The days flowed past like water, and soon the year’s end arrived.

Wei Yan had remained in the palace the entire time, not once returning to the residence over the course of more than a month. New Year’s Eve was no exception — he merely sent Tian Dong home with a letter, and the guilt and remorse permeated every word between the lines.

A’Shu, I’m sorry. You only just married me, and already you must keep watch over an empty room. The Emperor’s condition has not improved, and I truly cannot find a way to leave the palace. For this new year, only A’Xiao will be with you…

The letter then went on in bits and pieces about various happenings inside the palace.

The slow-acting poison that had entered Prince An’s body was ferociously potent and had no antidote. Prince An endured agony for several days before dying of starvation, inch by inch. Word had it the manner of his death was utterly wretched.

With both the Crown Prince and the Emperor having fallen ill, the Crown Grandson gave the order to have Prince An buried. The prison warden who had administered the poison to Prince An that day had his nine familial relations executed.

As for Prince Yan, the true instigator of the crime — the Crown Grandson issued no order to deal with him. He merely had Prince Yan’s rations reduced by seven tenths. Left to go hungry all day and unable to satisfy his hunger, Prince Yan wouldn’t have had the strength to stir up further trouble even if he’d wanted to.

Reading this, Ling Jingshu couldn’t help but curve her lips upward.

The Crown Grandson’s hand in this was truly masterful. He had punished Prince Yan and yet given no one anything to seize upon as a pretext for criticism.

With Prince Yan now locked in prison, it would be no great difficulty for the Crown Grandson to take his life — provided the arrangements were made properly, there would be no need to do it himself. But if he truly had done so, the Emperor, upon learning of it, would inevitably grow suspicious. It was far better to leave Prince Yan alive, as things now stood, and wait for the Emperor to wake and then make a final decision.

That cool and proud young man had truly grown up and matured. He was now fully capable of bearing the weight of the responsibilities resting on his shoulders.

Ling Jingshu’s thoughts moved away from the Crown Grandson, and she lowered her head to read on through the letter.

The Emperor’s illness is exceptionally difficult to treat and cannot be cured. If he is properly nursed, he may perhaps live for two more years. My elder sister was only formally installed as Empress less than a year ago, and her foothold in the palace is still not secure. I will exhaust every effort to prolong the Emperor’s life. I fear I shall be living in the palace for a long time to come and will be unable to return home to keep you company as often as I’d like. A’Shu, I’m sorry.

Foolish man — why all these apologies?

Empress Wei was his most beloved and most respected elder sister, and now her family was Ling Jingshu’s family too. Of course she hoped Empress Wei would establish herself securely in the palace.

Ling Jingshu finished reading the letter, reflected on it for a while, then quickly wrote a reply and had Tian Dong take it back to the palace.

With all that attended to, Ling Xiao happened to come over as well.

With Ling Xiao for company, and Bai Yu and Qiao Yun by her side, this new year was not so lonely after all.

……

After the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, the Emperor’s condition showed no sign of improvement.

The Crown Prince’s health, however, gradually recovered, and he resumed attending court to manage affairs. The pressure on the Crown Grandson lifted considerably all at once, and he began entering the palace again to keep vigil at the sickbed.

The Crown Princess was now often residing in the palace as well. Whenever she saw the Crown Grandson, she could not help but fuss at him again: “A’Yao, after the new year, little Nian is already two years old. It is time for you to take a new wife. The Crown Prince’s household has few members — right now, there is only Nian. If you marry and have more children, to carry on the Yang family line and grow the family — that is the right thing to do…”

The Crown Grandson, who in days past would have ignored such words completely, listened quietly for a moment, and then suddenly replied: “Mother Consort is right. It is time for me to take a new wife.”

The Crown Princess had not expected to persuade him so easily. She was both stunned and overjoyed, so much so that her speech became somewhat incoherent: “You truly are willing to take a new wife?”

The Crown Grandson dipped his head with a calm expression and nodded.

The Crown Princess was nearly beside herself with delight: “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful — this is truly wonderful. Tell me quickly what kind of woman you favor! I will start selecting suitable daughters of noble families for you at once.”

