At this moment, the two of them were not alone in private, but in front of Mingfeng Palace, under the gaze of many onlookers. Shen Zhiyi’s resounding slap could be said to show not the slightest intention of saving face for Xiao Shu.

She should have felt humiliated.

Even Xiao Shu herself thought she would feel humiliated. However, in her heart was only a kind of calm that said “this is as it should be.” Lightly raising her hand to touch her own cheek, her voice was as faint as mist and clouds: “If one could avoid being despicable, who wouldn’t want to live with dignity? This subject also has something I’ve long wanted to say to Your Highness.”

Shen Zhiyi looked at her with an almost pitying gaze.

But Xiao Shu didn’t feel there was anything shameful about herself. When she lowered her hand, she spread open her palm and glanced at it. The anger in her eyes had also completely disappeared as she said: “From a very young age, I thought—being such a pampered and willful princess, I could do that too if it were me. Your Highness sits high above, ignorant of the people’s suffering, so naturally you don’t know the difficulties of being a subject or a servant.”

Shen Zhiyi said nothing.

Xiao Shu smiled charmingly at her: “Let’s go, Your Highness Princess.”

Emperor Shen Lang and Empress Dowager Xiao had indeed been waiting for some time.

Prince Linzi Shen Jie was also there.

Perhaps because the results of his consort selection last month were not very satisfactory, though the wedding wouldn’t be until next month, his expression was already somewhat despondent. He didn’t look very happy.

Palace attendants first announced from outside, and only then did Shen Zhiyi enter from beyond the hall. In contrast to her usual lively and pampered manner, she followed the palace etiquette with propriety, performing the proper greetings and paying respects.

Xiao Shu entered behind her.

Though the slap mark faintly reddening her cheek wasn’t glaring, it was quite obvious.

The listless emperor sitting on high saw it clearly at a glance. His eyebrows lifted, and he glanced at Shen Zhiyi again. The corners of his lips showed a smile, yet he deliberately didn’t ask a single word, as if he had seen nothing, speaking to Shen Zhiyi as usual.

Empress Dowager Xiao also occasionally offered a few words of care.

But she didn’t even glance at Xiao Shu.

In the previous court, winds and clouds surged. The Xiao clan was in a difficult position due to the re-investigation of the Ganzhou disaster relief silver case. All sorts of evidence seemed to grow eyes and jump out on its own, forcing Empress Dowager Xiao to suspect that after Xiao Shu left her Cining Palace that day and was made Consort Xian that very night, there had been some kind of deal with the Emperor.

In this enormous imperial family, people filled the entire hall. Though they spoke words of concern and blessing, it all seemed grand and official yet ultimately inconsequential.

The only one with any human feeling was perhaps Shen Jie.

From the moment he saw Shen Zhiyi enter, his brow had remained furrowed. One moment he worried about the wind and sand along the road, the next he reminded her about food along the way. Several times he opened his mouth as if wanting to say something more, but looking at the expressions of Imperial Brother and Mother Empress above, he ultimately forced himself to hold back and let it be.

He was not the legitimate eldest of the imperial family. He had grown up under the protection of Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and Imperial Brother. The succession struggle had never concerned him. He bore no great expectations and thus was spared the various open and covert disputes, instead having the privilege of being sentimental.

But his sentimentality was limited by his weakness.

In the past, Shen Zhiyi only felt this princely brother was approachable and fun. Today, though she was in the midst of it all, she observed coldly from the side and instead noticed some things she hadn’t noticed in the past, seeing clearly some details she had never understood before.

After all the formal talk concluded, they offered incense to the spirits and read the imperial edict, conferring the tally of Great Qian, to allow Shen Zhiyi to mediate conflicts between the two nations in her capacity as Princess of Great Qian after reaching the Xiongnu.

When the rituals were complete, it was past noon.

Among the capital’s wealthy families and meritorious nobility, those who were on good terms with Shen Zhiyi—such as the many companion readers from the former Yangzhi Studio, or playmates with simple hearts like Prince Pingnan—all entered the palace to see her and tour the Imperial Garden with her.

