“Your Highness, General Yan and Minister Xie have given instructions that although the war has ceased, Xinzhou City may not be entirely peaceful. If Your Highness wishes to leave the residence, we subordinates must notify the guards to accompany you. Please forgive us, Princess!”

The soldier guarding the courtyard gate bowed and half-knelt before Shen Zhiyi, appearing somewhat apprehensive.

Shen Zhiyi clasped her hands in front of her, her gaze falling upon him before slowly shifting toward the courtyard gate. In the end, she gradually withdrew her steps, suddenly losing all interest in going out. Not wanting to make things difficult for the soldier, she gave him a faint smile and said, “You’re right. With evening approaching, there’s nothing much to see outside. I won’t go out. You may rise.”

The soldier seemed half-convinced and didn’t quite dare to stand up.

Shen Zhiyi sighed softly in her heart, knowing that if she didn’t return to her room, he would likely continue kneeling. She said nothing more and turned to walk back.

However, she hadn’t expected that just as she reached the covered corridor, a voice would suddenly come from outside the gate.

“I, your subject Zhou Yinzhi, have come to pay my respects and request an audience with the Princess.”

Shen Zhiyi’s steps immediately halted, her brows furrowing slightly in surprise as she turned to look. It truly was Zhou Yinzhi.

He walked in from outside the gate.

The soldier didn’t dare to stop him.

Shen Zhiyi had almost no connection with Zhou Yinzhi. Their only link was perhaps that this person had come to the border on the orders of her imperial brother Shen Lang. But when she had been married off in alliance years ago, she had already seen clearly that no matter how noble one’s status, in the eyes of the emperor one was merely a chess piece that could be sacrificed at any time. The court had never cared whether she lived or died. As for Zhou Yinzhi, he had only paid his respects to her once at the New Year’s Eve victory banquet.

At this moment, what had he come for?

She watched him and said, “This palace and Lord Zhou are not close, so I’m hardly worth your personal visit to pay respects. Is there some matter?”

Although Zhou Yinzhi knew that this Grand Princess had once been an abandoned piece of the court, now that she had returned to the court under such special circumstances, she had instead gained extraordinary value.

He had received orders from Shen Lang before coming.

At this moment, though he detected Shen Zhiyi’s wariness and coldness, he didn’t mind. Instead, he stepped closer, bowed his head respectfully and said, “Though this subject has little connection with Your Highness, I came to Xinzhou under orders for two purposes: first, to convey the imperial edict, and second, to escort Your Highness back to the capital. Previously, I heard that Your Highness was in poor health and the young prince still needed recuperation, making it inconvenient to depart. I wonder if Your Highness has any plans to set out for the capital in the near future?”

Shen Zhiyi remained silent.

Zhou Yinzhi smiled slightly and continued, “You are naturally the supremely noble imperial princess, free to go wherever you wish. Even if you have no plans to return to the capital at present, that’s perfectly fine. This subject will simply report back to His Majesty. However, the capital is far away, and His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Prince Linzi all miss you dearly. When this subject departed from the capital, I happened to meet Prince Linzi on the road. He specifically wrote a letter and entrusted this subject to personally deliver it to Your Highness.”

You are the supremely noble imperial princess, free to go wherever you wish.

Shen Zhiyi faintly sensed that these words carried hidden meaning.

She looked at the letter Zhou Yinzhi had taken from his sleeve, but for a moment didn’t reach out to take it.

Given Shen Jie’s kind nature, it was indeed possible he would write her a letter.

However, Shen Lang was by no means a benevolent ruler.

If this truly was a letter that Shen Jie had intercepted someone on the road to deliver, Zhou Yinzhi, being such a shrewd person who sought advantages and avoided harm, would never present this letter to her so easily. Either this letter had already been read by someone, or…

This letter wasn’t written by Shen Jie at all!

Seeing that she hadn’t taken it, Zhou Yinzhi didn’t withdraw his hand, merely maintaining his posture of offering it.

After a long while, Shen Zhiyi finally reached out.

The thin letter was placed in her hand.

Zhou Yinzhi then smiled at her and said, “His Majesty also misses Your Highness quite fondly. Knowing that Your Highness is safe and well, His Majesty is quite pleased. When you return to the capital in the future, he will surely help you wash away the dust of the frontier.”

