The person on the other side must have been startled as well. Before Ding Yi could see clearly, they hurriedly covered the peephole in the wall.

She was so frightened that she panted heavily, clutching her chest as she recovered. Her mind was spinning like a windmill, worried that their whereabouts had been discovered. Her father’s case had originally implicated other court officials—could it be Prince Zhuang’s people had tracked them down? Could that person with the red sash from the other day be their agent?

No, she had to notify Ru Jian. They couldn’t stay in Datong anymore; they needed to leave immediately. She lifted her skirt and ran back to the room to pack. Halfway through, she realized something wasn’t right. If they were truly Prince Zhuang’s people, they would have already broken in and taken their lives. Why would they bother with such roundabout tactics?

She calmed herself down, but the more she thought, the more confused she became. Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen the person’s face. What should she do now? She couldn’t report to the authorities and walk into their trap, and Ru Jian wasn’t there. She would have to rely on herself. She went to the kitchen to grab a cleaver but didn’t dare to seek out the perpetrator directly. Instead, she fetched a ladder and placed it against the wall, climbing up high to confront whoever was on the other side.

There was no one at the base of the wall anymore; they must have fled out of guilt. Furiously gripping the roof tiles, she shouted at two attendants standing guard: “Tell your master to come out and speak! In the dark of night, someone from your compound has been drilling holes to spy on us. Is anyone going to address this? If not, I’ll report to the authorities! Tell your master to come out and accompany me to the Datong Prefecture office.”

This was merely an empty threat; she would be hesitant to go to the magistrate’s office. Still, she maintained her intimidating demeanor, pounding on the wall and making a scene.

The two attendants didn’t dare make a commotion and shook their heads innocently. “Nothing of the sort happened. Who was spying? Our master isn’t home; he went out to dine with friends.”

Did they dare to deny it? She angrily threw a couple of roof tiles into their yard. But when the other party refused to show themselves, it was like punching a cotton bag—if they wouldn’t engage, what could she do? Gritting her teeth, she climbed down the ladder, took a shovel to dig up some soil, mixed it with water, and used small bricks to plug the hole, rebuilding the wall.

After finishing all this, she had just sat down when she heard someone knocking at the door. It must be Ru Jian returning. She rose to unlatch the door, eager to tell him what had happened. To her utter astonishment, the person standing outside was the very one she had been thinking about for so long! That tall figure, those gentle eyes—it was the man she had been missing!

She was stunned, barely able to distinguish between reality and dreams. She had imagined their reunion scene more than once, just like this—opening the door to find him standing at the threshold, smiling at her.

The wind blew her hair, fluttering across her vision. She squinted hard like the poem says: “Fearing our meeting might be but a dream.” She didn’t even dare step forward, only mumbling a prayer: “Buddha bless me not to wake up, at least let me say a few words…”

As she stood there foolishly, he smiled, his lips unable to conceal a trace of bitterness. “After much consideration, I worried you would tell Ru Jian, so I decided to see you before he returns.” He stepped inside, paused briefly, and finally couldn’t resist pulling her into his embrace. He caressed every strand of hair, every inch of skin like a desert wanderer suddenly discovering an oasis. His long-harbored desire instantly overwhelmed him. He held her tightly, wishing he could embed her into his body. “Guess how I’ve spent these nine months as if I’d died and been reborn… Do you have any heart at all? How could you be so cruel?”

She still found it hard to believe until she physically touched him, realizing that this was no dream—the Twelfth Master had truly found her. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to cry out loud but managed to hold back, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed.

A crescent moon hung overhead, casting shadowy figures. There were no lights here, only the faint candlelight filtering through the window of the main house. The two embraced tightly, so attached that they didn’t want to part even for a moment. But this couldn’t continue; they feared Ru Jian might return and create a conflict.

She released him, turned to bolt the door, and took his hand to her room. Only then did she feel embarrassed. Leaving without saying goodbye had been disloyal, making him search mountains and rivers to find her. Now that he had, she felt too ashamed to face him. She shuffled her feet, glancing at him timidly. “Why have you come?”

Examining her in the lamplight, her delicate features moved him to tenderness. She must have been living well with her brother; his secret observations over several days suggested she had no particular hardships. This was good, yet not entirely so. Perhaps he was being petty, but he felt that with her having someone to rely on, she might have forgotten him, while he had been sick with worry. Had she thought of him at all?

