Fine rain mixed with shapeless snow flurries drifted down upon the window lattice. The cold wind stirred the white fox fur collar at Wen Yu’s neck. She met Jiang Taihou’s gaze, her warm and tranquil face revealing no emotion whatsoever: “This child will be born after one full year, and will be the royal heir of both Great Liang and Southern Chen.”

Jiang Taihou’s five fingers tightened around her prayer beads.

Wen Yu’s words confirmed that there was indeed a child.

When she had initially reached an agreement with Wen Yu, it was to use a child born from Wen Yu’s womb as a Jiang family descendant to impersonate the royal heir—otherwise the ministers of the Wang faction would never let the matter rest.

But Wen Yu had been away from Chen territory for more than four months. It was impossible to claim this was a pregnancy that existed before she left Chen territory—otherwise the child would have to be born after only six months to silence wagging tongues.

Moreover, there had been rumors that Wen Yu was detained by Northern Wei while in Liang territory.

Her statement that this child would be born after one full year meant she wanted to publicly claim that she only became pregnant two months after returning to Chen territory.

In this way, there would be no room whatsoever for suspicion about this child’s identity.

In the entire royal palace, only Wen Yu and Jiang Taihou remained in opposition to each other. Working together to conceal the child’s true gestational age was not a difficult matter.

Jiang Taihou already had a vague answer in her heart, but still seemed to want confirmation. Her normally stern voice could no longer hide her urgency: “This dowager asks you—is this child truly Yu’er’s or not?”

Wen Yu did not answer directly, only saying: “General Jiang had a mole on the back of his thigh.”

This had been discovered by the servants who prepared Jiang Yu’s body for burial.

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Taihou seemed to feel a great weight lift from her heart. Supporting herself with one hand on the long table by the window, the grief in her eyes poured forth from behind that stern facade: “How far along is this child?”

Wen Yu said: “More than three months.”

Jiang Yu had died in Hengzhou three months ago.

Jiang Taihou stared at Wen Yu: “This dowager will have the imperial physician personally examine your pulse.”

Wen Yu’s reaction was exceptionally calm. After answering with a single word “acceptable,” she raised her eyes and continued: “But after the pulse examination, this palace hopes the Dowager will henceforth remain peacefully in the Buddhist hall, devoting herself to worship, and no longer interfere in court affairs. Can the Dowager agree to this?”

In the former Chen Kingdom, when the Chen King repeatedly failed to attend court, it was always Jiang Taihou who ruled from behind the curtain.

After the Ma Family Liang Tragedy occurred, Wen Yu, as the “creditor,” gained the right to listen from behind the curtain.

After being installed as the nominal Regent Princess Imperial, before she could truly manage the court, she had hurried off to Chen territory to take charge of the situation.

Now returning to Southern Chen, whether she as Regent Princess Imperial would rule alone, or continue to share power with Jiang Taihou, needed to be made clear.

Jiang Taihou’s expression changed instantly. She sneered coldly: “You certainly dare to speak boldly, thinking that having Yu’er’s child in your belly gives you the right to seize power from this dowager?”

Her eyes wrapped in grief, anger and resentment stabbed toward Wen Yu like knives: “This dowager has yet to hold you accountable for why you insisted on going to Northern Wei! Was apologizing to Northern Wei so important? This dowager’s Yu’er paid with his life for this—what will your Liang camp offer in return?”

Wen Yu’s eyes were as clear and cold as a frozen lake: “The one who caused General Jiang’s death was your Southern Chen.”

Jiang Taihou apparently found this absurd. A cold smile floated to her lips, but before she could speak, Wen Yu had already opened her mouth again: “If Chen General Dou Jianliang had not betrayed and joined Pei Song to massacre twenty thousand Northern Wei troops, why would this palace need to personally travel north for the sake of righteousness to apologize to the Wei camp? If Qieji spies had not infiltrated the accompanying Chen troops, how would the march have been exposed?”

She stared at Jiang Taihou, enunciating each word: “It was your Southern Chen’s internal strife that caused his death.”

When Jiang Taihou heard the words “Qieji,” the cold smile on her face froze. That forced stern facade showed hidden cracks, yet she still refuted harshly: “You think this dowager will be intimidated by your one-sided claims?”

The Qieji tribe was originally the tribe that ruled over the territory that became Chen Kingdom.

Years ago, when Chen Kingdom’s ancestors led their subjects to migrate beyond the passes, in order to have a place to settle, the leader married the daughter of the Qieji tribal chieftain, and only then were the Chen people accepted.

