Xu Jingfu escaped from prison at night, fleeing to an abandoned farmhouse outside the city. His student Chu Zilan led troops to capture him. In the name of justice over family ties, Chu Zilan engaged in combat with his teacher and was gravely wounded. Now he lay in bed between life and death.

Overnight, the political winds in Shuo Jing shifted completely.

Xu Jingfu’s escape confirmed the charges of collaborating with enemies, betraying the country, and falsely accusing important court officials in the Ming Shui case. The Ministry of Justice processed the case swiftly, arresting the entire Xu family. The only surprise was the Fourth Young Master of Marquis Shi Jin’s household. Some criticized him behind his back for being disloyal – Xu Jingfu had treated him so well, yet he helped others against his teacher. Others said he knew where his loyalties lay, as imperial favor ultimately outweighed a teacher’s grace.

But now he lay on his sickbed, unconscious, which caused much sighing. It was said Xu Jingfu had stabbed him through the chest – whether he would survive remained unknown.

At the Xiao mansion, in the ancestral hall, Xiao Jing and Xiao Jue stood shoulder to shoulder. Xiao Jue rarely joined Xiao Jing in paying respects – most times he came alone.

A few nights ago, Bai Rongwei had felt unwell and called for a doctor, only to learn she was with child. Years ago, just six months after Bai Rongwei married into the Xiao family, Xiao Zhongwu met with disaster, followed shortly by Madam Xiao’s passing. At that time, Xu Jingfu had pressed the Xiao family hard, putting them in grave danger. The newly pregnant Bai Rongwei, exhausted from worry, lost the child, and her health suffered ever since, requiring years of recovery.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Xu Jingfu’s case concluded, Bai Rongwei received this good news – perhaps it was fate.

Xiao Jing looked at the ancestral tablets and sighed, “It’s been almost seven years. Finally, we can put this burden down.”

Over these years, though no one mentioned it explicitly, neither Xiao Jue nor Xiao Jing had forgotten the Battle of Ming Shui.

“You’ve had it hard these years,” Xiao Jing smiled at Xiao Jue, with a trace of apology in his expression. “The entire burden of the Xiao family fell on your shoulders alone.”

“Everything in Shuo Jing relies on Elder Brother’s management,” Xiao Jue replied coolly. “How can you say I alone bore the burden?”

“You’re just being stubborn,” Xiao Jing shook his head with a light laugh. “Though I’m your elder brother, I feel I’ve never done anything for you. You’ve never lived for yourself,” his gaze fell on the rising wisps of incense smoke. “Now, at least, you can finally take a rest.”

Whether it was being sent to the mountains as a child, later entering the Xian Chang Academy, or eventually taking charge of the Southern Army, everything had been for the Xiao family. Sometimes Xiao Jing felt he didn’t truly understand what his brother wanted, perhaps because no one had ever asked him what he desired. By the time anyone thought to ask, Xiao Jue had grown up, already accustomed to keeping everything buried in his heart.

As the elder brother, no matter how hard he tried, it seemed he could never truly enter Xiao Jue’s heart.

Still… if another person could enter, that wouldn’t be bad either.

“After the Xu family case, we should think about your matters,” Xiao Jing said.

“My matters?”

“Don’t forget about your marriage. Right now, this is the Xiao family’s most important affair. Your sister-in-law is now with child, so I’ve asked her to set these matters aside and let me handle them.”

Xiao Jue showed slight surprise: “There’s no need, I can manage it myself.”

“Xu Jingfu’s remaining supporters are still causing trouble, you likely won’t have time to arrange things personally,” Xiao Jing smiled. “Don’t worry, I have experience in this and won’t make any mistakes. When I married your sister-in-law, I managed everything, and it turned out quite well in the end.”

Back then, Madam Xiao had opposed Xiao Jing marrying the daughter of a concubine who wasn’t their social equal. Unable to change her son’s mind, she angrily refused to help. From the major aspects like the bridal chamber and betrothal gifts to minor details like wedding cards and pastries, Xiao Jing handled everything personally.