“I’m looking for my runaway wife. Even though she doesn’t care for me, now that I’ve found her, I still want to take her home and live a good life together.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, struggling to control his emotions, but his voice trembled nonetheless. “I haven’t been well at all lately, unable to sleep night after night. From Ninguta to Beijing, then from Beijing to Shanxi, I’ve nearly exhausted myself. Do you know that?”

His words stung her heart severely. She nodded tearfully, “I know, I’m sorry. I never wanted it to be this way… Who says I don’t care about you? I’ve traveled to so many places with Ru Jian, always feeling adrift. My roots are in Beijing, with you—only with you do I have a home. I want to return to Beijing too, but what about Ru Jian? If I had to choose again, I would still stay with my brother. You have everything except me, while Ru Jian is the opposite—he has nothing left but me. I can’t abandon him just for my happiness.”

His heart was bitter, filled with both joy and disappointment. He tilted his head back to prevent tears from falling, not wanting her to see and slowly said: “You have your reasons, and I have my persistence. Sometimes in moments of desperation, I hated you for leaving without a word and wanted to give up searching for you. But trying to find your whereabouts had become a habit I couldn’t break.”

Finding her still caused him such pain; Ding Yi felt utterly wretched. Why should she have reservations? Since heaven had allowed him to appear again, she couldn’t let him go.

She stood on tiptoe to embrace his neck. “We’re destined to be entangled for a lifetime. Your appearance today proves our fate hasn’t ended.”

Her face was so close to his, with her round eyes and full lips. He felt restless, gently licking her lip, murmuring, “I should thank your Master. He suggested that I come to Datong to find you.”

There’s a saying: the old ginger is spicier. Her Master understood her; he didn’t want to see her wandering and suffering outside. He always wished for her well-being. With his advanced age, her Master saw things clearly and probably thought she should follow the Twelfth Master, otherwise, he wouldn’t have directed him to find her.

She felt shy. Between lovers, these sweet little gestures were constant. Remembering the incident from when Ke Suiyun came, she felt somewhat embarrassed. Her face flushed, but she enjoyed this, almost imperceptibly licking his neck. He was ticklish, and she laughed softly.

Just as they were being playful, another knock came at the door. She hurriedly pushed him out. “Ru Jian has returned. You should go; don’t let him see you. Since we live close by, we can talk again tomorrow.”

She smoothed her hair, walked a few steps, then looked back. He stood with his hands behind his back in a warm halo of light. She heaved a long sigh of relief; as long as he was there, her heart was at peace.

The door opened, and Ru Jian was escorted in by two attendants, one on each side. His business negotiations must have gone well, as he was quite intoxicated. Seeing her, he smiled and described the day’s events with slurred speech. “Old Six Qu tried to outsmart me… not a chance! When he couldn’t win in business… he tried to get me drunk. Come on, I can hold my liquor! How about that… lost the lady… and the soldiers too, now he’s learned his lesson…”

The smell of alcohol was overpowering. She responded as if coaxing a child, saying, “Third Master is so skilled; no one is your match. Are you tired? It’s late, you should rest. After you wake up tomorrow, they’ll be waiting to weigh the silver, alright?” She quickly gestured to the attendants, “Take your master back to his room. He’s like a drunk cat, completely disheveled.”

The attendants complied and helped him to the main house. She needed to check the courtyard, so she walked around once, making sure everything was in order before returning to her room. Upon entering, she was surprised to find him still there, though secretly delighted. She looked outside, worried someone might have seen him, quickly closed the door, and lowered the curtains over the window. The room fell silent, the two sitting opposite each other, both feeling awkward.

She spoke first, “Since you knew I was here, why didn’t you come see me? Instead, you rented a room next door and took such a roundabout approach. What was the point?”

He hesitated before saying, “With your father’s case unresolved, I was too ashamed to face you and didn’t dare hope for anything more. Just seeing you from afar was enough. If I hadn’t been exposed today, I would still be hiding from you, afraid that one misstep might cause you to flee again—I couldn’t bear to go through that once more. I’ve been working on that case all along, originally intending to wait until the culprits were brought to justice before meeting you, but I couldn’t wait any longer. This constant worry was unbearable. Handling the case while being with you doesn’t conflict.”

Could this still be the refined Twelfth Master? She found his actions amusing. “There was no need to drill a hole in the wall! Isn’t that like collecting payment before completing the job? You certainly know how to do business.”

He half-closed his eyes, seemingly embarrassed, his face and even his neck flushing as he said softly, “Didn’t I collect payment in advance back at Suifenhe? This isn’t much in comparison…”

She knew he was referring to what happened the day of his departure. It was too embarrassing to discuss; she had only wanted to create a memory, having prepared never to see him again. She hadn’t expected him to find her so quickly, just nine months later.

