With the New Year approaching, wanderers returned home and drifters came back to their hometowns. Travelers on the roads had all but disappeared.

At cockcrow, it was especially quiet.

Yet beneath the rows of elm and poplar trees along the official road—now bare of leaves, leaving only stubble after stubble of withered branches—a dense mass of people had gathered. Each wore a blade at their waist, dressed in tight-fitting garments, faces solemn.

Though numerous, they made not a single sound.

Everyone’s gaze fell more or less upon the person at the very front.

Heavy fog rolled over the mountain ridges, spreading out to shroud most of Tongzhou City on the plain ahead. Even though the distance was merely a few li, the city’s outline remained blurred and indistinct.

Xie Wei wore white as usual.

His tall, slender frame sat high atop a jujube-red steed. Though he wore no visible blade or sword, he had shed the scholarly air he displayed at court. Instead, he possessed a rarely seen sharp brightness—deep and still as a mountain lake, like a blade sheathed.

The cold mist struck people’s faces with an aura of grim killing intent.

Dao, Qin, Jian, and Shu all stood behind him.

Though no one had drawn their blades at present, they all faced Tongzhou City, staring intently at something.

Dawn broke in the east with a pale fish-belly white.

Almost the instant the morning’s first ray of light rose from the ground, piercing through the fog, a wisp of ghostly white brilliance shot upward from the city’s edge into the sky like a white thread, vanishing in a flash.

Dao, Qin, Jian, and Shu’s entire bodies tensed at once.

A carefully laid plan long in the making—this was the perfect moment to close the net.

Yet his heart held not a trace of joy.

Xie Wei naturally caught that wisp of white flame in his eyes. At the depths of his deeply focused pupils lay pitch darkness, yet his face showed not the slightest expression—a kind of godlike, unreachable ruthlessness. Raising his hand, he waved it forward lightly and said with lowered eyes: “Let’s go.”

What did the capital and the imperial court mean to her?

The moment she descended from the carriage, Jiang Xuening stared at the inn across the street, pondering for a long time.

The city’s lightly floating fog, carried by the winter’s cold wind, struck her face and dampened her plain dress. She lowered her head, unable to help examining her current self.

No layers of hairpins and ornaments.

No constraining silks and satins.

She need not consider worldly propriety. Here in Tongzhou City, merely dozens of li from the capital, no one recognized her identity or had seen her appearance. Naturally, no one would know she was the unlucky Second Miss of the Jiang family, the companion reader to Grand Princess Leyang in the palace.

All burdens had vanished in an instant.

Without experiencing it, relying only on childhood fantasies, one would never understand what truly mattered most to oneself.

In her previous life, Wanniang had told her that women were born to deceive men, born to seek glory and wealth. The most honored and successful woman in the world should sit beside the Emperor, wielding the phoenix seal, making all other women under heaven live according to her whims.

She’d had enough of the snobbish, cold words and sneers in the countryside.

Later, returning to the Jiang Manor in the capital and learning her true origins, she’d felt even more injustice and resentment. Thinking that the lofty heavens owed her, she’d stubbornly fixated on one goal, struggling through countless hardships to climb to that position as mistress of the six palaces.

She had glory, she had wealth.

But possessing these things invited others’ covetousness, and life became less peaceful than it had been in the countryside. Leaving the palace was impossible even in dreams. When she wanted to see a lantern festival and begged Shen Jie, this refined and weak sovereign of the realm couldn’t take her to experience the genuine flavor among the common folk. Though he’d certainly prepared a surprise lantern festival for her within the palace, it fell into the mouths of those upright ministers who accused her of extravagance and frivolity, of being superficial.

This way was wrong, that way was also wrong.

If she’d followed her countryside temperament from those years, she’d have long since grabbed a stick and beaten every one of these nonsense-spouting old pedants, not stopping until heads were broken and bleeding.

But she was precisely the Empress.

When she regretted it and wanted to throw away the phoenix seal and leave, the powerful ministers who depended on her wouldn’t allow it. Moreover, favored consorts in the six palaces watched like tigers, and who knew—she might walk away one moment and end up a corpse in the wilderness the next. What’s more, there was Shen Jie refusing in front, and Yan Lin staging a rebellion to place her under house arrest behind.