Though Xiao Shu had once been a companion reader at Yangzhi Studio, she didn’t follow along. She only watched from afar by the artificial mountain, instructing a nearby palace attendant: “Remove all the guards that were added to Mingfeng Palace. Withdraw them to guard the northwest and northeast palace gates. Without my order, no one is to move without permission. Send someone to watch carefully—if the Second Miss from Minister Jiang’s household comes, report to me first.”

The palace attendant was somewhat confused.

But Xiao Shu lowered her eyes, concealing the sharp gleam in them. Without another glance at the people in the Imperial Garden, she returned to her own palace chambers.

Jiang Xuening arrived late.

Passing through several palace gates along the way, she felt that aside from the festive lanterns and decorations, there was no difference from her previous palace visits. In her previous life, when Shen Zhiyi was ordered to the marriage alliance, she had already been selected as Princess Consort of Linzi and was staying in her own residence waiting for the wedding. Moreover, Shen Zhiyi hated her for playing tricks on her and was not close to her, so naturally she had been delighted for this troublesome sister-in-law to leave as soon as possible. How would she have come to the palace to see her off? Thus she had no way to compare the differences between this life and the previous one.

But there was Zheng Bao in the palace.

Having just passed two palace gates and not yet entered the Imperial Garden, she saw Zheng Bao coming from the direction of Qianqing Palace. As they brushed past each other, he quickly said: “Consort Xian has mobilized the guards—inviting you into the trap. The substitute has secretly infiltrated Mingfeng Palace. The princess’s phoenix carriage leaves the palace at the third quarter of the hour of You. Miss must finish by the second quarter of the hour of You, have the princess disguise herself as a palace attendant and leave through Shunzhen Gate, and please also leave the palace as quickly as possible yourself.”

The third quarter of the hour of You was the auspicious time calculated by the Bureau of Astronomy.

In spring days, day and night were nearly equal in length. The third quarter of the hour of You was precisely when the sun set and the moon first appeared, transitioning from yang to yin.

But Jiang Xuening figured it was probably similar to how the Marquis of Yongyi’s household was exiled at midnight—there was considerable criticism among the common people about the marriage alliance. The court feared that in broad daylight with too many people, any disturbance would be difficult to handle, so they simply fabricated a grand-sounding reason to change the time to evening.

Hearing this, she only nodded without saying much more and walked past as if nothing had happened.

Palace attendants personally guided her to the Imperial Garden.

When Shen Zhiyi saw her, she complained matter-of-factly that she had arrived too late.

Jiang Xuening then said with reddened eyes that as punishment, this subject would stay and accompany the princess longer.

Everyone studying at Fengchen Hall knew that Grand Princess Leyang showed considerable favoritism toward Jiang Xuening. With such a great backer about to leave, naturally Jiang Xuening would be reluctant. Such affected behavior wasn’t suspicious at all. Staying a while longer to talk was only natural. Moreover, they had arrived early, and the two might want to speak privately. As the sun began slanting westward, they all took their leave together, saying they would see the princess off outside the city gates.

While others were present, Jiang Xuening could still maintain her composure and not let tears fall.

The moment everyone left, she grasped Shen Zhiyi’s hand and called out sorrowfully: “Your Highness.”

Late spring had arrived, and there weren’t actually many flowers left blooming in the Imperial Garden.

Dense shade covered the ground, the remaining sunlight slanting across.

Palace attendants all stood far away. The friends who had just been talking and laughing cheerfully had all dispersed, leaving only the desolate coldness filling the garden.

Shen Zhiyi wore magnificent robes, the layers of ornaments somewhat too elaborate, pressing on her head and shoulders, trembling and swaying.

She smiled at Jiang Xuening: “Earlier Lady Su said she wanted to find you to do my makeup, and I said Ningning would start crying the moment she saw me. When I saw you earlier and you didn’t cry, I thought I’d guessed wrong, but who knew you’d be completely unable to hold back.”

The end of daylight was precisely the hour of You.

How could Jiang Xuening have any mind for her teasing? Not even bothering to wipe her tears, she only pulled her to rise from the pavilion, saying: “Your Highness, there isn’t much time left. Please come with me quickly, let’s return to Mingfeng Palace first.”

Shen Zhiyi was startled: “What?”

