Ding Yi had also struggled with this matter for a long time. A confession would eventually be necessary, but she wasn’t confident about what situation would unfold after revealing the truth. What if the masters became furious with embarrassment, had her arrested for questioning, or simply expelled her? With Changbai Mountain within reach, wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted? She decided to wait until they arrived and act according to the circumstances.

Before departing, her master had instructed her that even if she saw her brothers, she couldn’t blindly acknowledge them. She understood the reasoning behind this. So she needed to remain steady—the time wasn’t right yet. Even with words at the tip of her tongue, she had to swallow them back.

Since she was unwilling to bring it up, he naturally wouldn’t press the matter, but he understood in his heart and became even more mindful of her.

They continued traveling by day and resting at night. Setting out from Fusong, taking the official road would have meant a large detour. By cutting diagonally toward the southeast, they could save half the journey. However, the route was arduous. At the end of October, they encountered a heavy snowfall, making progress extremely difficult.

In the bitter cold, those two birds truly suffered. They spent all day with their necks retracted, like chickens awaiting slaughter at the market. They no longer sang or danced; their splendor had faded like mountains and rivers in eternal silence, filled with desolation and bleakness.

The small golden cages that the Seventh Prince had purchased in Beijing proved useful. Both were about the size of cricket cages and could be easily carried in her chest area. The only issue was their unsightly appearance. Placing them above and below might suffocate the birds while placing them on either side for ventilation made her feel like her face was being swept clean. To make matters worse, the Seventh Prince often came to look, not waiting for her to move her clothes himself, taking one cage out while the other side remained protruding, creating an absurd appearance that was both laughable and lamentable.

With things bulging in her chest area, the Seventh Prince remarked, “Look how much our Tree resembles a woman! Put on some accessories, change into beautiful clothes, and he’d catch everyone’s eye wherever he went.”

She felt extremely awkward. The Seventh Prince had good eyesight, but in her situation, the reality after being exposed would be far less pleasant than imagined.

She continued to play dumb, being extremely careful and strictly observing her duties. The horse caravan pressed forward through the snow and finally reached Changbai Mountain on the scheduled day.

Standing at the entrance of the imperial estate, she felt as if she had crossed into another world. Looking around, the vast expanse was boundless. In winter, human traces were rare, with only mountains stretching endlessly and pine waves forming winds. Ding Yi’s entire body trembled, her teeth chattering loudly—not from cold, but from the excitement she could barely contain. After countless hardships, she had finally reached this place. The past twelve years seemed to have been lived just for this day. Standing on this land where her brothers had suffered, she felt that once she found them, her long-cherished wish would be fulfilled, and her parents could rest in peace.

The so-called imperial estate was a farm and pasture directly managed by the imperial family. During the early years of the Great Ming, there were only five or six such estates, but now they had increased to more than twenty. Where there was an estate, there were houses. The court specifically appointed eunuchs to supervise. Usually, with the emperor far away, these eunuchs became local tyrants, walking with four-sided steps while holding hand warmers, and oppressing the estate workers and slaves. Now that the princes had arrived, the eunuchs led the estate foremen and attendants out to welcome them. Outside the main gate, a large crowd knelt, forming a black mass.

The weather was too cold; faces had gone numb. The Seventh Prince had developed a chilblain on his ear. After dismounting, he rubbed it while shouting, “Don’t bother with these empty formalities! Knowing we were coming, why haven’t you prepared everything?”

The head eunuch, Tao Yongfu, came forward bowing and scraping. “In reply to Your Highness, in this rural wilderness, there are only humble provisions. This servant has hurriedly arranged a banquet. The dishes are wild game from the mountains, and the liquor is locally produced strong spirits. Everything has been prepared to welcome Your Highnesses and warm you up. Please proceed.”

The Seventh Prince lost his appetite at the mention of wild game and waved his hand. “We’ve had enough meat on the road. Just stew some fish and boil some taro.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Yongfu agreed repeatedly and hurriedly gave signals to those below him, leading the masters inside while ordering the kitchen to prepare accordingly.

The princes and officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment went to the main hall, while the Kosha guards and imperial guards had their quarters. The imperial estate didn’t have much except for houses—rows of tubular rooms like pigeon coops from south to north. The roofs were quite low, but with two people per room, the accommodation was comfortable enough. Ding Yi had special orders; she would share a room with the birds, not having to squeeze in with others. With a brazier provided, she finished settling the birds and finally could go out for a walk.

