At night, Zhang Rong was inspecting Zhang Xingjian’s schoolwork.

He held the assignments Zhang Xingjian had turned in and pondered over them for a long while.

He had an increasingly strong feeling that something was off about Zhang Xingjian’s schoolwork. It was a very demanding curriculum — if Zhang Xingjian barely passed every single time… could such consistency mean that Zhang Xingjian was deliberately controlling the pace of his own learning?

But Zhang Xingjian was so young, still just a child.

To confirm his suspicion, Zhang Rong had recently taken to checking Zhang Xingjian’s work often — sometimes giving him extremely difficult assignments, sometimes very easy ones.

And yet Zhang Xingjian remained steadily at a passing level, never moving forward, never falling back.

Zhang Rong became eighty percent certain that this young man was deliberately choosing not to study properly.

Having been the outstanding child in other people’s eyes his whole life, Zhang Rong couldn’t understand his little cousin’s “laziness.”

Zhang Rong mulled it over and decided to have a proper talk with Zhang Xingjian.

Below is their conversation—

Under the lamplight, Zhang Rong sat by the couch bed, holding a long scroll, and asked the handsome boy standing with his hands behind his back: “Why don’t you put in some effort and finish all the books I told you to read? You stop exactly where I tell you to stop — isn’t that a lack of ambition?”

Little Zhang Xingjian widened his eyes: “Elder Cousin, what do I need ambition for?”

Zhang Rong said, “You should study hard and learn what the teachers have to teach, so that one day you can help protect our family.”

Zhang Xingjian was shocked: “Is our family about to fall apart? Why does it fall to me to protect it? Aren’t there all of you?”

Zhang Rong: “…It would still help if you contributed some effort.”

Zhang Xingjian said, “But my strength is so meager, it makes no difference whether I’m there or not. Elder Cousin, you’re so capable, so competent, I’m sure you can handle everything just fine. A kind person like you would surely protect someone as weak and useless as me, safe until old age, right?”

Zhang Rong was stunned by the boy’s utter lack of drive.

He had never had to persuade anyone to study like this before — his wife was naturally studious, and the little emperor was the type of person for whom persuasion made little difference either way.

Zhang Rong said, “I can’t bear to see a fine piece of jade left covered in dust.”

Zhang Xingjian grinned: “Then just think of me as a dusty old bead instead.”

Zhang Rong said, “If you’d just make a little effort, your schoolwork would surpass your peers’ by a wide margin.”

Zhang Xingjian looked troubled: “But effort is so exhausting, so tiring. The moment I work hard, my hands ache, my eyes blur, my head spins, my whole body feels unwell. I simply cannot make an effort.”

He said this with great solemnity, all mysterious and terribly endearing: “Cousin, I must have contracted some strange illness that prevents me from improving myself — I’m afraid there’s no cure for me in this lifetime.”

Zhang Rong was both exasperated and amused.

Zhang Rong tried to provoke him: “Don’t you feel any shame in front of little Qingwu? Someone as hardworking as little Qingwu, and she still can’t inspire you?”

Zhang Xingjian had his own logic: “Why should I feel ashamed? Cousin, this insistence of yours on excelling is completely unnecessary — it’s just a bias. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to be worse than Shen Qingwu? I’ve already got it all figured out — in the future Qingwu will earn money to support the household, and I’ll sit at home enjoying myself. Shen Qingwu already agreed to it.”

Zhang Xingjian happily imagined himself remaining idle and accomplishing nothing for the rest of his life.

What a blissful existence that would be.

Zhang Rong: “…”

Just as he was rendered speechless by his young cousin’s absurdity, the bamboo curtain lifted, a small shadow flickered, and a little figure hopped casually into the room—

It was Shen Qingwu. Seeing that Zhang Xingjian hadn’t come out for so long, she’d worried he might be scolded for poor schoolwork, so she’d come to check.

Shen Qingwu and Zhang Rong, who was rubbing his forehead, locked eyes.