Remembering how nervous and cautious Xiao Jing had been while personally selecting wedding clothes fabric at the silk shop, Xiao Jue couldn’t help but lower his head and smile.

Seeing him smile, Xiao Jing smiled too and said with some emotion, “When I married your sister-in-law, I wondered when I would see you get married, and what kind of young lady you would marry. Now thinking about it,” he paused, “that Miss He is truly wonderful.”

After a moment of silence, Xiao Jue said softly, “I think she’s wonderful too.”

“Huai Jin,” Xiao Jing stood beside him, “you must cherish her well.”

At the Chu mansion, Chu Zhao, who had been unconscious for seven days, finally awoke.

His first act upon waking was to struggle to the palace despite his unhealed wounds, seeking an audience with the emperor. Initially, others thought that since he had chosen justice over family ties, he would completely cut off the Chu family’s path. Unexpectedly, his purpose in entering the palace was to declare his betrothal to Xu Pingting, arguing that by this time, she should have already married into the Chu family. Since she would have been married out, she shouldn’t count as a member of the Xu family. He begged Emperor Wen Xuan to spare Xu Pingting’s life in consideration of Xu Jingfu’s past service in assisting governance.

A young man of loyalty and righteousness, who could distinguish right from wrong – this was the type that rulers favored. Moreover, seeing Chu Zhao’s pale face and stubborn demeanor despite his illness reminded Emperor Wen Xuan of Xiao Huai Jin from years ago. His heart softened, and he granted Chu Zhao’s request. However, given Xu Jingfu’s grave crimes, while Xu Pingting might be spared execution, she couldn’t escape punishment. As a criminal official’s daughter, she certainly couldn’t become the wife of the Marquis Shi Jin’s household.

At most, she could be a concubine.

When Xu Pingting was brought to the Chu family, she wept continuously. In just a few days, the Xu family had fallen, her parents had died, and all their former friends avoided them. Now, all she could rely on was Chu Zhao.

“Brother Zilan!” Xu Pingting grabbed his arm and cried, “Why did you only come to save me now? What’s happening? Why are they treating me like this?”

A privileged young lady who had fallen from the clouds into the mud overnight could only panic and refuse to believe everything before her eyes was real.

“Pingting,” the man before her still looked at her gently, “You’ll live here from now on.”

“What do you mean? Can’t I go back to my own home?” Xu Pingting asked anxiously, “They’re all wrongly accusing my father, Brother Zilan, you must have a way, you have a way, right?”

Chu Zilan just looked at her silently.

Xu Pingting’s hands slowly released from Chu Zhao’s arm. She stepped back two paces, the panic in her eyes gradually receding slightly as if remembering something from the past. She asked, “Brother Zilan, on the way here I heard people say… they said you chose justice over family ties, that when my father tried to escape with others, you stopped them… this can’t be true, they’re lying, right?”

Chu Zhao sighed, “It’s true.”

Xu Pingting’s expression froze. After a long while, she cried out, “Then did you kill my father? Why would you do this? My father was so good to you, he was your teacher!”

The beautiful young lady’s face was streaked with tears. She had always been proud and aloof, either laughing freely or throwing tantrums arrogantly. She rarely appeared as vulnerable and disheveled as she did now. It was only at this moment that she looked not like “Minister Xu’s precious daughter” but like any ordinary girl.

Chu Zhao walked to her side and took out a handkerchief, wiping away her tears one by one. In the past, if he had done this, Xu Pingting would have been overjoyed. But now as she looked at him, though his features were the same as before, his expression still gentle and patient, somehow it caused a faint chill to rise her spine.

“I promised teacher I would take good care of you,” he slowly put away the handkerchief, his tone still the same as before, yet somehow completely different, “And I will certainly do so. Pingting, don’t be willful.”

“Some things,” he said softly, “should not be mentioned again in the future. Be good, and everything will pass.”

As night fell, He Yan and He Yunsheng sat in the room eating roasted sweet potatoes.

