In the first month of the seventh year of Rongshun, the Grand Tutor was assassinated and his life hung in the balance—this was deemed a great calamity.

The beginning of that day had been very peaceful. The Son of Heaven held a grand banquet in the imperial gardens for court officials and their families. As a first-rank lady by imperial decree, Shen Xiling naturally had to bring Cheng’er and accompany Qi Ying to the palace for the feast.

This year Cheng’er would turn five, and the young emperor was also one year older. Compared to when he first ascended the throne, he had grown considerably. He was taller, his features more resembling his mother, but his expression more like the late emperor in his youth, with hints of romantic charm. However, in front of Qi Ying he dared not show any frivolous behavior and was quite respectful. Upon seeing the Grand Tutor’s family arrive, he personally stood to greet them, repeatedly addressing him respectfully as “Teacher.”

This was Qi Cheng’s first time seeing the young emperor—though this statement might not be entirely accurate, since the Son of Heaven had personally come to the Qi residence to offer congratulations shortly after his birth, so they had met once before. But at that time he was still in swaddling clothes without memory. Now this was truly their first proper meeting. Qi Cheng bowed to the Son of Heaven according to protocol, and the emperor immediately helped him up, saying very amiably: “Cheng’er is young, no need for excessive ceremony—quickly follow your teacher to be seated.”

Though Qi Cheng was not yet old, he already understood principles and naturally knew the reasoning behind the Three Bonds and Five Constants and the proper relationships between ruler and minister. He understood that receiving such courtesy was not according to normal circumstances. Yet he felt no gratitude toward the Son of Heaven, because he had long ago learned some past events from Master Han—for instance, how severely his father and mother had once been harmed by the imperial family.

“Winners are kings, losers are bandits—this is natural law,” Master Han had taught him. “Cheng’er, the principles of this world may appear beautiful, dignified, and complex on the surface, but when stripped bare they are quite simple—just these eight characters.”

“Your father is compassionate and always tolerant toward the defeated, but if positions were reversed, others might not treat him the same way,” Master Han looked at him with his usual meaningful gaze. “Cheng’er, this world will sooner or later belong to the young. Your own path, you must ultimately choose for yourself.”

His path? Qi Cheng vaguely understood Master Han’s meaning, yet couldn’t express it clearly. He knew Master Han had always respected his father, but at this moment he also felt that his teacher seemed to have some criticism of certain aspects of his father’s actions… It was truly complex.

However, such contemplation was inappropriate during a festival. The Lantern Festival was a day for celebration. After his parents brought him out of the palace, they first returned to the main residence. After paying respects to his grandfather and grandmother, he met with his brothers and sisters from the household. Children together were naturally even more joyful, and when it grew darker, they all went out together to view the lanterns.

Shen Xiling also had her own memories of viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival. After all, over ten years ago she had also viewed lanterns with the Qi family like this. At that time she was still very young and had just come to Qi Ying’s side, when he was still indifferent toward her. But now, they had their own child.

The wonder of time made Shen Xiling feel moved while also feeling warm and happy. She enthusiastically bought flower lanterns for the children, spending quite generously. Whatever the children wanted, she bought for them, delighting Tai’er, Nian’er, and the others greatly.

Hui’er had already reached adulthood and was the most sensible, naturally advising Second Aunt not to spend so extravagantly. Shen Xiling laughed and told her not to worry, saying: “Today is a festival—it’s fine to celebrate. I can see that Tai’er and the others are usually quite restrained, so they should have some release.”

Upon hearing this, Tai’er immediately exclaimed “Second Aunt is wise and mighty!” Nian’er also jumped and shouted along. Though Cheng’er said nothing, his beautiful phoenix eyes were sparkling, clearly showing his delight. Shen Xiling felt even happier and continued spending money liberally along the way.