Zhang Xingjian winked at her again: quick, think of a way to get me out of here.

Shen Qingwu didn’t catch Zhang Xingjian’s meaning, but she did read Zhang Rong’s helpless expression. She thought: Zhang Xingjian must have done something bad again and upset Zhang Rong.

She couldn’t bear to see Zhang Rong unhappy.

Shen Qingwu leapt into Zhang Rong’s arms, racking her brain for a way to distract him.

She lifted her arm, showing him her sleeve.

Zhang Rong looked down. “What is it?”

Shen Qingwu pointed at the lily-of-the-valley pattern. “Did you notice this butterfly beside the flower was originally missing a wing, and someone added a leaf next to it to cover it up, so now you can’t tell the wing is missing?”

Zhang Rong raised an eyebrow.

Then he smiled faintly: he could see the traces of mending. What a shame — this garment, woven from peacock feathers that the princess had specially sought out, had been ruined in one spot by an ordinary bit of thread. Adding this leaf was a real waste of a fine thing.

Besides, the leaf wasn’t even embroidered well… If Shen Qingwu hadn’t insisted it was a leaf, Zhang Rong would have thought there was simply a mud stain on her cuff.

Terrible needlework.

And yet Shen Qingwu was so pleased with herself.

Could she have embroidered it herself?

Well — that was worth encouraging. This was the first time in their little Qingwu’s life that she’d been willing to pick up an embroidery needle.

Zhang Rong nodded gently. “It’s beautifully done.”

Beside them, Zhang Xingjian’s face turned red.

Zhang Rong wondered why his young cousin was blushing, when he heard Shen Qingwu happily and loudly announce: “Zhang Yuelu sewed it! Isn’t it pretty, isn’t it nice? His hands are so skilled, swish swish swish, and it was done in no time!”

Zhang Rong was taken aback.

Zhang Rong was speechless.

Clumsily, Shen Qingwu tried to argue Zhang Xingjian’s case for him: “So you see, Brother Rong, Zhang Yuelu is really impressive — he helped mend my clothes for me. He didn’t finish his schoolwork because he was busy sewing my clothes… so please don’t punish him.”

Zhang Rong thought to himself: that embroidery was genuinely ugly. Clearly his young cousin had no talent whatsoever for needlework and couldn’t be of any help to their little Qingwu in that regard.

Zhang Rong looked at Shen Qingwu, who was gazing up at him earnestly with wide eyes, then at the flushed young man whose eyes looked as moist and soft as if they were brimming with tears.

Forget it.

Zhang Rong sighed, resigned. “The two of you go on and play.”

He’d have to think over what to do about Zhang Xingjian on his own.

Shen Qingwu and Zhang Xingjian walked together through the lantern-lined corridor.

Shen Qingwu was quite pleased with herself for having rescued Zhang Xingjian.

Young Master Zhang, however, didn’t seem very happy.

Zhang Xingjian turned to ask her, “Do you like the leaf I embroidered for you?”

Shen Qingwu nodded.

Zhang Xingjian’s cheeks flushed, his lashes trembling slightly, and he asked bashfully, “Did you go around bragging about it to everyone?”

Shen Qingwu, still savoring the moment, said, “Mm-hm.”

Zhang Xingjian said, “Don’t brag about it anymore. I don’t want people knowing I’m good at needlework.”

Shen Qingwu had praised his stitching so much that he’d genuinely started to believe he was skilled at it. Under her steady stream of compliments, Zhang Xingjian had already grown quite pleased with himself.

Yet he still felt the need to be modest: “No young man embroiders every day. I may be skilled, but I don’t want it known.”

Shen Qingwu understood.

She said, “I get it. You’re the reserved, understated type.”

Zhang Xingjian was startled for a moment, then reluctantly accepted her explanation.

She turned to comfort him further: “Actually, I haven’t told that many people… I only told Brother Rong. I haven’t had the chance to find the princess yet. I don’t know anyone else.”