Shen Zhiyi looked at the envelope, not responding to his words.

Zhou Yinzhi knew well that he was not welcome in present-day Xinzhou. Without saying more, he bowed and withdrew.

He left the courtyard.

Several soldiers still stood solemnly on either side of the gate.

Shen Zhiyi stood for a long time under the corridor, gazing at the gradually darkening sky overhead. She suddenly felt that the sorrow of the past had not dissipated despite two years of suffering, but had merely changed form, still hovering over her heart, lingering and refusing to leave.

Others are the knife and chopping board, while I am the fish and meat.

Whether in the palace, in the land of the Tatars, or even here in Xinzhou City, in the general’s residence…

The weak would always be chess pieces.

Zhou Yinzhi had already thoroughly investigated the situation in Xinzhou City. At this moment, he couldn’t help but admire Shen Lang’s foresight and imperial cunning. If the court ignored Xinzhou, Yan Lin would surely raise an army in rebellion someday. But sending him here could not only put this group of rebels in check, but also trap them in a difficult position—

Whether they returned to the capital or not, they would fall into a passive situation.

To return to the capital meant going alone and unarmed. To not return—Shen Zhiyi was still a princess, after all, so how could they truly allow her freedom of movement without constraints?

However, along the way, he hadn’t dared to open the letter and read it.

He had secretly felt it several times and could clearly sense a small hard object inside. It was definitely not as simple as just a page of paper.

Zhou Yinzhi pondered that the purpose of his journey to Xinzhou had mostly been accomplished, except for one matter…

For some reason, thinking about it made him feel somewhat uneasy.

He walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back. Just as he turned the corner, he saw a figure approaching from ahead. She had delicate, refined features and a rather composed demeanor. She held several account books in her hands and was moving her lips as she walked, counting on her fingers, as if calculating something.

Zhou Yinzhi’s steps immediately halted. He cupped his hands and said, “Miss You, what a coincidence to meet again.”

You Fangyin started, only then seeing him.

Her steps also stopped, though she didn’t come too close. After all, Second Miss had mentioned before that this person required caution. She naturally had some doubts and kept a respectful distance, simply saying, “Greetings, Lord Zhou.”

Zhou Yinzhi glanced at the account books in her hands and said, “These past few days I’ve seen much bustle at the residence gates. You and Boss Ren seem to have purchased quite a lot. Are you preparing to depart for Shu soon? I truly never imagined that after two years, everyone has changed so much. When Zhou was searching for account books for Miss You in prison back then, I never expected the young lady would be so capable in the future. One truly cannot judge by appearances.”

In those years, Zhou Yinzhi had indeed provided much assistance.

You Fangyin, being purely kind-hearted by nature, couldn’t bring herself to show him a cold face. Her expression softened somewhat as she smiled and said, “It’s merely small business in tea leaves and fabric. Xinzhou’s resources are not abundant, so it cannot grow very large.”

Zhou Yinzhi had only been making casual conversation, but when he heard the word “tea,” somehow, he suddenly recalled that day on the city gate tower when Jiang Xuening had discussed with him the matter of Yaoniang preparing tea.

The other party’s expression that day had always left him with an uneasy feeling.

At this moment, his eyes flickered slightly, though he turned to You Fangyin as if speaking casually, “The tea I drink in the capital is mostly transported from the merchant association where Miss You serves as president. How can that be considered small business? I’ve heard that some teas are even better than those in the palace.”

At the mention of the palace, You Fangyin dared not casually respond, fearing she might invite trouble. She quickly said, “You jest, my lord. In the tea trade across all directions, the best tea is always reserved for tribute first. Even we merchants must wait until after the various prefectures’ tribute periods have passed before negotiating with the tea farmers. Even if sometimes we encounter provincial officials who arrive late, we still wait for them to select the finest batch first. We would never dare overstep our bounds.”

In that instant, the corner of Zhou Yinzhi’s eye twitched slightly.

Waiting until after the tribute periods of the various prefectures have passed…

He finally recalled what had been bothering him that day on the city gate tower, leaving him constantly uneasy—

He had revealed a flaw!

Zhou Yinzhi’s heart sank.

