Li Weifeng kept declaring all the way there: “That place is hard to find — let me guide you. I supervised its construction, I know it well!” — and in the end, he brazen-facedly tagged along with Xie Yuzhang to Xie Family Village.

Once they passed the garrison checkpoint, both sides of the road were lined with Xie Family Village’s fields. As it was still winter, remnants of snow and ice lingered in some corners, while most of the ground lay bare and exposed, giving the place a desolate, bleak appearance.

“At this hour, she should have gone out,” Li Weifeng muttered. “I know where she’ll be. Let me take you there.”

Though Xie Yuzhang had indeed come to see Xie Baozhu, she could not simply ignore everyone else the way Li Weifeng did, so she said: “Take me to my uncle’s home first.”

Li Weifeng had no choice but to take her to Prince Shou’s house.

From the moment they entered the village, they drew a crowd of onlookers. The villagers who had been staying indoors to wait out the winter came running out one after another.

A young child pointed at the beautiful woman on the tall horse and asked: “Who is that?”

His father let fall a tear: “It’s Baohua — it’s your Aunt Baohua.”

Someone called out: “Baohua, you’ve come back!”

Xie Yuzhang replied: “Fourth Great-Uncle, you’re looking well.”

Fourth Great-Uncle said: “Ah, just these old bones, living one day at a time. I heard you made great contributions in Mobei — has the current Emperor rewarded you?”

The news of her enfeoffment was only four days old and had not yet reached the village. Xie Yuzhang said: “His Majesty has enfeoffed me as a princess with the title Yongning.”

A great clamor arose among the clanspeople.

A princess of the former dynasty was allowed to remain a princess under the new dynasty? Such a thing had never been heard of before.

In the rear palace of the founding Emperor of their Xie clan, there had been a princess of the dynasty before the one before last who was taken in as a consort. And that princess’s sister-in-law, the last Empress of that old dynasty, had also been frequently summoned into the palace by the Xie founding Emperor for his pleasure.

But to allow a princess to remain a princess? It had never been seen in the historical records.

Prince Shou was also in the crowd. He had assumed Xie Yuzhang would certainly not recognize him. But Xie Yuzhang spotted this great fat man in the crowd and sighed: “Second Uncle, you’ve gotten fat.”

Prince Shou said: “You can still recognize me?”

Fourth Great-Uncle said: “Don’t be foolish — you’re family. How could she not recognize you?”

Clan members are of varying degrees of kinship. Among those from Marquis Xiaoyao’s immediate family, the only full brother was Prince Shou alone. After Xie Yuzhang had settled into Prince Shou’s home and looked around at the dwelling — in a previous life, after she returned, she had quietly withdrawn into the Xiaoyao Marquisate and only came to Xie Family Village later to collect the bodies of her clanspeople, never having entered Prince Shou’s home itself.

Now, looking at this two-courtyard compound of brick walls and tiled rooms, with a man and woman servant keeping house inside — to Prince Shou as he once was, living amid gold dishes and lavish feasts, this might have been poverty and shabbiness at its most extreme. But compared to the neighboring villages, this was already a well-off household.

The Second Uncle who had once had a flowing, dignified beard and worn refined garments now wore rough silk and had grown round as a ball. Yet it was clear he had no shortage of food or clothing.

Prince Shou called out to the stout-looking maidservant to bring tea, along with some pastries.

“Please, eat, eat,” he urged. “These are from Chen’s Shop — not easy to come by.”

Xie Yuzhang said: “Second Uncle, your life here seems quite comfortable.”

Prince Shou ate his pastry and said: “Mm, it’s all thanks to Ba Ba looking after me. Oh — he’s the old steward from my household, do you remember him? He’s my milk-brother.”

Xie Yuzhang said: “I heard he’s now serving as steward at Marquis Bei Rong’s residence?”

Prince Shou said: “Yes, he’s capable.”

Xie Yuzhang asked: “And Elder Sister Dahu?”

Prince Shou said: “She went down to the fields.”

Xie Yuzhang was taken aback and, after a pause, asked: “In winter — she goes down to the fields too?”