Zhang Xingjian was satisfied.

The two children held hands and went off happily to play together.

That year, many things happened.

First, the two children were betrothed to each other in a childhood engagement.

Then, in the second half of the year, Li Lingge was diagnosed as pregnant, and instantly became the most carefully watched person in the Zhang household. Zhang Rong no longer had the time to keep close watch over the two children, so Zhang Xingjian and Shen Qingwu spent the latter half of that year having a wonderful, carefree time playing to their hearts’ content.

But by the end of the year, Zhang Rong called Shen Qingwu over and told her, “Someone from the Shen family is coming to fetch you. You’re to return to the Shen family for the New Year.”

Shen Qingwu’s expression didn’t change.

But Zhang Xingjian, who had come along with her, froze. “Why? Doesn’t Shen Qingwu live with us?”

Zhang Rong explained, “It’s only because the two of you have been betrothed that Shen Qingwu has been able to stay with us. I’ve already shamelessly kept her here far longer than I should have, but with the New Year approaching, the Shen family keeps sending people to fetch her — I can’t keep her here any longer.”

Zhang Rong didn’t believe the Shen family truly cared about Shen Qingwu.

But he was certain the Shen family cared about appearances — there was no version of events where they’d let it be said their own child had spent the New Year in someone else’s household.

Shen Qingwu’s dark eyes gave nothing away.

She lowered her head and fell into a sullen silence.

Beside her, Zhang Xingjian said anxiously, “Cousin, why does it have to be this way? I already promised Shen Qingwu we’d go watch the temple fair together during the New Year. I already told my parents…”

Zhang Xingjian’s eyes suddenly flickered.

He thought of how perfunctory his parents had been about it, how utterly unconcerned they’d seemed. They’d been entirely occupied with his younger siblings and hadn’t even thought to prepare any gift for Shen Qingwu — had his parents known all along that Shen Qingwu could never actually stay with their family?

How could adults be like this.

Zhang Xingjian thought, dazed: they agree with their mouths but don’t mean it in their hearts, they don’t take my words seriously, they’ll only dump cold water on me at the last moment and go back on their word.

Seeing Zhang Xingjian fall silent, Zhang Rong assumed he’d come to understand the situation, and felt somewhat relieved.

At that moment, Shen Qingwu suddenly looked up, her dark eyes fixed on Zhang Rong. “I want to stay, Brother Rong.”

Zhang Rong fell silent.

Shen Qingwu rarely expressed what she wanted, but… Zhang Rong said gently, “Once the New Year is over, once the Lantern Festival passes, I’ll send someone to bring you back, all right? You just need to bear it for half a month… Didn’t you use to live just fine at the Shen household before?”

Shen Qingwu understood then that she had to leave.

Shen Qingwu climbed into the carriage bound for the Shen household and left in complete silence.

At the moment of parting, Zhang Xingjian didn’t come to see her off.

Zhang Rong scolded him for it afterward.

But children are fickle, good one moment and difficult the next — that was only natural. With the New Year upon them, Zhang Rong was busy with the affairs of the whole extended family and had no time to spare for the two children.

And so Shen Qingwu returned to the Shen household.

Once there, she found it bearable enough. It was simply back to being ignored by everyone… This time, her old wet-nurse had gone home to care for her son and daughter-in-law, so when Shen Qingwu arrived at the Shen household, only her elder brother Shen Zhuo remembered to come chat with her for a while.

But Shen Zhuo didn’t really play with her either.

Because Shen Zhuo was surrounded by a group of children his own age, and he found it awkward — his mother disliked Shen Qingwu, and the closer he got to Shen Qingwu, the worse it would go for her.

If they ignored her, so be it.

Shen Qingwu was, in truth, someone quite capable of enduring loneliness.