For several subsequent generations, Chen Kings also married Qieji women to stabilize their position.

However, after over a hundred years of development, present-day Chen Kingdom had long since replaced the former Qieji tribe. When royal princes sought wives, they sought daughters of great ministers, or daughters from more powerful neighboring tribes, or even noble ladies from Liang territory.

The Qieji tribe, realizing they were being devoured by Chen Kingdom, had launched several rebellions, but all were forcefully suppressed by Chen Kingdom.

When the previous Chen King was alive, he had wanted to thoroughly eliminate this problem, but unfortunately, the Southern Chen people had long intermarried with the Qieji tribe. Many present-day Chen territory residents, going back several generations, had Qieji blood flowing in their veins.

Even if they expelled every last Qieji person from Chen territory, after some time passed, there would still be Qieji descendants bearing Chen civilian identities causing trouble.

In the end, the previous Chen King had no choice but to negotiate peace with the Qieji tribe. He secretly supported the most useless youngest son of the previous Qieji chieftain to compete for and win the chieftain position, and even enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Shunping, giving him a luxurious mansion within the royal court to reside in.

From then on, the conflict between Chen Kingdom and the Qieji tribe was ostensibly suppressed.

The Qieji chieftain who was enfeoffed as Marquis of Shunping and kept at the royal court had indeed appeared content to remain there for many years.

When the new Chen King ascended the throne several years ago, no Qieji people took the opportunity to cause trouble. Gradually, everyone in Chen Kingdom believed they had thoroughly pacified the Qieji tribe.

Little did they know, the other side had long ago planted countless spies within the royal court.

This was also why Wen Yu, before arriving at the royal court, did not dare to first inform them of the Qieji spy matter via letter.

At least half of Chen territory’s residents were Qieji descendants.

During his lifetime, even Jiang Yu had not known that among the elite troops he selected, there were so many Qieji spies. Wen Yu did not dare guarantee whether the palace and the Jiang family had been infiltrated by other Qieji spies.

This secret was only safe if they first kept it to themselves.

Wen Yu said: “Whether or not it is merely this palace’s one-sided claim, hasn’t Prime Minister Jiang dispatched the Divine Martial Battalion to Wang Well Street to arrest people? The Dowager can certainly wait for the results of the Ministry of Justice’s interrogation.”

She said this, then paused, as if remembering something. Many complex emotions surfaced in her eyes, but as if unwilling to let others examine them, she closed her eyes: “But General Jiang… he did indeed die for this palace. This palace promised him that I would govern Chen Kingdom well.”

This moment of grief could not be feigned.

The scene of Jiang Yu jumping down from his horse to intercept the pursuing troops, turning his head to roar at her “My lord Hanyang, having received the Mandate of Heaven, shall have longevity and prosperity” seemed still before her eyes.

Later, when his corpse was transported to Hongyan Temple, monks had used fine thread to sew his head back on. She had also seen him dressed in new armor, hands grasping a sword, lying in the coffin.

That young, valiant face was no longer handsome. He seemed to have suffered extreme pain before death, leaving him with a fierce expression even after someone closed his eyes.

During his lifetime, he had supported her as his sovereign. Thus, Wen Yu had also solemnly promised him before the ice coffin that she would treat the Chen territory people well, just as she treated the Liang territory people.

Seeing Wen Yu so grief-stricken, Jiang Taihou believed a few more points that the child in her belly was Jiang Yu’s.

That full heart of fury, after Wen Yu spoke of the Qieji spies, also transformed into immense grief and dejection. Even the silver hair at her temples seemed to have increased.

This was ultimately karma created by their own Chen Kingdom.

She seemed already extremely weary, yet still insisted stubbornly: “Summon the imperial physician to examine the pulse.”

Wen Yu said nothing more, cooperatively accommodating the imperial physician whom Jiang Taihou urgently summoned to examine her pulse.

Although this imperial physician was Jiang Taihou’s person, he knew nothing of the prior agreement between Wen Yu and Jiang Taihou. After a careful and detailed pulse examination, fine sweat climbed all over his forehead.

When Jiang Taihou vocally inquired, he could only steel himself and say: “Reporting to the Dowager Empress, the Queen… already has a three-month pregnancy.”

He hardly dared raise his head, fearing he would be silenced for being implicated in imperial secrets.

But upon hearing these words, Jiang Taihou froze, then tears began to flow: “This dowager’s Yu’er has an heir…”

With this pulse reading confirming the gestational age, she also set aside the last bit of suspicion in her heart.