As she spoke, she rapidly turned possibilities over in her mind.

The daughter of the Minister of Justice? No — her appearance was too plain.

The third daughter of the Pingyuan Marquisate? No — not sharp or lively enough.

Whatever the choice, it would have to be someone of both talent and beauty, not inferior to Jiang Rongyue. But finding someone whose looks surpassed Ling Jingshu’s — that might not be so easy…

The Crown Princess’s small, hidden preoccupations were something the Crown Grandson neither knew nor cared about.

The woman he had loved was already another man’s wife — in this lifetime, fate had closed that door. The wife who had once loved him deeply had passed from this world. What did it matter whom he married next?

As long as the Crown Princess considered her acceptable, and the woman’s temperament was gentle enough, that would be sufficient.

As for children — of course there would be more in time. But no matter how many children he might have in the future, not one of them could ever be placed above Nian.

……

Once the Crown Grandson relented, the Crown Princess was nearly beside herself with joy and quickly let it be known that she would be selecting a Crown Grandson’s consort. Daughters of noble houses who considered themselves to have any prospect of competing for the position could not help but hear the news and begin secretly nursing their hopes.

The news spread swiftly through the capital.

Even Ling Jingshu, who spent her days within the residence, learned of it through the idle chatter of the maids.

Jiang Rongyue had been gone for nearly two years now. It was only natural for the Crown Grandson to take a new wife. Ling Jingshu thought of this briefly, then let it go and gave it no further attention, lowering her head to take up her needlework again.

What she was embroidering was a small, pale-green infant’s belly band.

It was tiny — barely larger than the span of a palm. Onto it she had lovingly stitched the patterns of various small, charming animals.

Bai Yu was sitting nearby doing needlework of her own, talking as she worked: “Miss, needlework like this is hardest on the eyes. You should rest more and let this servant do it. The embroiderers in the residence are also very skilled.”

Ling Jingshu pressed her lips together and smiled without concern: “Don’t worry — I know my own body better than anyone. I’m just doing needlework to pass the time when I have nothing to do. I won’t exhaust myself.”

“There are plenty of ways to pass the time. This servant will go fetch a few light books.” Qiao Yun briskly brought over a stack of leisure reading.

Ling Jingshu could not hold out against the well-meaning insistence of the maids, and set aside her needlework with a smile, picking up one of the books and starting to read.

It had been over two months since the wedding. Her monthly courses had not come at all.

She had had a vague inkling about it last month and had held it back without saying anything. Only a few days ago had she finally called for a physician, who had confirmed what she suspected — there was indeed a pulse of joy.

It was just a pity that Wei Yan was still in the palace and had yet to return to the residence. He did not yet know that he was about to become a father.

Ling Jingshu rested one hand over her abdomen — which had not yet begun to swell — and a soft, gentle smile rose quietly over her lowered face.

Bai Yu could not help but say: “Miss has happy news — wonderful tidings like this, shouldn’t we send word into the palace? Her Majesty the Empress would surely be overjoyed when she hears. Who knows — she might even send the young master home for a visit!”

They had only been married three days before Wei Yan was summoned to the palace. He had not returned to the residence for over two months.

Miss was truly to be pitied — barely married and already keeping watch over an empty room. And now she was with child, with no husband by her side.

Seeing Bai Yu’s face full of aggrieved indignation, Ling Jingshu couldn’t help but smile warmly: “Don’t be in a hurry. Wait until three months have passed and the pregnancy is stable — then it won’t be too late to send word into the palace.”

In the warm afternoon sun, mistress and maids sat beneath a tree, murmuring softly to one another amid the fragrance of flowers and the song of birds.

Outside the courtyard gate, Wei Yan — who had rushed back from the palace — was approaching in long, swift strides. Before he had even reached the gate, he called out, unable to contain himself: “A’Shu, I’m back!”

It was Wei Yan!

He had finally come back!

……

Ling Jingshu’s heart gave a startled leap. She rose to her feet.

The handsome man striding swiftly toward her in the sunlight walked up to her with urgency written across his face and pulled her firmly into his embrace: “A’Shu, it’s me. I’m back.”