They buried two sweet potatoes in the fine ashes under the brazier. After a while, when they dug them out of the ashes, the sweet potatoes were perfectly cooked. Even before peeling the skin, one could smell their fragrance. Taking a bite after peeling them, they were sweet and warm, so delicious one could almost swallow their tongue.

He Yan tossed a large sweet potato into He Yunsheng’s lap. It was too hot, so He Yunsheng had to juggle it in his hands before daring to take a bite.

“He Yan, eat less,” while eating his own, he reminded the person across from him, “I heard Commander Xiao had your wedding clothes made according to your previous measurements. If you keep eating like this and can’t fit into the dress when the time comes, what will you do if we can’t find new wedding clothes in time?”

He Yan threw a sweet potato peel at his head, which He Yunsheng dodged by ducking. She said, “Your sister has a slender waist that can be encircled by one hand, how could I not fit into the dress? Stop worrying needlessly!”

“Anyway, I’ve never seen any bride-to-be eat as much as you do before their wedding,” He Yunsheng muttered. He’d seen their street neighbors’ sisters get married – other brides would start starving themselves months in advance to look delicate and lovely on their wedding day. Only his sister seemed afraid of missing a single bite, showing no awareness of being a bride-to-be.

What would they do at this rate? He Yunsheng worried anxiously. When she got to the Xiao family, wouldn’t others think their He family hadn’t fed He Yan properly?

“You’re so young, yet you worry so much,” He Yan lectured him earnestly, “Even Father doesn’t think as much as you do.” He Yunsheng had probably become the household head too early. Sometimes He Yan felt he acted more like a father than He Sui did. Acting so mature and serious – he wasn’t as adorable as when he was younger.

“The Xu family case is over, and Commander Xiao won’t have much to do after this,” He Yunsheng said with his head down. “The next big event is just your wedding, isn’t it? He Yan, how can you be so casual about it?” He Yunsheng got increasingly frustrated, “Aren’t you nervous at all?”

The sweet potato was too hot, so He Yan blew on it before taking a bite, mumbling in response, “Not nervous.”

He Yunsheng was speechless. Fine then, apparently, he was the only one in the entire household who was nervous.

He Yan looked at his worried expression and laughed, “Why are you thinking so much? Isn’t there still some time until the wedding? Yunsheng, you’re still young and don’t understand that things in this world can change in an instant. Who can predict what tomorrow will bring? Why give yourself unnecessary worries? Take the Xu family for example – who could have predicted their fall from such glory?”

At this, He Yunsheng came to his senses and sighed, “That’s true. At the victory celebration banquet, you and Miss Xu both received imperial marriage decrees, but now as your wedding approaches, Miss Xu’s marriage will never happen.” He frowned, “Back then, everyone in Shuo Jing compared you with Miss Xu, saying our family couldn’t compare to the Xu family. It made me so angry. I suppose no one will say that anymore.”

After all, the Xu family had fallen, and with such dishonorable charges.

He Yan paused in her sweet potato eating.

Honestly, Chu Zhao’s act of “choosing justice over family ties” had been unexpected – something about it didn’t add up. The more He Yan thought about it, the more she suspected it might have been a scheme by Chu Zhao. But he had wrapped things up cleanly, leaving no evidence. On the surface, it appeared he had chosen loyalty to the emperor over his teacher’s grace, but looking carefully, he hadn’t lost anything in this matter. Instead, he had cleanly cut ties with Xu Jingfu while temporarily winning the emperor’s trust. Except for lying in bed for a long while.

But the injury could be exaggerated or downplayed – it all depended on what the doctor said. After all, no one would specifically bring a doctor to verify if he was really in such danger.

He Yan didn’t like to think ill of people, so whenever these thoughts arose, she quickly dismissed them, unwilling to dwell on them. Never mind – what did Chu Zhao have to do with her? Why waste time thinking about someone who wasn’t important?

He Yunsheng chatted with her a while longer before leaving.

After He Yunsheng left, He Yan cleaned up the sweet potato peels, washed up, and got into bed. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Xiao Jue since the day of the Second Madam He’s burial. Though Minister Xu’s case had finally concluded, it didn’t mean everything was over. People connected to Minister Xu and those implicated in the Battle of Ming Shui couldn’t all be dealt with in just a day or two.