Near dusk, the sky looked like an overturned pickle jar, with pickled mustard, turned yellow, the bottom of the jar appearing dim. She looked up, her breath forming clouds. With her hands tucked in her sleeves, she backed away and saw an estate worker pushing a three-wheeled cart loaded with various items—tofu in basins, and baskets containing radishes, yams, winter bamboo shoots, and lotus roots. He was probably delivering vegetables to the estate. As he pushed, a wheel hit a stone, causing a jolt, and one basket fell, scattering potatoes all over the ground.

Ding Yi rushed forward to help pick them up. The estate worker thanked her repeatedly. From his accent, she could tell he was from Beijing. Curious, she asked, “Are you from Beijing?”

The worker responded affirmatively. “Are you an attendant of the imperial commissioners? Your face is unfamiliar.”

Ding Yi acknowledged with a sound. “We just arrived today. After settling in, I came out to look around. It’s truly cold here, nothing like Beijing.”

The man smiled and said, “Who would come here willingly? Only those who have committed offenses and been exiled, are sent here to work and atone for their crimes.”

Ding Yi glanced at him. Since the conversation had turned this way, she casually continued, “I see this place is large. Do all those Aha live here?”

“Not at all. This is the temporary palace of Eunuch Tao and his group. How could those poor people take turns living here? About one mountain away, there’s a place surrounded by iron thorns forming a net. Inside are sheds with large communal beds where dozens of people sleep in one room. Next doors are cow pens and sheepfolds—they live as neighbors to the livestock.”

Ding Yi found this distasteful and sighed, “Coming here, one is hardly treated as human anymore…”

“They’re criminals. Being allowed to keep their lives means they’re here to be worked to the bone. How could they expect to be well-fed and cared for?” The estate worker shook his head. “You don’t know—in the morning, the overseers drive them out to cultivate the wasteland, and they’re driven back at dusk. Every day, they live like mules. And what do they wear? Old cotton-padded jackets that don’t keep out the cold, with torn sleeves and drooping trouser legs—unbearable. Your arrival is timely; please pass a word to the imperial commissioners to properly deal with Tao and his people. We estate workers suffer greatly, oppressed to the point where we can’t raise our heads. We don’t know how much rent the court collects annually, but in any case, if you produce ten shi of grain, they take nine and a half. We work from dawn to dusk, but by the end of the year, we don’t even have enough food for ourselves. How can one live such a life?”

The estate worker was full of grievances and complained to anyone from Beijing. Ding Yi had other concerns but responded vaguely while helping him place the basket back on the cart. The man thanked her profusely, to which she smiled and said, “This is nothing to thank me for.” She then asked, “Where are those Aha cultivating? In such cold weather, aren’t they processing ginseng?”

The man replied, “Ginseng is harvested three times a year. September was the last round. They rushed day and night to process it and finished long ago. Now with no work to do, but unable to be idle, they’re all driven into the mountains. Whether it’s snowing or raining blades, they go to plow the land.” He pointed south and said, “Two mountains away, they’re all there! Young children are crying from the cold. Yesterday, I truly heard heart-wrenching cries. Ah, it’s pitiful!” With that, he clasped his hands in thanks and left, pushing his cart.

Ding Yi stood there in a daze, not knowing how many Aha were on the imperial estate and where to inquire about a list of these people. Her heart was anxious, but she had nowhere to turn. After some thought, since the Twelfth Prince had come for the case, following him should lead her to her brothers.

She turned around as swirling snow swept across her face. She narrowed her eyes. Though she had envisioned this moment countless times, being separated by two mountains made little difference from before. She didn’t know how Ru Liang and the others were faring. Recalling what the man had just said—not enough food, not enough clothing, wasting away in this icy, snowy world—she had always thought her life was difficult, but theirs was a thousand times more challenging. Endless days of suffering, how desperate they must feel—she couldn’t even imagine.

She walked back dejectedly and encountered Na Jin, who was coming out to find her. He called out, “The Seventh Prince is discussing birds with someone and wants you to bring the two birds over.”

She acknowledged and returned to the room to cover the bird cages with thick felt, then carried them to the main house. As she lifted the curtain, warm air greeted her face. The two princes sat in the seats of honor, with rows of officials on both sides—some who had come from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment, as well as local county officials. The Seventh Prince was peeling taro and dipping it in sugar. Seeing her, he beckoned, saying, “Tree, the taro here grows so well. Come and taste some.”

This prince was truly uninhibited. She smiled and shook her head. “You enjoy it, your servant isn’t hungry. Your servant has brought the birds.”