She wandered about on her own, practicing every morning as the masters hired by the Zhang family had taught her, then going to the kitchen to scrounge something to eat and drink. She had to be quick-eyed and quick-handed, doing her best to avoid running into anyone from the Shen family, or else she’d be met with mockery again.

Whenever they saw her climbing over walls with a steamed roll clenched in her teeth, they’d mock her: “I heard the Zhang family treats you well — and you still can’t stop stealing things?”

“You came back all dressed up fine, thought you were something special — but give it a couple of days, and look, you’re back to being a grubby little thing. See, people have their fates, no use fighting it.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingwu tossed away the steamed roll in her mouth, jumped down from the wall, and threw herself into a scuffle with the boy who’d mocked her.

The boy was stunned: after a year apart, this little she-devil had gotten even stronger! How terrifying!

Amid the boy’s crying and pleading, the bruised and swollen boy and the expressionless Shen Qingwu were both hauled before Madam Shen.

Considering that Shen Qingwu was now a tool for the marriage alliance between the two families, and that the Zhang family would be coming to collect her after the New Year, Madam Shen decided not to have her physically punished.

Madam Shen said, “Lock her up.”

Shen Qingwu’s expression changed at once, her usual defiance draining away.

She said, “I don’t want that… I was wrong, I won’t fight him again! Please, don’t lock me in the dark room!”

Madam Shen sneered and waved her hand irritably. As the servants came to seize her, Shen Qingwu, seeing that pleading was useless, turned and tried to run. This only further enraged Madam Shen — an unruly little wretch who didn’t know her place; a whole year at the Zhang household and they still hadn’t taught her any manners; she never learned to submit to her elders, always acting purely on her own whims.

A seven-year-old child, with only rudimentary combat skills, was nothing at all in a military household like the Shens.

In the end, Shen Qingwu was seized and locked away.

She was forgotten there — sometimes a servant would remember and bring her some food, and sometimes no one remembered, and she’d go hungry for a day.

But it was fine — with the New Year at hand, this particular confinement turned out to be the shortest one yet.

On New Year’s Eve, Shen Qingwu was released, and as a further show of mercy, the maids dressed her up in a set of skirts, making her look like an adorable, delicate young lady, and brought her along to the Shen family’s year-end banquet.

The men had gone to the palace banquet, so the household was mostly wives and children.

Shen Qingwu sat in a corner, wolfing down the food in front of her — she was simply too hungry.

Her lack of composure drew whispers from those nearby, and mockery from the well-mannered young ladies and gentlemen present.

One sister-in-law murmured, “I don’t know what the Zhang family saw in her — she’s nowhere near as well-behaved as my daughter.”

Not to be outdone, another aunt chimed in, “My daughter is even better! I’ve taught her the zither, chess, poetry, and painting since she was small. She’s obedient and gentle-natured — she tears up at the mere sight of flowers. I always tell her she’s too soft-hearted, so tender, how will she ever manage marriage one day… Not like some people, whose hearts are so hard that when my daughter greets her, she won’t even spare her a glance.”

Everyone began praising their own children one after another.

Seated at the head of the table, the Shen matriarch grew more embarrassed, and more furious, the longer she listened.

She knew perfectly well they were saying Shen Qingwu had no upbringing — Shen Qingwu was her disgrace, not the sweet, obedient sort of young lady one was supposed to have, and it cost her more and more face by the day.

Madam Shen gritted her teeth and suddenly barked across the table: “Shen Qingwu!”

Shen Qingwu, her face buried in a plate of smoked meat, looked up in a daze, not understanding why Madam Shen had suddenly called her name.

Madam Shen said, “You have absolutely no manners.”

Shen Qingwu said irritably, “Now what?”

Ordinarily, if Shen Qingwu had simply stayed quiet through a bit of scolding, the matter would have blown over — tonight was New Year’s Eve, and Madam Shen wouldn’t want to spoil the mood. But Shen Qingwu talked back instead, which counted as a grave offense.