Three months ago, Jiang Yu had been following her orders to closely monitor Wen Yu. It was impossible for Wen Yu to have had the opportunity to be intimate with anyone else. This child… could only possibly be Jiang Yu’s.

Upon hearing these words, the imperial physician only felt he had learned yet another royal secret. He lowered his head even further, not daring to breathe heavily.

Zhao Bai’s face was as frosty as she retrieved the handkerchief used for pulse-taking from Wen Yu’s wrist, apparently extremely disgusted by the Dowager’s pulse examination and verification.

Wen Yu’s face remained peaceful as before. After withdrawing her hand beneath her wide sleeves, she looked toward Jiang Taihou. Her warm and tranquil gaze held an authority as immovable as mountains: “This palace does not wish for court turmoil to affect the Chen territory people. Therefore, today I discuss with the Dowager, hoping the Dowager will carefully consider this palace’s proposal after returning.”

She held the title of Regent Princess Imperial before the outside world, and now the hundred officials had respectfully invited her back to govern. Naturally there was no reason for her to yield.

If Jiang Taihou still insisted on continuing to rule from behind the curtain, the two of them would inevitably have another contest in court.

But for the current Chen Kingdom, Great Liang was the lifeline.

The one who could not afford to lose would only be Southern Chen.

Jiang Taihou’s gaze fell on Wen Yu’s abdomen. Her entire person seemed to have aged considerably. She smiled bitterly: “This dowager married the late Emperor at sixteen. From the day I became Chen Kingdom’s Queen, I endured in silence for more than twenty years, and schemed for more than twenty years, only to end up as a Dowager ruling from behind the curtain.”

Her gaze returned to Wen Yu’s face, carrying scrutiny: “This dowager has now been forced into retirement by you, but how far you can go, this dowager will also be watching.”

Wen Yu said nothing. Only when Jiang Taihou left, supported by an old nanny’s hand, did she sit peacefully on the couch and say: “Respectfully seeing off the Dowager.”

—

After leaving Zhaohua Palace, Jiang Taihou did not ride the sedan chair. Supporting herself on the old nanny’s hand, she walked through the lengthy narrow passages between palace walls, while palace attendants carried the sedan chair, following at a distance behind.

The old nanny observed Jiang Taihou’s expression and said contemptuously with indignation: “That Liang woman fantasizes about using the young general’s bloodline to force you and the Prime Minister to yield to her. She doesn’t consider whether she’ll still have her life after giving birth to the young general’s child!”

There were countless sinister methods for childbirth in the palace. When the Dowager and the Jiang family initially agreed to install Wen Yu as Regent Princess Imperial and have her co-parent a child with Jiang Yu, they had also been planning this.

Jiang Taihou glanced at the old nanny, who quickly slapped her own mouth: “This old servant spoke out of turn.”

Jiang Taihou asked: “What has Eunuch Li been doing recently?”

The old nanny said: “Your Ladyship has forgotten—you allowed him to continue ‘recuperating from illness.'”

Jiang Taihou’s gaze remained straight ahead: “This illness has been recuperated for nearly half a year. It should be recovered now. Have him return to his duties.”

—

Zhaohua Palace.

Just as Jiang Taihou’s group left, Tongque secretly brought Imperial Physician Fang into the palace to re-examine Wen Yu’s pulse.

Wen Yu’s pregnancy was actually only two months along. Using medicine to disorder the pulse reading, it appeared to be a three-month pregnancy, thus deceiving Jiang Taihou.

But that medicine had after all been something they sent word back for Imperial Physician Fang to secretly prepare, which Azure Cloud Guards then delivered to Wen Yu.

Zhao Bai feared it might have some effect on Wen Yu, which was why she had signaled Tongque to fetch Imperial Physician Fang while the Dowager and Wen Yu were talking privately.

After examining the pulse, Imperial Physician Fang stated that Wen Yu’s body had no major problems, and was taken away to prescribe medicine for nourishing Wen Yu’s body and stabilizing the pregnancy.

Having traveled by boat and carriage for over a month, and forcing herself to remain alert until now, Wen Yu was already somewhat tired. She asked Zhao Bai: “How are things on Fang Mingda’s side?”

Zhao Bai said: “He is currently serving at the Imperial Academy and has little contact with the Jiang family. He hasn’t yet discovered any useful information.”

Wen Yu pondered for a moment and said: “The Jiang family will likely use Jiang Yu’s death and the Qieji spy matter to also push Dou Jianliang’s betrayal onto the Qieji spies, and recall the Jiang family’s previously demoted faction members. Tell Fang Mingda that this palace will assist him, but he had better not disappoint this palace.”

