Ning Yi’s back disappeared at the end of the palace’s many layers. Feng Zhiwei remained silent for a long time, slowly straightening her clothing and body. Her back had been dampened by moisture from the artificial mountain rocks, clinging to her spine, ice-cold.

She didn’t go to Haoyun Pavilion to discuss affairs, but directly returned to her residence. She dispatched several subordinates to lurk near the imperial temple. When night reached the third watch, she heard several bird calls from outside.

She waved her hand. A black shadow flashed across the wall and vanished. Then she changed into close-fitting clothes and headed straight for the imperial temple.

This time she was very careful, taking a long detour before slowly approaching the imperial temple. That person she’d encountered at the imperial temple last time who forced her down from the wall had always lingered in her mind like a shadow, making her movements increasingly cautious.

Circling around the wall, she concealed herself behind a large tree, diagonally facing Shaoning’s room. An oil lamp cast Shaoning’s shadow—she seemed somewhat agitated, pacing back and forth.

All around was quiet, with no sound of people or horses approaching. Feng Zhiwei had just blinked, considering whether to return later, when her gaze shifted to discover another shadow had suddenly appeared in the room!

That person wore men’s clothing with a slender figure. Feng Zhiwei was just wondering how a man had suddenly appeared when she realized it was Consort Qing who had left the palace in male attire.

As soon as Shaoning saw her, she seemed extremely agitated, immediately rushing over and grabbing her.

Feng Zhiwei silently and soundlessly moved closer to a position near the opposite eaves.

Shaoning’s emotionally uncontrolled voice faintly came through: “…Tell me, have you deceived me!”

“Princess, why do you say this?” Consort Qing seemed very surprised. “What could I possibly deceive you about?”

“My… my…” Shaoning’s chest heaved, unable to form words. So agitated her face was distorted. “…These past days I’ve been having nightmares, constantly recalling in my mind… always feeling… always feeling that day there wasn’t… wasn’t…”

“Princess.” Consort Qing’s hands pressed on her shoulders, gazing directly at Shaoning, her voice calm, gradually suppressing her uncontrollable emotions. “You’re too exhausted. Some things have already passed—don’t overthink them. Look at me, look at me—” Her voice seemed to contain a few traces of pain too. “I’m the same as you!”

Shaoning raised her face, staring blankly at Consort Qing. As if shocked by the pain concealed within her calm gaze, she suddenly lunged forward, burying herself in her embrace. A moment later, agonized sobbing arose.

Consort Qing gently embraced her, slowly stroking her back. From Feng Zhiwei’s angle, she couldn’t see the expression on her face, only heard her say slowly and gently: “…Be good, don’t cry. It’s all fate, all fate. Actually, you said back then that you didn’t want…”

“That was before. Later, later…” Shaoning abruptly raised her head, tears streaming as she cried: “…You know what that feeling is!”

“I know.” Consort Qing took out a handkerchief, personally wiping away her tears, saying softly: “We imperial family women—trapped within these four palace walls, who hasn’t experienced conspiracy, scheming, life and death partings? In the end, what we can do is merely survive…”

“I don’t care what you’ve done.” Shaoning seized the handkerchief and wiped it herself. Having already recovered her composure, after a long while she said coldly: “I only need you not to harm me, not to deceive me! I can’t control and don’t want to control your past affairs. But I must remind you—however you and Ning Yi form alliances and conspiracies, just don’t scheme against me!”

Consort Qing seemed to pause silently for a moment, then smiled, her tone containing some surprise: “What are the Princess’s words about? You know—between me and Prince Chu, it’s always been just a relationship of mutual exploitation. Speaking of true confidants in adversity with genuine trust—besides you, Princess, who else is there?”

Shaoning gave a cold snort and remained silent. Consort Qing suddenly sighed again faintly: “Princess, forgive me for speaking boldly—among you Ning imperial clan members, how many can be trusted? The only one truly selfless, upright, and daring is you, Princess. You’re just too honorable, which is why you’re passive and beaten everywhere.”

These words were gentle and considerate, full of indignation on Shaoning’s behalf. Shaoning’s eyes reddened again as she struggled to maintain composure: “He shouldn’t be smug too long either. One day he’ll die without a burial place!”

“What use is empty cursing here?” Consort Qing said leisurely. “Against someone like Prince Chu, even if you took his birth date and hour to make cursing effigies, that date and hour would probably be fake and curse you instead!”

“That’s true.” Shaoning sneered coldly. “Didn’t my eldest brother get schemed by him all the way to the underworld?”

“Throughout the entire court, there aren’t many people who can move against him now.” Consort Qing said. “Probably only one person remains.”

“Who?” Shaoning immediately asked.

Consort Qing’s chin pointed toward the direction of the Wei residence across the wall.