The children walked ahead, led by the Qi Yun couple and Qi Ning, while Shen Xiling and Qi Ying walked behind. She happily looked around at the night market, deeply feeling that today’s Jiankang was remarkably different from over ten years ago. This magnificent and exquisite imperial city remained as brilliant as in the past, but what was different was the much greater number of merchants coming from north and south. Among them were many people from the north, and many passersby spoke dialects from Wei territory. The fusion of east, west, south, and north truly gave the atmosphere of a prosperous age.

And she deeply knew how hard-won all this was.

She felt comforted and satisfied in her heart, thinking that in her lifetime she would definitely continue walking this path. The great river’s north and south should become even more peaceful and prosperous. She wanted to ensure that the scenes of hunger, cold, and displacement she had witnessed during her northern journey years ago would never be repeated.

As she was thinking this, a fox lantern suddenly appeared before her eyes—pink paper-crafted, with an exquisitely beautiful fox face painted on it. Looking up, she saw Qi Ying holding this lantern and offering it to her, his face made even more gentle by the warm lamplight, immediately reminding her of the old Lantern Festival scene from years past.

At that time he had also given her a fox lantern, but hadn’t handed it to her personally—he had merely pretended to accidentally leave it in the carriage, and she had picked it up herself.

Shen Xiling couldn’t help but smile, lightly hitting him and saying: “I’m not a child anymore, why would I want flower lanterns?”

Though she said this, her eyes lit up, looking much the same as Cheng’er when he saw flower lanterns. Qi Ying’s eyes held laughter, but he didn’t expose her in words, indulging her by saying: “I was being unnecessarily nostalgic. Would Madam hold it for me?”

Shen Xiling was coaxed into barely suppressing her laughter, and in the end still awkwardly accepted it, the corners of her mouth constantly upturned, her heart extremely sweet.

She still remembered how much she had treasured that fox lantern he gave her back then. Unfortunately, later at the main residence, Miss Zhao had gotten into a dispute with her, and during their scuffle had made a mess of her room, trampling both that lantern and her little grasshopper to pieces. She had secretly grieved over this for a long time.

These old events had seemed devastating at the time, but now only seemed amusing. She shook her head and quickly stopped thinking about them, then heard Tai’er calling back to them from ahead, shouting for Second Uncle and Second Aunt to come together to the main street to see this year’s great hibiscus lantern.

This lantern was indeed a novel thing new to this year, nearly two zhang tall, requiring a large cart to move it. It was said to be presented by northern merchants, named “Prosperous Age Hibiscus” to celebrate today’s prosperity and flourishing of the great river’s north and south.

Such novel things couldn’t be missed. The children were already extremely excited, clamoring for the adults to take them to see it.

But just at this moment, an ordinary-looking man in common clothes approached Bai Song, who was behind Qi Ying, and whispered a few words to him. Bai Song immediately frowned and said something to Qi Ying.

Shen Xiling knew that the man in common clothes should be an official from the Privy Council. Though Qi Ying no longer directly controlled the Privy Council, it remained his power base, deeply rooted and at his service. For officials from there to seek him out now, something must have happened.

She felt somewhat worried, but then received Qi Ying’s reassuring look. He smiled at her and said to her amid the children’s urging: “You go see the lanterns first, I’ll come shortly.”

Shen Xiling looked at him with concern, somewhat unable to move. He pinched her cheek and said gently: “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

Qi Ying left with Bai Song, leaving guards to secretly protect them. Shen Xiling smiled brightly on the surface while coaxing the children, but her heart was uneasy. Others couldn’t see anything wrong, but only Cheng’er, connected to his mother’s heart, could sense her worry. He stopped playing with his brothers and sisters and kept holding his mother’s hand, comforting her: “Mother, don’t be afraid—Cheng’er is here.”

Though he was so young, his appearance and expression were extremely similar to Qi Ying’s. Shen Xiling smiled and couldn’t help bending down to pick him up. Cheng’er was somewhat unwilling but had no choice, only able to be held by his mother and kissed twice. Fortunately, at this moment the great hibiscus lantern was already appearing at the end of the long street, and his brothers and sisters were all focused on watching the lantern without noticing him being held by his mother, otherwise he would be laughed at!