Zhao Bai understood Wen Yu’s meaning. As she took her leave, seeing that Wen Yu had already closed her eyes in fatigue, she quietly and gently closed the door.

Tongque, who had taken Imperial Physician Fang to prescribe medicine and returned, learned that Wen Yu was taking a short rest. Somewhat worried, she said to Zhao Bai: “The Princess stated the child’s gestational age as one month more than actual. Currently we’ve used medicine to disorder the pulse reading to deceive the Dowager, but when it comes time for childbirth, what shall we do?”

She had heard of methods to induce premature labor, but reportedly children born before full term would all have congenital deficiencies, and using medicine would also cause great harm to the mother’s body.

Zhao Bai glanced at Tongque: “Do you think the Princess will allow the Jiang family to remain rampant until that time?”

—

Over the next half month, the entire Chen royal court underwent severe turbulence.

The Jiang family had almost become mad dogs, scraping bone and cutting flesh to root out all lurking Qieji spies.

Raiding the Marquis of Shunping’s mansion was not enough. After interrogating all the household servants with extreme torture, they began to widely arrest Qieji people within the royal court. When the imperial prison could no longer hold them, they requisitioned the Ministry of Justice’s jail. The stone tiles beneath the execution ground at the vegetable market had never dried of blood.

The royal court’s common people lived in constant fear. Walking on the streets, they almost trembled upon hearing the words “Qieji,” competing to disavow that their ancestors had ever intermarried with the Qieji, claiming they were pure Chen people.

Such was the situation among the common folk, and the court was hardly any better.

The Jiang family used this as a pretext to overturn previous verdicts against their faction members who had been demoted for corruption, pushing all the blame onto Qieji spies.

They further used this to eliminate dissidents, impeaching all Wang faction ministers who had close relatives among the Qieji tribe as Qieji spies.

Every day at court assemblies, Wang faction ministers without exception engaged in heated verbal battles with Jiang faction ministers, just short of coming to blows.

Counter-impeachment memorials against the Jiang faction also flew like snowflakes onto Wen Yu’s desk.

The first spring rain fell amidst this gloom shrouding the royal court.

The next day, water droplets still hung on the iron wind chimes beneath the eaves.

At the court assembly, the Jiang faction ministers who had been so arrogant finally restrained themselves, no longer continuing to clamor about thoroughly investigating Qieji spies.

Qi Simiao, a consistently steady Wang faction minister, stepped forward and said: “This subject has a memorial to impeach Jiang Hongsheng!”

Jiang Hongsheng was Prime Minister Jiang’s given name.

This was almost an impeachment that gave Prime Minister Jiang no opportunity whatsoever to make excuses.

Aside from Jiang faction ministers, court officials stepped forward one after another, all having memorials to present. The Jiang faction crimes they cited varied—some were old cases, some were new cases.

The last to step forward was Fang Mingda, who held his tablet respectfully: “This humble minister impeaches Jiang Hongsheng for instructing Dou Jianliang to massacre twenty thousand Northern Wei troops!”

Prime Minister Jiang believed he had handled the Dou Jianliang case with extreme discretion, but because he had previously sought revenge for his beloved son by using the pretext of eliminating Qieji spies to so extensively slaughter Chen people within the royal court who had Qieji blood, he ultimately frightened even subordinates around him who had Qieji ancestry.

Using his silver tongue, Fang Mingda successfully persuaded one such person to serve as a witness, exposing Prime Minister Jiang’s instigation of Dou Jianliang to massacre twenty thousand Northern Wei troops.

When Prime Minister Jiang was escorted to prison, he still stared coldly at Wen Yu seated above.

Wen Yu, just as she had that day outside the royal court’s city gates, calmly met Prime Minister Jiang’s gaze from behind the pearl curtain.

The crimes of the Jiang family were too numerous to record. This great clan like an ancient towering tree—its collapse had become inevitable.

The only leverage he held concerning that Liang princess was also the Jiang clan bloodline’s only path to survival.

His Jiang clan might be overthrown, but his Jiang bloodline would in future govern both Chen and Liang territories!

It was his Jiang family that had made a poor move in the game, failing to eliminate this “maternal relative” before the Liang woman gave birth to the child, when they could have kept the child but eliminated the mother.

Prime Minister Jiang ultimately said nothing. As he was escorted out of the hall by the Imperial Guards, passing by Fang Mingda’s side, he coldly said: “This old man believed he treated you quite well.”