Having touched a nerve, Shen Qingwu was seized by the servants again, about to be locked back in the dark room.

Panicked, Shen Qingwu quickly grabbed the smoked meat from her plate, trying to finish gobbling it down in whatever time she had left.

Fireworks bloomed in the sky, their brilliant light illuminating the entire Shen estate.

Little Zhang Xingjian, after great effort dodging all the adults, and relying on his handsome face and a stream of sweet, wheedling words, had managed to sneak into the Shen household.

The Zhang family’s New Year banquet was the same every year, and Zhang Xingjian always found it dull. With his parents and younger siblings all merrily enjoying themselves, he grew drowsy watching them, finding it more tedious than ever. And Young Master Zhang really was a capable child — he slipped quietly out of the Zhang household, wandered the streets for half the day, and actually managed to find his way to the Shen residence.

Perched atop the wall of the Shen estate, Zhang Xingjian looked up and saw the fireworks.

Little Master Zhang: “Wow.”

The Shen family’s fireworks were even prettier than the Zhang family’s.

Shen Qingwu must be having the time of her life.

As Little Master Zhang admired the Shen family’s fireworks with envy, he heard a commotion below. He looked down and saw three or four adults dragging Shen Qingwu, trying to haul her in a particular direction.

Zhang Xingjian blinked: what game were they playing?

Shen Qingwu neither cried out nor spoke as she was dragged along; she was so calm about it that for a good while, Zhang Xingjian couldn’t tell what was actually happening.

Not until the group below reached a corner of the garden corridor did the dragged Shen Qingwu suddenly act — when one of the servants turned his head to speak to a companion, she leapt up and kicked him, a dagger flashing out from her sleeve and slashing at his wrist.

Blood spurted immediately, and the servant, in pain, let go. Shen Qingwu spun around and ran.

She was quickly caught by the cursing servants, and one of the adults struck her hard across the face — her cheek split open at once, bleeding.

The servant cursed, “This wild wolf cub just won’t behave, never makes things easy for us!”

They dragged the girl, beaten to the ground and barely conscious, and carried her like a baby chick toward the dark room where they locked people up.

Atop the wall, Zhang Xingjian was instantly furious, his blood boiling.

In that moment, he wanted to jump down.

But Zhang Xingjian was, in truth, a remarkably level-headed child: if even Shen Qingwu couldn’t beat these people, of course he couldn’t either.

Once locked in the dark room, half of Shen Qingwu’s face was swollen and throbbing with pain.

She listened to the footsteps fade away, and felt her heart sink, little by little.

Her martial arts were still too weak. She still couldn’t beat them… when would she ever be able to defeat them?

Hugging her knees in the darkness, Shen Qingwu closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep, refusing to look at her surroundings; once asleep, she wouldn’t be afraid anymore.

Just then, she heard a rustling sound outside.

It sounded like fingers fumbling with vines and some sort of mechanism.

Shen Qingwu thought: Is that Shen Zhuo?

Had Shen Zhuo come to keep her company?

Wasn’t he afraid of Madam Shen finding out?

And yet Shen Qingwu felt a flicker of secret joy in her heart: anyone at all would do, as long as she wasn’t left alone.

“Creak—”

The hidden mechanism door opened.

There was no moon in the sky that night, yet light poured in.

The dazzling glow of the fireworks bathed the handsome young man standing outside the mechanism door.

For a moment, Shen Qingwu looked up—

and she saw the moon.

Later, after she had read enough books, Shen Qingwu learned that there was, in fact, never a moon on New Year’s Eve.

But Shen Qingwu insisted, always, that she had truly seen the moon that New Year’s Eve when she was seven years old.

Moonlight rose.

It shone from the clear, open lake all the way to the hidden ditch no one ever looked at.

Moonlight, pure and impartial, played no favorites.

Zhang Xingjian was the dim, unnoticed star that the Zhang family never saw — but from that year on, out of billions of stars in the sky, none of them mattered; Zhang Xingjian was the only moon in Shen Qingwu’s heart.