Jiang Xuening glanced around and saw from afar a little eunuch craning his neck to look in their direction. Guessing he was someone from the palace sent to monitor them, she sneered inwardly and said decisively: “All arrangements have been made. If you return with me to Mingfeng Palace, change your identity and alter your appearance, you can leave the palace. As for the marriage alliance, the best person will handle the aftermath. As long as Your Highness can safely leave the palace, everything else is certain!”

She grasped Shen Zhiyi’s hand and walked forward.

But after taking two steps, she felt resistance from behind. Looking back, she saw Shen Zhiyi standing in place, looking at her with a confused expression.

In that instant, Jiang Xuening’s heart suddenly lurched.

Shen Zhiyi repeated: “Leave the palace?”

Jiang Xuening felt her heart suspended high in the air by a fragile string, even her voice trembling: “Yes, doesn’t Your Highness remember? I asked you that day.”

Shen Zhiyi seemed unable to recall.

Before entering the palace, Jiang Xuening had imagined various situations she might face after entering—whether the matter would be exposed or Xiao Shu would intercept her—but not a single scenario matched this moment.

She felt something had gone wrong.

The answer Shen Zhiyi gave that night still rang clearly in her ears. She repeated it to her, reminding her: “On my birthday, drinking wine in Your Highness’s palace, I asked if Your Highness wanted to escape the marriage alliance and flee far away. Your Highness answered me and even said you hated being born into the imperial family…”

The sky darkened.

The palace lanterns in the Imperial Garden lit up.

The clamor of birds and insects near and far only made this moment feel more desolate.

Shen Zhiyi was dazed for a moment. One palace lantern after another reflected in her pupils, but they were only meaningless shadows, unable to bring much warmth.

Blinking, the cherry-powder petal at the corner of her eye trembled lightly.

Just like a pink teardrop.

She did remember in the end. Her heart moved, her eyes reddened. When she smiled, she felt full of bitterness. She raised her hand to lightly caress Jiang Xuening’s slightly cool cheek, saying through tears: “Silly Ningning, you yourself said it was drinking. Those words were drunken words! How can you take them seriously…”

With a “snap,” that string finally broke from this light-as-air statement. Jiang Xuening’s heart suspended on high fell down—the fall hurt, awakened her, and numbed her.

She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Her mind was a chaotic tangle.

After a long moment of processing, she couldn’t help but retreat a step, as if falling into an elusive dream: “How can this be? Going to the Tatars for the marriage alliance—Your Highness clearly didn’t want to. You shouldn’t go, and you can’t go. Since you don’t want to go, why must you go? I’ve arranged everything. You only need to return to Mingfeng Palace, make a quick change, and you can escape these palace walls, escape this involuntary fate. Why won’t you leave? Why won’t you leave?”

Shen Zhiyi hadn’t expected she had taken her drunken words seriously. Despite her best efforts to suppress them, tears still scalded her eyes.

She strained to look up, not letting the tears fall.

A crescent moon hung on sparse parasol trees, its cold pale light covering her already pallid face, yet because of the delicate layer of rouge on her cheeks, creating a strange rosy flush.

The wind blew, her wide sleeves fluttering.

She thought she shouldn’t disappoint the plan Ningning had prepared with so much effort and care. She should follow her former naive and indulgent nature and just leave. But there was something heavier, deeper, pressing on her shoulders, sinking into her heart.

At this moment, Jiang Xuening found she couldn’t quite see her features clearly, couldn’t understand the look in her eyes.

Only her hoarse voice remained.

Shen Zhiyi said slowly: “Everyone under heaven has the right to flee, but I cannot—I alone cannot.”

Jiang Xuening was utterly perplexed.

But Shen Zhiyi stood on those steps, smiling with self-mockery and sorrow. Moonlight covered her entire body, adding an indescribable weight: “People often say, ‘Receive the sovereign’s stipend, serve the sovereign’s affairs.’ Actually, the saying should be reversed—consume the people’s sustenance, work for the people’s benefit. The emperor’s throne, the imperial family’s honor—these didn’t fall from the sky. The world’s taxes, the myriad people’s corvée labor—they provide brocade robes and jade food, they offer prostrations and worship, treating themselves as oxen and horses, revering the imperial family as deities. I in the palace, by nature arrogant, know little. But you in the marketplace, raised in the countryside, have witnessed much suffering—you should know. If war breaks out, if the nation has great traitors, if loyal and good men have no successors, how can we win? The collapse of the imperial family is a small matter; the suffering of the common people is the great crime. No matter how rotten the court is inside, I am still a princess of this empire…”

Jiang Xuening was completely stunned.