Prince Shou said: “She just likes to go turn the soil every day, get some movement in. Her health has been getting better and better. You’ll see for yourself.”

He called out: “Er’lang, go tell your sister to come back.”

Prince Shou’s two sons had followed Xie Yuzhang inside as well. Hearing this, one said: “No need. Marquis Bei Rong already went.”

“That scoundrel,” Prince Shou scolded. “Coming empty-handed again today.”

Xie Yuzhang could never have imagined that Prince Shou would have become what he was now.

In a previous life, she had only seen him during the New Year ancestral rites. He had grown so fat he seemed ready to burst, his brows heavy with worry. When he saw her, he only entreated her to go into the palace and look in on Xie Baozhu more often, bowing repeatedly to her, his junior, in a gesture of desperate pleading.

Prince Shou said: “You’ve suffered.”

Xie Yuzhang said: “It’s in the past.”

Prince Shou swallowed the last bite of his pastry, rose to his feet, and bowed to Xie Yuzhang.

Xie Yuzhang was startled.

Prince Shou sighed: “Baohua, Uncle did not do well enough the day he escorted you to Mobei. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive Uncle.”

Then he added: “Dahu has already spoken to me about it.”

Xie Yuzhang looked at him for a long moment and said: “It’s in the past.”

Out along the ridge between the fields, Er Ya stood with her hands on her hips, glaring: “Why have you come again!”

“Er Ya.” Xie Baozhu set down her hoe and called to Er Ya to stop, then asked Li Weifeng: “Has my younger cousin returned to the capital?”

Word of Mobei’s submission had been spreading for over two months now. The people of Xie Family Village had also heard from the garrison soldiers that Princess Baohua of the former Zhao, who had accompanied the tributary bridal procession, had played a key role as mediator in bringing about the submission of the five tribes, and that she would be returning in glory.

“You already know everything,” Li Weifeng bared his teeth in a grin, saying, “She’s already in your house right now.”

All the way along the path, he chatted beside Xie Baozhu: “His Majesty enfeoffed her as a princess, bestowed a princess’s residence, a food stipend, and estates.”

“She’s doing very well now. You don’t need to worry about her.”

“Hey, I notice your complexion looks good today. It’s this cold — you shouldn’t be coming down to the fields.”

“Oh, what are you doing working the fields now anyway? Can anything even be grown at this time of year?”

Xie Baozhu stepped through the gate of her own courtyard and saw, through the open doors of the main hall, a young woman sitting in the guest’s seat.

The young woman heard the sound too. Seeing her come in, she also rose, walked a few steps forward, crossed the threshold of the main room, and stood beneath the eaves to look at her.

Xie Baozhu moved forward a few steps and took off the wide-brimmed bamboo hat that shaded her face, setting it down on the stone table in the courtyard. She narrowed her eyes against the sunlight and looked carefully at the young woman.

The two women regarded each other across the courtyard.

In the past, Xie Baozhu had been bedridden for long stretches of time, and she disliked noise. The pastime she loved most was reading.

Her reading was nothing like Princess Anle’s — Anle had studied to carve out a path different from Xie Yuzhang’s, to compete for favor before the Emperor. Xie Baozhu read with genuine dedication: poetry, the classics, history. And she read everything, without discrimination — history, travelogues, story books — she never left her room, yet she knew the local customs and people of countless places. Having read so many historical works, her perspective had grown different, and she naturally had little admiration for those cousins and sisters who knew nothing but eating and drinking, pleasure and adornment.

And so in the eyes of those sisters, she was seen as cold and proud.

In Xie Baozhu’s mind, Xie Yuzhang had always remained that naïve, pampered younger girl who was sheltered from the world. She had even wondered before: how could a girl like that endure life in Mobei?

But now Xie Baozhu stood in the sunlight studying the young woman before her, and found that this was most certainly not her little younger cousin.

Her brows held quiet resolve; her eyes carried clear light; her bearing was straight and upright, like a fine and slender green bamboo. She was an entirely unfamiliar woman.

Had that naïve younger girl… grown into this?

If so, then that growth must have been full of pain.

“You’re back?” Xie Baozhu asked.

Xie Yuzhang looked steadily at this elder sister who was so much healthier than in her memories. She answered: “I’m back.”