Shaoning fell silent. After a long while, she said reluctantly: “You’re talking nonsense again. Everyone knows Wei Zhi and Ning Yi have a decent relationship, secretly looking after each other. How could Wei Zhi oppose him for no reason?”

“We won’t discuss whether they’ll oppose each other first. But Princess, you tell me—Wei Zhi’s mind is no less than Prince Chu’s. If it came to a real confrontation, he might not be unable to give Ning Yi some strong medicine, right?”

Shaoning was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Then I don’t understand you, Princess.” Consort Qing laughed sweetly. “You clearly know Wei Zhi has this capability. Why not marry over earlier? Then you could whisper pillow talk whenever needed. Even if you can’t persuade Wei Zhi to help you oppose Prince Chu, with you by his side, through Wei Zhi you could better grasp Ning Yi’s movements.”

Under the lamplight shadow, Shaoning’s silhouette seemed to sway gently. After hesitating for a long time, she said softly: “…Right now, I don’t know how to… face him…”

“Face? What facing?” Consort Qing suddenly smiled lightly. “You’re an imperial noble, a Tiansheng princess. For you to fancy him is his good fortune accumulated over eight lifetimes. He’s clearly known about past matters all along yet never revealed it, showing his heart holds care and fondness for you. Since that’s so, what are you still hesitating about? Would you really let such a bright young man be snatched away by someone else?”

“Really?” Shaoning’s eyes widened as she said haltingly: “But I always feel he doesn’t like me…”

“Princess, you’re overthinking.” Consort Qing’s hands pressed on her shoulders, smiling as she looked into her eyes. “Listen to me on this matter—I’m right. Men, they say one thing and do another. On the surface, proper and stern, giving no quarter. But in their bones… hehe.”

Shaoning’s face slowly flushed red as she lowered her head silently. Outside the window, Feng Zhiwei pressed her lips together, silently grinding a piece of tree bark to powder between her fingers.

After being bashful for a while, Shaoning gradually came to her senses, frowning: “Why are you suddenly instigating me to marry Wei Zhi and oppose Ning Yi? You at least have a decent surface relationship with Ning Yi. Did he offend you?”

Consort Qing paused quietly, then sneered coldly, raising her chin high: “Since the Princess asks, I won’t hide it from you. Yes, he deceived me. The person he was looking for was right before his eyes, yet he made me believe they were far away. If I hadn’t harbored doubts and slowly investigated, I’d probably be deceived for a long, long time.”

Her tone clearly held hatred. Shaoning listened with satisfaction, wanting to ask what matter involved the deception, but also knew Consort Qing wouldn’t answer further. After thinking, she grasped Consort Qing’s hand: “Sister… you must help me…”

“Today I wanted to help you, but you wasted a perfectly good opportunity.” Consort Qing affectionately and reproachfully tapped Shaoning’s forehead, intimately pulling her to sit aside: “Let’s think of another opportunity in the future to settle this matter early. You see…”

The two heads leaned together under the lamplight, discussing how to occupy the female master’s bed in the Wei residence as soon as possible. Under the eaves, Feng Zhiwei smiled silently and bitterly. This feeling of listening to others scheme against oneself was truly unpleasant.

Clearly, Consort Qing and Shaoning shared secrets between them. Shaoning even had doubts about it, but was dismissed in a few words by Consort Qing, slippery as a fox, who then deftly turned the topic to Ning Yi and herself. Feng Zhiwei wasn’t surprised by Consort Qing’s methods—the first time she saw this woman, she was secretly hiding pregnancy prevention pills Ning Yi had given her. She was just rather curious about the original agreement between Consort Qing and Ning Yi. From Consort Qing’s tone, she had initially helped Ning Yi because he’d also promised to help her with something. But Ning Yi not only didn’t help—he apparently played her badly. So now this woman wanted revenge.

Feng Zhiwei contemplated in the darkness for a while, then saw Consort Qing take her leave and depart gracefully. This woman’s lightness skill was indeed very good. Feng Zhiwei watched her movement techniques and patterns, thinking she should send a letter to Xi Liang another day to investigate this woman’s background somehow.

A figure flashed behind her—it was Zong Chen. He looked at the direction Consort Qing departed, suddenly saying: “Who is that person?”

“Consort Qing.” Feng Zhiwei looked at him. “Is something wrong?”

Zong Chen seemed lost in thought. After a long while: “Those movement techniques are somewhat familiar… I remember you said this woman is from Xi Liang?”

“Yes.”

Zong Chen fell silent again for a while, then smiled broadly: “Never mind.”

Feng Zhiwei didn’t press further. She stood with hands behind her back in the night wind, distantly watching that woman’s figure merge into the darkness with a strange rhythm, a trace of cold light sweeping through her eyes.