Fang Mingda bowed his head modestly and said: “But if not for the Princess, Fang would have likely lost his head in the last corruption case.”

So the planning had begun that early…

Prime Minister Jiang said nothing more, continuing to walk outward.

Passing before Qi Simiao, Qi Simiao looked at this political rival he had struggled against for many years and sighed: “This old man advised you long ago to walk the righteous path.”

Prime Minister Jiang said with ambiguous meaning: “Jiang hopes Minister Qi will continue to support the royal house and remain a pure and upright minister.”

—

Jiang Taihou only learned after the court assembly that Prime Minister Jiang had been escorted to the imperial prison by the Imperial Guards during the morning court, and that the Imperial Guards had subsequently gone to raid the Jiang family home.

Furious beyond measure, she left the Buddhist hall intending to find Wen Yu, but was stopped by Eunuch Li outside the Imperial Study: “The Princess is currently discussing government affairs with Minister Qi and the others. Dowager Empress, please return.”

Eunuch Li smiled amiably, a whisk draped over his arm, respectfully making a “please” gesture to Jiang Taihou.

Supported by her accompanying nanny, Jiang Taihou still trembled with rage, pointing at Eunuch Li: “You… you also defected to that Liang woman from the start! How dare she… how dare she…”

She wanted to say she held leverage over Wen Yu’s pregnancy, but with the Jiang family’s power already lost, even if she exposed Wen Yu’s pregnancy, at most Wen Yu would be guilty of infidelity to the Chen King.

Even if the Wang faction ministers remained loyal to the Chen royal house, could they really do anything to Wen Yu at this critical juncture? If the child’s true identity were exposed, it would instead send her Jiang family to complete ruin.

For the first time, Jiang Taihou understood what it meant to be trapped in a cocoon of one’s own making. In her great distress, she felt everything spinning, nearly fainting outside the Imperial Study.

The accompanying palace attendants hurriedly supported her with many hands, urgently calling “Dowager,” and apparently understanding that the entire Chen palace had completely changed hands, all wore expressions of misery.

Eunuch Li said: “The Dowager Empress is unwell—why don’t you quickly escort her back to the palace and summon the imperial physician!”

Only then did the palace attendants support the Dowager onto the sedan chair, hastily carrying her back. Jiang Taihou still wanted to say she must see Wen Yu, but was too agitated to make a sound.

—

Inside the Imperial Study, Wen Yu sat above in ceremonial robes, saying to Qi Simiao, Sikong Wei, and the other Wang faction ministers below: “The Jiang faction’s roots ran deep. After being uprooted this time, many important court positions are vacant. Besides selecting and transferring officials from local regions, this palace also wishes to select several female officials to remain by my side to assist this palace in handling government affairs. Originally I intended to have you esteemed ministers recommend talented juniors from your clans, but to avoid burdening you esteemed ministers with accusations of nepotism, after your clan juniors enter the palace, this year’s imperial examinations will also establish a women’s division. They will openly take the examinations together. What do you esteemed ministers think?”

The group of elderly ministers who normally kept propriety and institutional rules on their lips could only look at each other in bewilderment.

Establishing a women’s examination division was not in accordance with the rules, but Wen Yu proposed wanting their female clan juniors to enter the palace as female officials to help handle government affairs—they could not refuse this.

Wen Yu was also being so considerate and thoughtful, fearing they would bear the stigma of nepotism, letting their family juniors go through the formality of the women’s division examinations to enter office. To say that establishing a women’s division was improper would make them appear ungrateful.

Thus, after the elderly ministers looked at each other in silence, they could only bow and say: “We thank the Princess for her great grace.”

After the Wang faction ministers withdrew, only then did Wen Yu learn from Zhao Bai about Jiang Taihou’s visit.

She pressed her hand to her brow: “Go take a look.”

—

When Wen Yu arrived at Lingxi Palace, the imperial physician had just left.

The light in the Dowager’s sleeping chamber was dim. Because sandalwood incense was always burned there, even when incense was not currently lit, the room was still permeated with a sandalwood scent.

When palace attendants announced Wen Yu’s arrival, even though Jiang Taihou was on the sickbed, her clothing was still worn properly, and her hair at the temples was combed without a single strand out of place.

Supported by the old nanny beside her, she looked at Wen Yu, coughing and wheezing with contained hatred: “Only today does this dowager realize that you Wen clan truly have the heart of snakes and scorpions! Treating my Jiang family this way—how can you face Yu’er!”