Just as Qi Cheng was congratulating himself on this, the hibiscus lantern taller than a person gradually approached. The long street was crowded with people shoulder to shoulder, with joyful laughter everywhere. People exclaimed and marveled at that enormous flower lantern. The four large characters “Prosperous Age Hibiscus” on the lantern body were very fitting, and everyone felt genuine happiness: the war was over, this world would become increasingly prosperous and beautiful, increasingly wealthy and peaceful.

They would all enter a true prosperous age together.

Qi Cheng was also gazing at this huge flower lantern. Though he hadn’t personally experienced those chaotic and turbulent years, he knew that the dynasty about to enter this prosperous age was created together by his father and mother.

They… were truly great.

Qi Cheng’s eyes reflected the bright warm light of the flower lantern, his heart filled with indescribable emotions. He couldn’t help beginning to imagine the future—when he grew up, could he also be like his father and mother? At that time he…

As he was thinking this, disaster struck in an instant.

Cold blade light and sword shadows suddenly appeared among the warm lantern firelight. A group of black-clothed masked men suddenly burst out from the lantern, each with murderous gleams in their eyes, rushing to hack and slash at him and his mother!

The crowd let out piercing screams. Innocent common people had already fallen to swords, corpses lying crosswise, blood splattered everywhere.

In the blink of an eye… the prosperous age became hell.

Qi Cheng was still too young. When he saw those cold-gleaming blade edges constantly approaching him and his mother, only blankness remained in his mind, unable to make any response. He felt fear, but even more than fear was complete helplessness… He clearly saw those dangers and wanted to stop them from harming his mother, yet he couldn’t move, only able to be tightly held in his mother’s arms.

His mother held him and turned around, using her delicate body as his shield, protecting him completely and securely, not allowing him to experience any storm beyond her embrace.

He was trembling.

…And in his trembling heard the sound of a blade piercing flesh.

The injured one was his father.

At that critical moment, Qi Ying had rushed back. By then the crowd was already in complete chaos, yet he still immediately spotted his wife and child. He fought against the scattering, fleeing crowd to return to their side, embracing her just as Shen Xiling had protected Cheng’er. The blade pierced his back—if Bai Song hadn’t desperately blocked with his sword at the last moment… he would have been pierced through the heart.

That night the main residence was brightly lit.

They had no time to return to Fenghe Court and could only go to the nearby main residence first. Everyone was panicked and didn’t know what to do, and the children were almost all frightened silly.

Only Shen Xiling remained calm.

She was expressionless, not shedding a single tear, only having people summon a physician and asking Xu Zhengning, who arrived later, to investigate the cause of today’s chaos.

Not a hair out of place.

The physician arrived quickly. Fortunately, with Bai Song’s intervention at the time, Qi Ying’s injury wasn’t fatal, though his left shoulder wound was very deep and he had lost too much blood. He would probably remain unconscious for several days before awakening.

Just after Qi Ying’s condition stabilized, Xu Zhengning also hurriedly came to report that today’s assassins hidden in the flower lantern were all Wei people, but when the Privy Council traced to the source, they discovered that their behind-the-scenes instigator was deeply hidden within Great Liang’s court—it was Marquis Zhongyong, Pan Xian.

Qi Cheng lay by his father’s bedside and saw Master Xu hesitantly take out a paper from his chest and hand it to his mother. His mother opened and read the letter, but actually revealed a cold smile.

This was completely different from his mother’s usual appearance in his memory.

The mother in his heart was gentle and warm, delicate and quiet. Sometimes in front of his father she would even be somewhat childish. She had never shown even the slightest trace of sharpness. She never even got angry—at most she would throw small tantrums with his father.

But now… her eyes held piercing cold light. That was malevolent energy, anger, indelible hatred.

…It was a dark storm.

He saw his mother gently fold the letter, gently adjust his father’s blanket, then expressionlessly say to Master Xu—

“Go to Hualin Garden.”