In the middle of the eighteenth year of Changxi, two major incidents occurred in succession at court.

The first involved the Fire Phoenix Army led by Hua Qiong, who had been fighting in Min’nan. One day, following the Min’nan general’s orders, they coordinated with garrison troops at Bazhou County on the border between Min’nan and Longbei. Unexpectedly, Bazhou County had already been subverted by Changning’s vanguard army. The defending officials in the city had surrendered to Changning forces. The young Changning prince ordered the city’s garrison troops unchanged, flags unchanged, attempting to lure the Fire Phoenix Army into the city for a massacre behind closed doors. Fortunately, a loyal gate commander in the city lit signal fireworks at the final moment. Hua Qiong halted at the city gate at the last moment and withdrew her troops. But Changning forces killed their way out from behind the city gate. The isolated Fire Phoenix Army was pursued all the way and forced into the most mysterious and vast Hundred Thousand Mountains of Min’nan, disappearing without trace from then on. Some said the Fire Phoenix was scattered by alien tribes in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Some said the Fire Phoenix Army fell into a poisonous valley deep in the mountains and was completely annihilated. More people said the Min’nan general was jealous of talent, had clearly received news of unusual activity at Bazhou County but didn’t report it to the Fire Phoenix Army in time, causing them to fall into the trap and be pursued. But whatever the explanation, in any case—within the reportedly ten-thousand-mile Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Fire Phoenix Army couldn’t be found for the time being.

When the court received this bad news, the Tiansheng Emperor was furious that very day. On one hand, he ordered the Min’nan general to continue searching. On the other, he had to appease the various rumors and emotions triggered throughout the realm. Tiansheng had been mired in warfare these past years. To support powerful military expenses, taxation was extremely heavy. The common people gradually couldn’t bear the burden. Now with this incident involving the Fire Phoenix Army, which had an excellent reputation throughout the realm, public opinion was almost one-sidedly critical of the court. In teahouses and wine shops, tales of “jealous generals setting traps, loyal Fire Phoenix wrongly retreating” were told enthusiastically. Students from the Imperial Academy, National University, and Literary Institute even stormed various civil service offices in the Imperial Capital, sat in at the Examination Bureau, and demonstrated at the Ministry of Rites, demanding thorough investigation of the Bazhou County betrayal incident and the Min’nan leadership. Finally, the Golden Feather Guard was deployed to arrest several radical literati before barely suppressing this wave.

This incident shocked court and countryside alike. Everyone was overwhelmed with troubles. Feng Zhiwei was also very busy. However, one day after court, she received a letter from someone. That person expressed in the letter that her requests were increasingly difficult to handle, the false plays increasingly hard to perform—having to achieve the goal of sending the Fire Phoenix into the Hundred Thousand Mountains while properly preserving both sides’ strength and making it look authentic was truly a mentally taxing task. Feng Zhiwei merely smiled at this person’s complaints, somewhat wistfully stroking the letter, thinking that of three promises, two were now gone—the next time must be used well.

While the entire court was anxious about the Fire Phoenix Army’s unknown whereabouts, Ning Yi also seemed quite concerned about this. This day, after court adjourned, Feng Zhiwei went to Haoyun Pavilion to discuss affairs. Just as she crossed the threshold, she felt the atmosphere was different from usual. Everyone had their heads together as if researching something. Chief Minister Hu, the Grand Secretary, saw her enter and quickly smiled and beckoned: “Young Wei, come quickly. We’re just waiting for you.”

Feng Zhiwei glanced at Ning Yi in the head seat. He sat calmly drinking tea, not even glancing at her. Feng Zhiwei went over, smiling: “What good matter calls for me?”

“Can’t really call it a good matter—carries some risk.” Everyone moved aside, revealing a map on the table. Feng Zhiwei’s gaze swept over it and her heart jumped—it was a detailed map of Min’nan’s Hundred Thousand Mountains.

“Where did this come from?” She said with pleased surprise. “Didn’t they say few people have penetrated deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and there’s no complete topographical map?” Then she picked up the map to examine it closely, clicking her tongue in admiration. “All terrain features clearly marked—evidently not the work of a day.”

“Has Minister Wei forgotten that the Second Prince once went to the Hundred Thousand Mountains?” Hu Shengshan said with a smile. “The Second Prince was ordered to go to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to pacify local indigenous peoples. He later left several assistants there as officials, specifically responsible for indigenous pacification affairs. Among them was someone proficient in geography who spent several years drawing this map and brought it to the capital to present to the Second Prince. But the Prince set it aside without paying attention. After the Prince’s death, His Majesty ordered Prince Chu to inspect his estate. Prince Chu had a discerning eye and immediately kept this map. Now it can finally be put to use.”