Tears sprang to Ling Jingshu’s eyes all at once. The grievance she had been suppressing for over two months surged up without warning. Choking back sobs, she said: “You were gone for that long, and you still know the way home.”

Three days after the wedding he had vanished without a trace, leaving her alone in the cold and quiet Wei residence. How could she not have felt lonely and desolate? If not for Ling Xiao and Bai Yu and the others, the days would have been even harder to endure.

Wei Yan, hearing the broken, low-pitched weeping from the person in his arms, felt both guilt and heartache: “I’m sorry — I never imagined so many things would suddenly happen. While I was in the palace, I thought of you every single day…”

He had wanted so desperately to come home and see her. But while the Emperor remained in danger, he — as the imperial physician — could not take a breath of freedom. Even with Empress Wei as his elder sister, she would never have dared release him at so critical a juncture.

These were things Ling Jingshu understood well in her heart without being told, and she could see the reason in them. But no matter how generous one’s words might be, there was still something not quite right about the feeling inside.

Bai Yu and Qiao Yun exchanged a look and very tactfully withdrew, leaving this small corner of the world to the newlyweds who had been parted for over two months.

Ling Jingshu leaned in Wei Yan’s embrace and wept for a long while before she gradually grew calm.

Wei Yan lowered his head, gently wiping her tears away one by one. With tender affection, he pressed a kiss to her brow, then lingered, unwilling to move, down to her lips. For the first time in her life, Ling Jingshu cast aside all her reserve and kissed Wei Yan in that place beyond the room — deeply, passionately, reluctant to part.

Wei Yan quickly grew feverish with longing. His large hand moved nimbly to cup the soft curve of her chest.

His hand was caught.

“Stop causing trouble!” Ling Jingshu’s face bloomed with a dizzyingly lovely flush of red. She shot him an indignant glare: “Look where we are.”

Wei Yan’s eyes were deep and dark, his breath quickening: “Let’s go back inside.”

What was to happen once they went back inside — one didn’t need to think to know.

Ling Jingshu suddenly smiled. Without saying a word, she simply lifted his large hand and placed it on her own flat abdomen.

Wei Yan paused, puzzled, and looked at Ling Jingshu: “What is it? Is your stomach uncomfortable?”

Ling Jingshu laughed despite herself: “Foolish man! And to think you’re an imperial physician.”

Wei Yan paused again. A moment passed before understanding broke over him. He looked at Ling Jingshu’s abdomen in disbelief, his speech coming out in halting fragments: “You — you — are you — are you with child?”

It was rare to see Wei Yan looking so stunned and flustered.

Ling Jingshu was unable to hold back her laughter, and simply extended her right hand: “Come and take my pulse — then you’ll know everything clearly.”

Wei Yan had studied medicine from childhood and had taken the pulses of countless people. Yet this time, it was the most tense and the most stirring of his entire life. Even the fingers he placed on Ling Jingshu’s wrist were trembling faintly.

He forced himself to rein in his surging emotions and focused his mind to read her pulse.

It was indeed a pulse of joy!

She was carrying his child. They were going to have a child!

Wei Yan withdrew his hand, bowed his head, and gazed at her. He wanted to say something — but not a single word would come. A shimmer of moisture slowly rose in his eyes: he was weeping for joy.

“Wei Yan, we’re going to be a mother and father.” The corners of Ling Jingshu’s eyes were also damp. Her voice was full of tender feeling: “Are you happy?”

“Of course I am happy.” Wei Yan did not dare hold her too tightly. He gathered her gently into his arms, murmuring softly at her ear: “A’Shu, I am so deeply, overwhelmingly happy. Even now I feel as if I am drifting — light-headed and weightless.”

He had long since made his peace with living out his days in solitude. Before he met her, he had believed he would spend his whole life in this lonely, isolated way.

But heavens had not been unkind to him. It had given him Ling Jingshu.

He now had a wife he loved with his whole heart, and would soon have a child of his own.

In this moment, he was the happiest man in the world.

He took her hand in his.

To hold your hand, and grow old together by your side.