You Fangyin hadn’t yet noticed anything amiss. She said softly, “This time in Xinzhou, there have been many people and matters keeping us busy with no time to spare. If I come to the capital in the future, I will certainly visit to thank Lord Zhou again for his kindness in those years.”

After speaking, she curtsied and was about to continue forward.

Zhou Yinzhi didn’t speak at first. Only after cupping his hands to bid her farewell, when they had already passed each other, did he turn around as if suddenly remembering something and say, “Did Miss You also purchase much of Xinzhou’s local tea this time?”

You Fangyin paused and turned around. “That’s correct.”

Zhou Yinzhi then smiled, seeming somewhat embarrassed, and said, “I’m a rough man who doesn’t understand tea. However, there is a concubine in my household who is quite fond of drinking tea. She was born into a tea-farming family in her early years and had a difficult life. I will be leaving the border city to return to the capital in the coming days, and I have an impertinent request at present. The tea Miss You has purchased must be excellent. I wonder if you could offer guidance and spare me a little, so I can bring some back along the way for her to taste.”

You Fangyin was slightly taken aback.

Zhou Yinzhi quickly added, “Whatever the price, Zhou will pay accordingly. However, if Miss You has no time, that’s fine. I can ask someone else.”

After all, his attitude was humble and he mentioned his concubine.

You Fangyin didn’t know who this person was, but thinking that Zhou Yinzhi had once saved her, and that he had traveled thousands of miles to Xinzhou yet still thought of his family, her heart softened. Thinking this was no major matter, she nodded and said, “It’s no trouble, only the tea from the frontier is rather coarse and may not suit her taste. Let me put these account books away first, then Lord Zhou can follow me to fetch some.”

Zhou Yinzhi then expressed his thanks.

You Fangyin walked ahead while he followed behind.

However, when she turned away, Zhou Yinzhi’s face became shrouded in gloom. After hesitating, it ultimately transformed into a cruel resolve: the flaw had been exposed, and the current situation truly left him no choice. In for a penny, in for a pound—perhaps he could still seek wealth and honor through risk!

Jiang Xuening had finished her evening meal and completed her ablutions, preparing to let down her hair and sleep.

She hadn’t expected someone to arrive after nightfall.

It was actually Jian Shu outside, his voice not quite gentle, carrying some gravity: “Miss Ning, the people sent out to gather intelligence some days ago have initially sent back urgent news. Zhou Yinzhi only entered Guanzhong in late December, but he didn’t come via the official road from the capital. Along the way, someone saw him detour through southwestern Shu. Perhaps he went from the capital first to the Shu region before arriving in Xinzhou!”

Jiang Xuening’s fingers holding the ebony comb suddenly froze. Almost instantly, she felt a chill run up her spine.

Her thoughts raced, and she sensed something was wrong.

What was Zhou Yinzhi doing in Shu?

She slapped the comb directly back onto the vanity. A flash of inspiration struck her mind, and an ominous premonition suddenly rose, causing her to abruptly stand up and pull open the door. She actually rushed directly past Jian Shu, hurrying toward the courtyard where You Fangyin resided, only saying, “Quickly send someone to inform Ren Weizhi that before Dao Qin captures Zhou Yinzhi, he and his people must not wander about!”

Jian Shu dared not disobey and immediately gave the order as they left the courtyard together.

However, Jiang Xuening didn’t dare stop for even a moment.

The closer she got to You Fangyin’s residence, the more violently her heart pounded. Even seeing the lanterns hanging in the corridor from afar made her eyes blur. Yet when she stepped through the courtyard gate, her steps suddenly froze.

In the dim courtyard, the scent of blood faintly permeated the air.

Dao Qin had just emerged from inside, seemingly about to rush out to find someone, but now suddenly stopped, standing by the door. An undried bloody gash marked his cheek, and he still tightly gripped his unsheathed blade, carrying an almost panicked helplessness.

He saw Jiang Xuening.

He opened his mouth, somewhat afraid to meet her eyes directly. After a moment, he said hoarsely, “Miss Ning…”

In that instant, Jiang Xuening’s head buzzed. She felt dizzy and light-headed, barely able to stand.

The dim lamplight illuminated the scene.

Through the wide-open door, bright red blood pooled inside, slowly flowing along the floor’s crevices, gathering at the threshold and seeping out in a deep, dark color.

“Fangyin! Fangyin…”