Wen Yu stood in the light and shadow, calmly asking: “Why doesn’t the Dowager ask whether your Jiang family has ever been worthy of the people under heaven?”

She raised her eyes: “General Jiang honored this palace as his sovereign during his lifetime. This palace must naturally shoulder this sovereign’s responsibility and fulfill the promises made.”

Having said this, she spoke no more. Only when turning to leave did she leave behind a parting sentence: “The Dowager prefers quiet. Henceforth remain in Lingxi Palace to devote yourself to Buddhist worship.”

Jiang Taihou grasped the bed frame, laughing coldly again and again: “Such high-sounding words. You think you can do so much better than this dowager? You’re merely walking the same old path this dowager walked. Just watch—after you give birth to the royal heir, you’ll likewise become a Dowager ruling from behind the curtain just like this dowager. The Wang faction ministers will eventually incite that child to become estranged from you and seize power from your hands! Supporting an emperor who only listens to their counsel! The mistakes you make in grasping power will be no fewer than this dowager’s!

Not a ripple arose in Wen Yu’s eyes because of those words. She even said peacefully: “Then may the Dowager watch over Yu.”

In the chilly spring wind, she slightly drew together the cloak on her shoulders, walking with composed steps out of Lingxi Palace.

She remembered the path she came by, and remembered every person who died on the road.

She would not forget why she walked this path.

Outside the palace walls, early-blooming pear blossoms like snowflakes were blown by the wind, petals falling onto Wen Yu’s shoulders. The white jade ring suspended from the tassels on the pouch at her waist also swayed gently in the wind.

Wen Yu twisted a petal between her fingers, lowering her eyes and saying: “Spring has come around again.”

—

In the northern mountains, accumulated snow had not yet melted. A squadron of black-armored cavalry galloped urgently along a road where withered grass lay fallen.

The young soldier on the military camp watchtower spotted the commander’s flag from afar and was overjoyed beyond measure, striking the bronze gong hanging on the watchtower with loud clanging sounds: “The Lord has returned—”

The young soldiers at the camp entrance hurriedly moved aside the chevaux de frise blocking the main gate. That cavalry squadron had already galloped before their eyes in the blink of an eye, charging into the camp without any reduction in speed.

The group of advisors and generals still discussing matters in the central tent heard the gong sound and also emerged from behind the curtain. Seeing that group riding near, their faces all bore smiles: “Congratulations to the Lord on your great victory!”

After Wei Qishan’s funeral concluded, Xiao Li had personally led troops to eliminate barbarians fleeing within the borders. After driving them across Yanle Mountain, he did not stop there, but instead led over a thousand elite cavalry deep into barbarian territory, raiding the Rongjue royal tent. This so frightened the Rongjue Khan that he thought Northern Wei was beginning a major counteroffensive. That very night he fled in panic under personal guard escort, then summoned various barbarian tribes to return for defense, and ordered the royal tent moved to even more northern lands, creating quite a laughingstock.

The victory report had been transmitted back two days ago. Throughout the military camp, in the gloom following Wei Qishan and Liao Jiang’s deaths, there was finally some good news.

Xiao Li’s reputation also thoroughly resounded throughout the entire northern border.

He dismounted from his jet-black warhorse, tossing the reins to a personal guard who stepped forward to take the horse, walking toward the tent while saying: “Where is Wei Ang? After the northern border stabilizes, I’ll temporarily leave things here for you and him to manage. I’ve heard that Pei Song transferred troops from Guanzhong to reinforce Luodu. General Yuan and the others have been unable to take it after a prolonged siege—I’ll go personally to take a look.”

Zhang Huai followed Xiao Li into the tent, his expression indescribable: “Another death notice came from the Wei mansion. He went to the Wei mansion.”

Xiao Li’s motion of removing his cloak paused. He asked: “Did Lady Wei take her own life?”

Zhang Huai said: “County Princess Jiamin slipped and fell into the water, passing away.”

Xiao Li’s remaining impression of Wei Jiamin was merely of her arrogantly trampling and injuring a colonel under his command. At present he could not even recall what she looked like, but in name at least he bore some semblance of an adopted older brother’s title. Thinking for a moment, he said: “Send a gift of silk and gold in my name.”

That afternoon, someone came from the Wei mansion.

The person was a regular attendant at Wei Pingjin’s side. Upon seeing Xiao Li, he respectfully clasped his hands and said: “The Prince Consort heard that the Lord had returned and has matters to discuss with the Lord. He requests the Lord visit the mansion.”