One palace court had become walls on all sides, ambushes on ten fronts.

Gradually, even sleep became difficult; long nights without rest.

“Not worth it, really not worth it…”

Jiang Xuening stamped her foot, finally thinking clearly, thinking decisively.

“This palace lady has money in hand, and Fangyin’s support to lean on. Leaving the capital means the seas are vast for fish to leap, the skies high for birds to fly—where can’t I live well? Let them fight to the death! A mere weak woman like me probably can’t help Zhang Daren anyway. Better to take this opportunity to leave first, lest they drag me back to the capital where I’ll still have to suffer indignities!”

With this thought settled, she took one last look at that inn, then directly turned around. Not entering the inn, she instead took advantage of the early morning hour when Tongzhou City had just awakened in the light and travelers on the roads were few. With light, quick steps, she headed straight toward the city gate.

The silver she carried was enough to reach Shu.

When she’d entered the city last night, she’d noticed that along the way there was a carriage rental shop. The money in her hand was enough to buy a maid and a driver, even a strong bodyguard, which would make the journey to Shu safer.

Winter days dawned late. Though outsiders traveling to and from the city had already diminished, the shops continued their business, all hoping to take advantage of the New Year season to sell more festive goods so they could add a few more bowls of meat to their families’ celebrations.

So as she walked, pedestrians on the road gradually increased.

The carriage company was just ahead.

A banner pole slanted out from the cold wind, and people were entering and exiting through the main gate.

Not far from the carriage company, someone had set up a tea stall on the street, just boiling water to brew tea for those stopping by.

“The weather is really cold this year.”

“How is this cold? The northern frontier—now that’s cold. I just returned from the capital, and I heard that when the Tatar envoys came to pay tribute this year, several horses froze to death on the road…”

“Bah, what tribute? They came seeking a marriage alliance!”

“Same thing, haha, same thing…”

…

Jiang Xuening had originally just been passing by this tea stall on her way to the carriage company ahead, but hearing the two words “marriage alliance,” her steps abruptly halted. She turned to look into the tea stall.

The people seated in the tea stall wore various clothing, poor and rich alike, all with unfamiliar faces.

Yet looking at them, she felt an uncanny sense of familiarity.

Hazily, she seemed transported back to that day when You Fangyin married far away to Shu. After leaving the capital and passing the post station, in what seemed a similar tea stall sat what seemed similar merchants and travelers, even speaking words with what seemed similar content.

The sky dome lit by sunlight suddenly rolled with gray clouds. The densely packed houses and ancient, silent city walls retreated into the distance, collapsing and crumbling into a plain overgrown with withered grass.

You Fangyin’s carriage tied with red silk had already gone far.

Yet the imperial guards approached through rolling horse hooves and dust.

She remembered her inability to suppress that impulse of desolation, going to ask Shen Zhiyi: “Does Your Highness also not wish to remain in the palace?”

That woman whose grace carried several degrees of heaviness was clearly the same age as herself, yet seemed already burdened with a chest full of accumulated melancholy. Drawing back her distant gaze, she looked at her quietly, smiling as if she’d seen through everything, light as wind and clouds.

Who would want to?

She’d said, who would want to?

Who would want to remain in the palace?

“Make way, make way!”

On the main street, a shop assistant pushing a handcart loaded with goods came hurrying along. Seeing someone standing motionless in the middle of the road ahead, he grew anxious and shouted loudly.

Only then did those things in Jiang Xuening’s mind scatter with a thunderous crash.

No withered grass, no gray clouds, no wilderness, and no Shen Zhiyi. Only the clamorous voices of people in these streets filled with the smell of cooking fires, and the curious, strange gazes of those around her.

Coming to her senses, she quickly stepped aside.

The cart-pushing assistant didn’t notice what she looked like, hurriedly pushing his cart away, only muttering: “Sleepwalking in the middle of the road at dawn—what’s the matter with her!”

Jiang Xuening watched him walk away, then remembered she was supposed to rent a carriage.

However, when she stepped forward again, her feet felt several degrees heavier.

