used to it if she left.”
“She thought of herself as the one irreplaceable person in my father’s life,” Yixiao’s voice lowered as if something was caught in her throat. “But in my father’s eyes, she was far from being the only one.” As she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes.
Since she was old enough to understand, no matter how great the setbacks or injustices she faced, no matter how desperate the frustrations and unfairness she encountered, she always reminded herself not to cry easily. Now, at her mother’s grave, the long-suppressed pain finally broke through like a flood. She still instinctively tilted her head back, trying to prevent the tears from falling.
Feng Suige listened quietly, his eyes full of understanding.
The mist permeating the bamboo grove seemed tinged with infinite sorrow. The morning light filtered through the dense bamboo leaves, casting a golden glow on the grave. A morning breeze blew through the grove, causing the nearly burnt-out white candles in front of the grave to flicker weakly before finally extinguishing. Feng Suige took out a tinderbox from his robe and crouched down to relight the candles.
Before he could fully stand up, there was a faint sound from behind the grave—footsteps lightly treading on fallen leaves. Feng Suige growled alertly, “Who’s there?” The footsteps paused briefly before continuing, and a voice cautiously called out, “Princess…”
Yixiao suddenly raised her head, looking around. “Who is it?”
Another cool breeze blew, and the corner of a cyan robe fluttered by the side of the tomb. Feng Suige had already pounced, grabbing the newcomer’s collar and pinning him against the stone wall. He demanded fiercely, “My men are all around. How did you get in here?”
The man didn’t resist, relaxing his limbs as Feng Suige pressed him against the cold tomb wall. He spoke calmly and deliberately, “I am Xing Ye, Deputy General to General Ning. I’ve been waiting here for the Princess for a day and a night.”
Fu Yixiao had wiped away her tears and rushed over. When she saw who it was, she exclaimed, “Deputy General Xing…”
Feng Suige slowly released Xing Ye, who immediately fell to his knees with a thud. His voice was filled with anguish, yet still unable to fully express his grief and anger. “Princess, General Ning, and His Highness have been detained by them. A few days ago, news came that Emperor Sheng is preparing to execute them on charges of treason…”
Yixiao and Feng Suige exchanged a glance before stepping forward to help him up. Yixiao spoke softly, trying to comfort him, “Don’t panic yet. The situation may not be entirely hopeless. Are you alone in the city?”
Xing Ye slowly shook his head. “There were originally five of us, including me. But a few days ago, when we heard the news about His Highness, Hong-Bo wouldn’t listen to reason and insist on going to the Department of Justice to argue. He never returned. So now, there are only three of us left.”
Yixiao pondered for a moment, then looked at Feng Suige. Seeing him shake his head slightly, she turned back to Xing Ye. “Go back for now and hide well with the other two. This matter is far-reaching. Don’t act rashly. One wrong move could endanger everyone. Rest assured, I will do my best to plead for His Highness and Ning Fei before the Emperor.”
Yixiao lay by the window, her gaze following a fallen leaf blown by the wind across the ground to the wall’s edge, where it finally came to rest. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Feng Suige enter from the outer room. He knocked gently on the door and said in a low voice, “Princess, I have important matters to report…”
Without turning her head, Yixiao interrupted him, “Tell the Prince that the Princess has gone out.”
Feng Suige was startled, nearly stumbling over the threshold. He steadied himself by grabbing the doorframe. “Then who am I speaking to now?”
Yixiao turned her head, raising an eyebrow in imitation of his usual manner. “Wasn’t it the Prince himself speaking just now?”
“All right,” Feng Suige shrugged and turned to leave, muttering loudly as he went, “It’s not really that important anyway. Just a Mr. Fu requesting an audience with the Princess. Since the Princess isn’t here, then…”
“My father?” Yixiao’s whole body trembled as she rushed after Feng Suige like a gust of wind. “Where is he?”
“Oh, has the Princess returned?” Feng Suige smiled, gently pinching her nose. “Indeed, your father has arrived. But he seems to have something difficult to say. I wanted to have someone invite him to the main hall, but he refused. So he’s still waiting at the entrance of the guesthouse. You should go see him quickly.”
Yixiao stood dumbfounded for a moment before lifting her skirt and running outside.
On the bustling palace road in front of the guesthouse, a blue silk sedan chair, symbolizing an official’s status, was parked. Fu Sijun, his hair now completely white, was pacing anxiously beside it. Yixiao, out of breath from running, caught sight of him and couldn’t help but call out, “Father!”
Fu Sijun, who had started to respond instinctively, suddenly realized his mistake. He hurriedly knelt, “Your subject, Fu Sijun, pays respects to the Princess. Long live the Princess, long live, long, long live—”
The clamor around them suddenly seemed very distant. Yixiao stared blankly at Fu Sijun’s back, lost in a daze. After an unknown length of time, a warm hand gently supported her elbow. She heard Feng Suige ask softly, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” she heard herself answer.
“Please rise, Lord Fu,” Seeing that Yixiao was still in a daze, Feng Suige quickly stepped forward to help the now somewhat flustered Fu Sijun to his feet. “It’s noisy and crowded here. Why don’t we go inside…”
“No, no, no,” Fu Sijun took half a step back, unable to resist stealing another glance at Yixiao. Gritting his teeth, he said, “The weather in Jinxiu has been unpredictable lately. Please take good care of your health, Princess. This old servant will regularly send people to clean Madam’s grave. Please don’t worry about it, Your Highness!”
With that, he bowed deeply to Fu Yixiao and Feng Suige, then turned and climbed back into the sedan chair without looking back. Amidst the shouts of the bearers, the blue sedan chair weaved through the crowd, gradually disappearing into the distance.