Xie Baozhu stepped forward two paces and extended her hand. Xie Yuzhang also stepped forward two paces and clasped Xie Baozhu’s hand.

Xie Baozhu said: “Come to my room to talk.”

The two sisters went hand in hand to the rear courtyard.

Li Weifeng, who could not follow them into the rear courtyard, stood stretching his neck to peer after them in disappointment.

Prince Shou was quite displeased: “Didn’t you go hunting today?”

Li Weifeng: “?”

Prince Shou said: “It’s still a while before the midday meal. Take your men and see what they can catch and bring back.”

Li Weifeng: “Huh?”

Prince Shou said: “Anything will do — rabbits, pheasants, whatever they find.”

Xie Baozhu brought Xie Yuzhang to her own room, had Er Ya add charcoal to the brazier, and sat down with Xie Yuzhang by the window. She looked her over carefully, then nodded and said: “You look well.”

Xie Yuzhang said: “So do you, Elder Sister.”

Both women thought of their last meeting all those years ago, and of the wish they had each carried — that they would both be well.

Their hands on the table clasped each other tightly.

“Zhuzhu, I already know you made great contributions and have been enfeoffed as a princess. The suffering of the past is past — I won’t pry further into it. I have only one question for you.” Xie Baozhu said. “What is the situation between you and the Son of Heaven?”

Xie Yuzhang was taken aback: “How does Elder Sister know?”

Xie Baozhu said: “Because I resemble you. The first time Marquis Bei Rong saw me, he brought me before the Emperor.”

Xie Yuzhang was stunned.

She had assumed that this life, due to all the many changes, Li Gu and Xie Baozhu had simply crossed paths without ever having the chance to meet. She had never imagined that Xie Baozhu and Li Gu had already met.

Seeing her expression of startled uncertainty, Xie Baozhu continued: “But the Emperor did not keep me.”

Xie Yuzhang could not help asking: “Why?”

“Because the Emperor felt that I did not truly resemble you.” Xie Baozhu said. “Zhuzhu, the Emperor has feelings for you — doesn’t he?”

Xie Yuzhang admitted: “He and I met when we were young. There was indeed a mutual affection between us.”

Mutual affection? The Emperor’s feelings for Zhuzhu had always been far more than mere affection.

Xie Baozhu nodded and said: “Zhuzhu, what I want to urge you is this — do not enter the rear palace.”

She said: “If you and he are fond of each other, then carry on outside the palace walls. Do not become pregnant, do not bear an imperial prince, do not enter the palace. That is the safest course.”

Xie Yuzhang drew a sharp breath. This elder sister of hers was still an unmarried maiden, and yet she could speak so boldly.

She laughed and said: “Elder Sister, you’ve frightened me.”

But Xie Baozhu could see the laughter in her eyes and knew she was not frightened in the least. This was a woman who had been sent away in marriage to Mobei and returned in glory — how could she be so easily frightened?

Xie Baozhu laughed too: “What’s there to be frightened of? In the old days, when those aunts of ours were not getting along with their princes consort, every one of them kept two or three male companions, living freely and happily.”

Xie Yuzhang said: “You’re talking about the Son of Heaven.”

“Precisely because he is the Son of Heaven, outside is the best place,” Xie Baozhu said. “You have a princess title to anchor your standing, and the contributions from Mobei to stand beside you. These things, outside the palace, are more than enough to let you live a glorious life and see yourself safely to old age. But if you were to enter the rear palace, all of that would count for nothing.”

“The current Emperor has no Empress. Two consorts have borne sons. In the future, whether it is the contest for the position of Empress or the contest for the position of Crown Prince, the rear palace of our current Emperor is bound to know no peace. And you, even though you have been enfeoffed as a princess, are still a woman of the Xie clan, with no family of standing to rely upon. If you place your fate solely in the hands of an Emperor’s favor, Zhuzhu — you were born in the palace and grew up in the palace. You should understand better than anyone.” Xie Baozhu said gravely.

Xie Yuzhang stopped smiling. She had never expected that this elder cousin of hers would go straight to the heart of the matter the very moment they met.