Then there was the Crown Prince… He Yan felt heavy-hearted. The Crown Prince would not make a good heir, but as a subject, and one without real power at that, she couldn’t influence the emperor’s decision.

She gazed out the bedroom window toward the city of Shuo Jing, where storm clouds were gathering.

Lost in thought, suddenly a cold glint flew toward her at high speed. He Yan’s expression sharpened as she instinctively reached out to catch it. The object grazed her palm, slightly breaking the skin. He Yan looked down to see she had caught a flying dart.

Something was tied to the dart. He Yan was startled, and when she untied and looked at it, her expression changed immediately. It was half of a hairpin, shaped like a magnolia flower. He Yan recognized it well – this was the hairpin she had given to He Xinying.

Since her last meeting with He Xinying, He Yan had worried the girl might take her own life in despair, so every few days she had Chi Wu deliver something to the Wei family. The gifts weren’t many or particularly valuable, but they represented He Yan’s sincere feelings. Sometimes it was a piece of jewelry or fabric. She wasn’t very skilled at choosing such feminine items, so she always selected them very carefully. She had just recently had Chi Wu deliver this magnolia hairpin, and had heard that He Xinying loved it and wore it immediately.

How did it end up here?

The hairpin was wrapped with a note. He Yan opened it to find an address that appeared to be a restaurant or teahouse.

Had someone captured He Xinying to threaten her?

But this restaurant was in the busy market district, and there was no curfew lately. If someone wanted to make a move, why choose such a conspicuous location?

He Yan thought for a long while, but concern for He Xinying won out. She picked out some men’s clothes from her trunk to change into. Today Chi Wu wasn’t around – since Minister Xu’s case broke, Chi Wu had become busy at night as well.

She got herself ready and slipped out under cover of darkness. After much guessing and asking around, she finally found the place written on the note.

It was indeed a teahouse.

The teahouse was styled like a small garden compound, looking more like a private residence from the outside. The marketplace was nearby, with city guard patrols passing by regularly. He Yan pondered for a moment before stepping inside.

Outside the compound stood two servants in plain clothes. Seeing He Yan, they asked nothing but said, “This way, Miss.” As if they had been waiting for her.

He Yan paused. She had come dressed as a man, and while her male disguise might not be perfect, it was good enough to fool most people. Yet these two servants directly addressed her as “Miss” – this couldn’t be due to their particularly keen eyes seeing through her disguise. Rather, the person waiting inside must be quite familiar with her habits.

He Yan had a vague guess who it might be, but she couldn’t be certain and didn’t quite understand why they would do this.

The servant led He Yan into the compound, past a garden, and into the teahouse. The main hall outside was empty of people, either naturally quiet or deliberately cleared. They walked along a corridor lined with smaller tea rooms on both sides until they reached the last one.

The servant said, “Please enter, Miss,” and then left without waiting for He Yan.

He Yan pushed open the door and entered.

In the tea room, shadows flickered in the lamplight, and the fragrance of tea filled the air. Behind a long table sat an elegant young man in flowing robes, his smile refined as he said softly, “A He.”

“Fourth Young Master Chu,” He Yan heard her voice say, “What is the meaning of this?”

“I just felt it had been a long time since I’d seen A He, and wanted to talk,” he replied gently, showing no displeasure at He Yan’s coldness.

He Yan raised her hand, showing him the hairpin: “Where is Miss He?”

“At the Wei mansion.”

He Yan was startled. Looking at Chu Zhao again, she thought for a moment, then tossed the hairpin onto the table and sat down across from him. She looked at Chu Zhao and said calmly, “You deceived me?”

“Otherwise,” Chu Zhao said, “How would A He agree to see me?”

She hadn’t noticed before, but now hearing him constantly say “A He,” He Yan felt uncomfortable. After a pause, she asked, “Then what urgent matter did Fourth Young Master Chu have to discuss with me?”