Seeing her discomfort, he hesitated before saying, “That’s not my only concern. Several times I dreamed you were pregnant, wandering about with a big belly. I was anxious. After waking, I would think, if that were true, you’d be due by now…” He looked up, and seeing her embarrassment, stopped speaking.

She blushed, fidgeting with her sash, laughing softly, “Thinking back… it was disrespectful. But I don’t regret it. After parting at Suifenhe, I decided I would never marry again. If I had become pregnant, that would have been good—even without you, I would have had company.”

Stealing a child from him, mother and child living together, leaving him behind—what would that make him? He felt indignant and moved closer to her side. “Raising a child is proper, but not behind my back, letting him have only a mother and no father. How would he feel? My son must be legitimate, so after returning to Beijing, I went to the palace and reported our situation.”

She looked at him in astonishment. “Did you tell them?”

He nodded, “This year’s selection of palace maids retained twenty candidates for arranged marriages. If I didn’t act first, once an imperial decree came down, no one could reverse it. It was better to confess myself, so they would know. I praised you as if you were heaven-sent and unique, and the Emperor’s attitude softened. He initially planned to overlook your background and bring you into the palace, making it convenient for future arrangements. Unfortunately, you disappeared without a trace, and when the Emperor learned of this, he was furious…”

“Did he blame you?” she asked anxiously. “You’re too honest! I left without even setting a return date, and even if I were given the position of a Fujin, I wouldn’t be worthy of it. But what about you? If you upset them and they mistreat you again, how can I not worry?”

Seeing her expression change, he quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, the Empress knows about us. With her support, no marriage decree will be issued. The current priority is to resolve the case quickly, which would comfort your parents in the underworld and allow us to speak openly about our relationship.”

This was certainly good news, but easier said than done. At this moment, she didn’t want to discuss anything else. They had just reunited; national grievances and family vendettas could wait. She nestled into his embrace, looking up at him. “You’ve worked hard. The case isn’t easy to investigate; it’s been shelved for over ten years, and much has changed. Don’t push yourself. Knowing you have this intention is enough for me.”

After some intimate moments, already sitting on the kang bed, she naturally took off her shoes, found a comfortable position, and rested her head on his thigh. He gazed at her adoringly, her black hair flowing like water. He picked up a strand, twirling it between his fingers, and said softly, “I’ve already sent people to Jiangnan. A few of the former salt route officials can still be found, and even if nothing can be dug up from official channels, those salt merchants won’t be able to keep quiet when offered benefits. I used to be unyielding, but now I’ve learned to be flexible. Handling our own family’s case, using some tactics isn’t wrong. The officialdom is corrupt; being too righteous can hinder progress. Perhaps stirring things up, making everyone uncomfortable, then pushing forward a scapegoat, will give us some leads.”

He called it “our family’s case”—these words touched her heart more than any vow could. Her past suffering without support—if she had had someone like him then, how could she have fallen into her present circumstances? Fortunately, it wasn’t too late. He had come to her in the prime of her life, standing by her side. What more could she fear?

She opened her arms, calling him softly, “Hong Ce…”

He responded with a gentle sound, bending down to kiss her red lips. “I’ll stay in the compound next door, visiting you discreetly without Ru Jian’s knowledge. It’s not that I fear him, but out of respect for his feelings. You only have this one brother, and what you care about, I care about too. Once the case is resolved and he can let go of his prejudice against the Yu Wen clan, entrusting you to me, I will have fulfilled my duty.”

Whatever he said was fine with her! Like a cat, she enjoyed his caresses, narrowing her eyes drowsily. Looking at her, he truly felt she was a miraculous being—fierce when climbing walls with a knife, soft when she could barely be gathered up.

He still remembered how he felt upon discovering her whereabouts—a combination of the most extreme emotions from all his 24 years, poured into a lead bucket and stirred violently until broken, knowing only heartache without being able to explain why… Thankfully, that was past. Everything was back on track. A treasure lost and found again is cherished even more. He held her in his palm, even worrying that breathing too hard might blow her away, so he was cautious, not daring to be presumptuous.

Yet he couldn’t resist. He rubbed her earlobe and whispered, “I won’t leave tonight, alright?”

She didn’t open her eyes, her cheeks slowly turning red. With an ambiguous “Whatever you wish,” she turned to lie on the inner side of the kang bed.