Feng Zhiwei’s heart jumped. The Second Prince’s death back then was her and Ning Yi’s doing. There was indeed such a matter of inspecting the estate afterward, but she hadn’t been qualified to participate then and hadn’t heard Ning Yi mention it. She hadn’t expected him to plan ahead, actually keeping this map so early.

The reason the Hundred Thousand Mountains were her internally designated place for concealment and development was precisely because that place was vast and mysterious, long inhabited by indigenous alien tribes, with impassable roads and lax Tiansheng management. The Hundred Thousand Mountains stretched from Hanling Ridge in the north to the Heng River in the south, reaching as far as the southernmost Hulun grasslands, capable of coordinating and connecting with the Huzhuo tribe. Warhorses and water grass need not worry about supply. To the west was the fertile Wujiang Plain rich in products, with all kinds of grain in abundance. The Hundred Thousand Mountains themselves were continuous ranges, standing a thousand ren tall with forests everywhere and strategically dangerous terrain. One could abandon weapons, drill into the forests, and no one could find them—easy to defend, hard to attack, very suitable for military occupation. This was a treasure land Tiansheng overlooked, but it had long been incorporated into her future blueprint.

Now it seemed—could there be another person who, before her, had also cast their gaze here?

Calculating the timing, Hua Qiong had already gone to Min’nan as a deputy general then. Could it be that Ning Yi had already deduced Hua Qiong’s and her next moves at that time, making preparations in advance? If she didn’t move, fine. Once she moved, this map could block her path!

If this were true, the depth of Ning Yi’s thoughts and the duration of his preparations matched her own.

These various thoughts flashed by in an instant. She smiled candidly and joyfully: “With this map, our hope of finding the Fire Phoenix Army increases by thirty percent!”

“I’d say fifty percent!” Another Grand Secretary excitedly chimed in.

Ning Yi in the seat smiled without speaking, looking at her with eyes rippling with light, their mood indiscernible.

“It may not be that simple.” Hu Shengshan was writing a memorial with his head lowered, passing the brush to Feng Zhiwei. “The Hundred Thousand Mountains have dangerous terrain and a vast area. Just having a map isn’t so easy. His Highness says while the Hundred Thousand Mountains are establishing counties and mixed settlements, we might as well mobilize the local people. Divided by mountain peaks, establish mountain officials to function like courier stations and village headmen. In wartime, they’d be courier stations and information transmission points. In peacetime, they’d relay various national policies from the court—tax collection, grain distribution, military garrisons, and so on. Better than the previous rigid assignments to various circuits where each managed themselves poorly. They’ll govern themselves. The court just sends someone as chief official. We think His Highness’s method is excellent. We’re just discussing jointly submitting a memorial. Come, you sign too.”

The wolf-hair brush was unceremoniously stuffed into Feng Zhiwei’s hand. Held in her hand, it also seemed to gain some weight. Establishing counties, self-governance, integration, mountain officials… The actions Ning Yi had previously launched toward the Hundred Thousand Mountains finally became clear step by step. Yes, she wanted to hide and develop. He used this method to tell her—I can dig you out.

That person in the seat smiled faintly, the smile somewhat cool. Casually looking down, as if wanting to see how she planned to write, whether she’d use some other method to avoid this reluctant signing.

Feng Zhiwei smiled shallowly.

He still didn’t disappoint her—such an opponent.

Stirring her gloomy heart until it seemed to surge with hot blood. The more difficult, the more forced, the more she wanted to test the limits—his, or hers.

“His Highness truly builds on high foundations, traces through grass and ash like a snake.” Feng Zhiwei sincerely praised, then with a great sweep of her brush, cheerfully signed her own name. She dried the ink, presenting it with both hands.

“I wish His Highness’s memorial will surely succeed immediately upon submission.”

Ning Yi looked at her for a while, slowly extending his hand to receive the memorial.

Their fingers touched for an instant. Feng Zhiwei quickly withdrew, turning her head away.

Outside, the midsummer sunlight rushed in almost clamorously. In a blaze of dazzling light and shadow, the two gazed deeply at each other, then smiled.

The memorial about the Hundred Thousand Mountains was submitted but hadn’t yet received the Tiansheng Emperor’s approval when the Seventh Prince, supervising the army in Min’nan, suddenly memorialized the court. Regarding the Fire Phoenix Army’s dispersal, he requested replacing the Min’nan general, but was blocked by Ning Yi. His reasoning was that changing generals on the battlefield was highly inauspicious—better to have the Min’nan general atone for his crimes through merit. The Tiansheng Emperor adopted his opinion.

However, just as this matter was barely settled, another major incident erupted—the “Tiansheng Chronicle” edited under Xin Ziyan’s direction was accused of containing forbidden treasonous text!