Ten-year-old Zhang Xingjian hadn’t expected he’d actually be the one to open the mechanism door. He stared, dumbfounded, at Shen Qingwu in the dark room, and she stared back.

Shen Qingwu’s eyes were bright as the light poured in: wasn’t he supposed to be at the Zhang household, celebrating the New Year with everyone?

Zhang Xingjian suddenly burst out laughing.

He bent down and hopped inside, grinning. “What fun game are you playing? Let me join you.”

He was about to crawl into the dark room.

Shen Qingwu immediately said, “No.”

— Don’t get locked in here with me.

Zhang Xingjian tilted his head, his eyes curving.

He held out his hand to her, quite seriously: “Well then, there’s another way — Shen Qingwu, let’s run away together.”

Shen Qingwu had failed to escape countless times before.

But when Zhang Xingjian reached out his hand to her, she couldn’t tell whether it was her own inherent defiance, or whether she’d simply been moved by his outstretched hand, moved by his eyes shining like glass.

Shen Qingwu hesitated only a moment before fleeing together with Zhang Xingjian.

The Shen household would never make her submit.

Given any chance at all, she would resist.

The process of escaping the Shen estate turned out to be nowhere near as frightening as Shen Qingwu had imagined.

Because it was New Year’s Eve, no one was paying attention to the children.

And Zhang Xingjian was rather clever — Shen Qingwu guided the way, Zhang Xingjian handled the deception, and the two children, with no adult watching over them, actually made it out of the Shen household.

Shen Qingwu’s heart pounded as Zhang Xingjian pulled her along at a run. They leaned against an alley wall, catching their breath, looking at each other — Shen Qingwu was bewildered, unable to believe she’d actually managed to escape.

Zhang Xingjian laughed.

He was thrilled: “That was so much fun!”

He found everything thrilling interesting.

Shen Qingwu, her slightly swollen lips curving up too, laughed along with him.

She found it thrilling as well, and she loved anything exhilarating.

Shen Qingwu looked back at the Shen household, now falling farther and farther away: she really had gotten out!

She kept looking back, and Zhang Xingjian clung to her affectionately, complaining in a wronged tone: “Shen Qingwu, I like you so much… When you’re not at the Zhang house, I get so bored, so miserable.”

Mm-hm-hm.

Shen Qingwu blinked: Zhang Xingjian was trying to win her over again, tossing out “I like you” like it was nothing.

She didn’t believe his sweet talk, but she didn’t mind it either — she simply took it as one of his odd little habits; he was always getting sentimental like this out of nowhere, strange as ever.

Zhang Xingjian sniffled. “I didn’t even eat dinner, I just ran straight here to find you.”

Shen Qingwu suddenly felt quite thoughtful, and asked him, “Then where do we go? Back to the Zhang house?”

Zhang Xingjian said immediately, “No.”

His eyes clouded with gloom. “They insisted on sending you back to the Shen house. I said no, and they didn’t listen to me, and they didn’t listen to you either. Adults are all terrible, nothing they say can be trusted. They don’t care about me, so I don’t care about them either.”

Shen Qingwu said, “Brother Rong’s been pretty good to me…”

Zhang Xingjian said, “He’s the worst one of all! He’s the one who sent you away. I hate him! You should hate him too, right now.”

Shen Qingwu was left dumbfounded by his words.

She asked, “Aren’t we going back to the Zhang house, then?”

Zhang Xingjian said, “Hmph, let them worry. Let them face the consequences. If they don’t like us, then fine, let them keep not liking us forever. Little Wutong, little Wutong—”

He suddenly called her by that name, and Shen Qingwu didn’t even register at first that he was talking to her.

While she was still puzzling over it, Zhang Xingjian announced: “Let’s run away from home, together, all right?”

And so Shen Qingwu was swept away by him, and the two of them ran away from home together.