In her heart, a thought finally emerged that had never existed in her previous life.

Shen Zhiyi slowly closed her eyes, as if trying to suppress the surging emotions in her heart, or perhaps to prevent the courage she had mustered from retreating. She continued: “Ningning, I’m not acting out of some profound righteousness. I’m just afraid—terribly afraid.”

Jiang Xuening’s throat was blocked; she couldn’t speak.

Shen Zhiyi gazed at her, her eyes now holding a severity and resilience that had never been there before: “I’m afraid—afraid that if I flee today when fate arrives, from then on I’ll be defeated without fighting, reduced to a timid and cowardly person; I’m afraid—afraid that if I hide when responsibility comes, in the future when life is devastated, I won’t be able to straighten my spine amid the cries of infants!”

In her previous life, how Shen Zhiyi went to the Tatars for the marriage alliance, Jiang Xuening didn’t know clearly. She only knew that the once brilliant princess now slept in a coffin.

She had never considered such a possibility—

That this princess, once willful and pampered, went willingly!

In her previous life, she disguised herself as a man, causing Shen Zhiyi to mistakenly love her and then hate her. In this life, her contact with Shen Zhiyi—while called genuine feeling—was actually more out of seeking advantage and avoiding harm, currying favor.

She wanted to save Shen Zhiyi only to repay the kindness the other had shown her.

But only at this moment did she realize how absurd she was, how laughable, and how much she had missed…

At this point, Jiang Xuening felt she shouldn’t persist further, shouldn’t force it. After all, once a person’s mind was made up, how could others change it?

But she was unwilling, so unwilling.

Must she watch her rush toward that fatal destiny without any attempt to stop her?

She grasped her hand, almost pleadingly: “Don’t do this, Your Highness, don’t do this. Whether it was drunken words or not, you promised me. I’ll take you out of the palace, I’ll take you away!”

Tears slid down Shen Zhiyi’s face: “Consider it an extravagant wish that can never bear fruit.”

She turned and walked away.

Fearing that if she looked at her a moment longer, she would soften and change her mind.

But Jiang Xuening chased after her, finally unable to control herself as she called out: “The Tatars have the hearts of wolves—the marriage alliance is merely a delaying tactic. This shouldn’t be the price Your Highness bears! Do you know that this journey might—”

Shen Zhiyi’s steps halted.

In the end, she didn’t dare speak that word, fearing that saying it would make it real. Looking at her back, she said dejectedly: “Your Highness, ten thousand li from the nation, the road home so distant—I’m just, just afraid you’ll be gone too long, and when I miss you, I won’t be able to see you.”

The courtyard flowers had all fallen, tree shadows mottled.

That tree of precious green plum in the garden corner had gnarled branches, looking just like the unburied white bones beyond Yanmen Pass.

Yet the air held the sweet fragrance of gardenia.

Shen Zhiyi, with her back to Jiang Xuening, looked toward the crescent moon in the ink-blue sky, surveying her surroundings. After a long while, she glanced back at her but said nothing more. She only bent down to scoop up a handful of soft earth from beneath the tree and walked back to stand before her.

Then she placed this handful of earth in her palm.

It was hard to say whether it felt light as air or heavy as stone.

She smiled at Jiang Xuening, her eyes brilliant as stars: “Ningning, don’t see me off. Wait until the day Yan Lin leads Great Qian’s iron cavalry to break through Yanmen Pass—bring this handful of native soil and come welcome me back to my homeland, back to the capital!”

Tears suddenly blurred her vision.

At the second quarter of the hour of You, Shen Zhiyi lingered no more, walking past that line of bright palace lanterns.

Only when her figure had nearly disappeared did Jiang Xuening stumble forward a few steps. But in the blink of an eye, she could see nothing in the darkness: “Your Highness, I promise you!”

That hoarse voice shattered the darkness.

Your Highness, I promise you—

On the day iron cavalry breaks through Yanmen Pass, I will bring this handful of native soil to welcome you back to your homeland, back to the capital!

I promise you.