An empty, lost feeling surged in her heart. The fingers clutching that small bundle slowly tightened. Walking and walking, somehow she couldn’t walk anymore. She stopped in front of a shop that hadn’t yet opened, staring blankly at the carriage company not far ahead.

Perhaps she’d been standing there too long.

There came sounds of movement inside the shop beside her, followed by the sound of door boards being opened.

A medicine apprentice dressed in blue opened the door. Holding a square sign with the two characters “Yongding” written on it, he was about to hang it outside when he looked up and saw a young lady standing there. He instinctively asked: “Are you here to see a doctor?”

Jiang Xuening’s mind was preoccupied, her attention elsewhere. Turning to glance and seeing the sign in the apprentice’s hand, she realized she was blocking the door from opening for business. She said “no,” apologized, and walked forward.

However, after only a few steps, she sensed something wrong.

The sign the apprentice had held moments ago flashed through her mind like lightning, leaving only the two characters “Yongding” above, making her stop in her tracks. She turned around and walked back to ask: “Is this Yongding Apothecary?”

The young apprentice had just hung up the sign. Seeing her return, he was somewhat bewildered and replied: “Yes. Do you want to see a doctor now?”

Jiang Xuening surveyed the apothecary. The surrounding area teemed with passing people, yet showed not a trace of strict vigilance.

Her heart sank, and she asked again: “Did a child about ten years old come by earlier?”

The young apprentice only thought she was looking for someone: “I haven’t seen anyone. Has the young lady lost a relative?”

Jiang Xuening’s brow jumped sharply: “Hasn’t come?!”

Yet Xiao Bao had deliberately mentioned Yongding Apothecary to her…

She’d thought he would come to deliver a message!

Something was wrong.

This matter was truly wrong!

Thinking of this, Jiang Xuening truly couldn’t remain calm. Without another word, she stepped inside and said directly: “Where is your physician? I have urgent business to see him!”

Doctor Zhang of Yongding Apothecary’s medical skills were praised by everyone in Tongzhou City. Having just awakened from a night’s sleep, he presented the appearance of someone still vigorous in old age, full of spirit. He’d just taken a set of acupuncture needles from the back hall when he saw someone looking for him. Thinking it was someone with an urgent illness to treat, he tried to reassure her: “This old man is he. Miss, don’t worry. Tell me properly who in your family is ill, what symptoms they have, so this old man can be prepared…”

How could Jiang Xuening listen to this nonsense?

Without waiting for him to finish, she interrupted: “Zhang Daren’s identity is at risk of exposure. He’s already gone with the Heavenly Teachings to the Tongzhou branch altar. Where are the court’s reinforcements?”

Doctor Zhang’s eyes widened. Hearing this left him utterly confused: “What…”

Jiang Xuening suddenly froze: “You don’t know?”

Doctor Zhang had never encountered such a baffling person. Suspecting someone with hysteria had arrived, maintaining his benevolent heart of a healer, he replied: “Have you perhaps come to the wrong place?”

Jiang Xuening’s blood turned cold inch by inch throughout her body.

She asked: “Doctor, may I ask how many Yongding Apothecaries are in Tongzhou City?”

Doctor Zhang replied: “Just this one of this old man’s.”

Jiang Xuening’s mind instantly flashed with the faces of Zhang Zhe, Xiao Bao, Feng Mingyu, Huang Qian, and others. Her form immediately swayed, nearly unable to stand. She retreated a step before barely steadying herself, her complexion already deathly pale.

Yongding Apothecary was fake.

The court having reinforcements was also fake.

How could this be…

Zhang Zhe, what about Zhang Zhe?

Doctor Zhang looked at her: “Miss, your complexion doesn’t look very good.”

But Jiang Xuening asked as if in a dream: “Doctor, how do I get to the yamen?”

Doctor Zhang didn’t quite hear clearly, still saying: “There are no other patients in the apothecary. Why don’t you sit down and catch your breath first…”

How could Jiang Xuening, burning with anxiety, listen to this old man’s rambling? Her expression changed, already showing several degrees of fierce severity. She only shouted at him: “I’m asking you how to get to the government office!”