As she removed the cover, the warmth of the room revived the two birds. They began to sing—the lark imitating a water wheel with its “zhee-niu zhee-niu,” and the red bird making “chi-luo-qiang” sounds, automatically adding drum beats. Everyone in the room, whether they understood birds or not, applauded and praised them.

The Seventh Prince, impatient with discussing the case, turned to talk about birds. The Twelfth Prince, eager to complete his duty and proceed to Ningguta, sat down and immediately summoned the manager to search for people.

“In the twenty-seventh year of Chengde, the Grand Emperor issued an imperial decree to deal with the case of Censor Wen Lu of the Censorate. Wen Lu was executed, and his three sons were exiled to the imperial estate—it has been exactly twelve years now. When I left Beijing, I received an imperial order to review this case and require their testimony…” He scraped the lid of his cup and took a sip of tea. “How many people are on the estate? Bring the register to check one by one. Go do it immediately.”

The clerk who received the order withdrew, and Tao Yongfu rubbed his hands, saying, “Please wait, Your Highness. I expect the search to be time-consuming. The court has been rectifying discipline over the years, and many people have been exiled to Changbai Mountain. For instance, in the sixth year of Chengsheng, the case involving the Wang family of the Imperial Household Department led to the estate receiving two hundred and twenty-seven people. Counting until now, the number of Aha probably exceeds ten thousand. With people coming and going, to identify specific individuals would require great effort…”

Hong Ce glanced at him. “Working for the Emperor, should one begrudge a bit of effort? What then, leave the matter unattended? We labor diligently, unlike you who enjoy such good fortune. You’ve made fine achievements on the estate these years. A Jala Zhanggjing from Dunhua mentioned you when reporting to Beijing and praised you greatly. The Emperor has also spoken, ordering me to investigate. If verified, you will naturally be well rewarded. You just mentioned people coming and going. I know about the coming, but the going—where do they go?”

Tao Yongfu was alarmed by his words. He had heard of the Twelfth Prince’s reputation, and the so-called “achievements” were sarcastic. Now being questioned, he needed to be extremely careful. Angering him could result in an immediate order to remove his head. Therefore, he cautiously replied, “Your Highness is wise. The climate at Changbai Mountain is unlike elsewhere. Not to mention when heavy snow blocks the mountains, even in September when they go into the mountains to dig for ginseng, one mistake can lead to freezing to death—that’s one aspect. Secondly, the mountains are treacherous, and every year many people perish there. To put it bluntly, coming to this place means coming to suffer. Whether one has the fate to live depends on destiny. For instance, if someone falls ill, the estate has a doctor, but this doctor treats not only people but also livestock…” He smiled awkwardly. “Mongolian doctors treat people like livestock. How many with strong constitutions can withstand this? So ‘coming’ means the court graciously sends people here, and ‘going’ means they die. Not just here, Ningguta is the same. Every year, dozens die. This is unavoidable.”

As they spoke, Ding Yi listened attentively and couldn’t help but shudder at these words. Eunuch Tao spoke of life and death as casually as eating, showing no regard for human life at all. She suddenly felt terrified, her heart racing. She hoped her brothers were well. She had endured all these hardships because a belief sustained her—she wanted to find a way to rescue them. The Twelfth Prince was kind-hearted; if she kowtowed and begged, perhaps he might show some mercy outside the law. If that path failed, she had even resolved to appeal to the Seventh Prince. He had once said that if she were a woman, he would make her his secondary consort, which indicated that the Seventh Prince didn’t find her disagreeable. She had no thoughts of marrying above her station; she was willing to sacrifice anything to save her brothers, even if it meant becoming a serving maid.

While official talk went back and forth, she stood there increasingly anxious, frequently looking outside to see endless falling snow. After waiting for about forty-five minutes, the clerk who had gone out earlier returned, carrying a register and announcing, “In reply to Your Highness, this humble servant has checked the records from more than ten years ago as ordered. In the year Gengxu, there was indeed such an entry—Wen’s three sons, Ru Liang, Ru Gong, and Ru Jian, were exiled to the imperial estate due to their father’s crimes…”

Ding Yi felt as if her soul was hovering above her head, ready to depart at any moment. Trembling, she strained to hear. After the clerk finished speaking, he stepped forward and handed the register up, pointing to a particular place and continuing, “Your Highness, please look here. This records the three men’s service situation on the imperial estate—’ In the second year of Chengsheng, during Guyu, they contracted a disease while on duty. The illness was severe, and despite medical treatment for more than ten days, there was no improvement. On the fourteenth day, their condition deteriorated rapidly, and all three died within three days.'”