Zili glanced at A’Luo in Cheng Shiyue’s arms, worry gnawing at him deeply. Yet in front of Cheng Shiyue, he refused to let that worry show no matter what. He gave his orders flatly: “Find an Imperial Physician to examine her. If there’s nothing serious, send the Third Miss back to the Chancellor’s residence to properly recuperate.”

Cheng Shiyue lowered his head and agreed. This man had already begun reining in all his emotions — it was said that a ruler’s heart was hard to fathom, and that unfathomable quality was cultivated bit by bit through constant vigilance.

After the Imperial Physician examined her, he reported, “The Third Miss is merely exhausted, nothing serious. She’ll be fine after a few days’ rest.”

Cheng Shiyue let out a long breath of relief — he had already checked A’Luo’s pulse himself and known as much, but hearing the physician’s diagnosis now, a smile crossed his face. If anything serious had happened to this young lady, he’d have been in real trouble. “Go report to Prince Li… the King, that is.” Cheng Shiyue paused, reminding himself once again that Liu Fei was no longer Prince Li — he was now the new king of Ning; the enthronement two days hence was merely a formality.

A’Luo still hadn’t woken. Cheng Shiyue frowned. Her pulse was clearly steady and calm, yet — he thought it over, and decided to leave the palace first. Cheng Shiyue personally escorted A’Luo’s carriage back to the Chancellor’s residence. Chancellor Li had not yet returned; the Senior Madam quickly ordered the maidservants to take A’Luo back to Tang Garden for careful attention.

The Senior Madam welcomed Cheng Shiyue into the main hall with a smile. Cheng Shiyue bowed all around. “None of you mothers-in-law need worry too much. The situation in the palace is settled. Father-in-law, as Right Chancellor, is busy with official duties — many troublesome matters — he’ll return home shortly.”

The assembled wives all breathed a sigh of relief. The Third Madam said tearfully, “How is my Qinglei doing? Does my son-in-law know anything?”

Cheng Shiyue thought that Qinglei would likely be confined to the eastern suburbs along with the Crown Prince. He sighed softly. “Her life is not in danger, Third Madam, please rest assured.”

Then he turned to the Fourth Madam. “These past days I’ve had a great deal to handle. Might Fei’er’s mother… come stay with her?” His eyes flicked toward the Senior Madam as he spoke.

The Senior Madam had no reason to refuse — with the Crown Prince fallen, this Cheng Shiyue seemed unaffected, and he was still family, a son-in-law after all. Qingfei was pregnant; it was only right to let the Fourth Madam go look after her. She smiled. “Fourth Sister, there’s much to handle at the residence, and I can’t spare you for long, but do go keep Qingfei company — a grown man like our son-in-law can hardly manage everything alone.”

The Fourth Madam agreed and went to pack. As she passed by Cheng Shiyue, she caught a voice barely above a whisper: “Don’t come back to the residence after this.” The Fourth Madam startled, and saw the faint smile in Cheng Shiyue’s eyes. Understanding dawned on her — of course, being with her own daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild was better than staying here enduring the other women’s moods. It was the perfect excuse to leave this place of trouble behind while caring for Qingfei’s pregnancy.

Liu Jue paced restlessly in the princely residence. Prince Anqing sipped his tea, at leisure. After pacing several circuits, Liu Jue glanced at his father and finally sat down too, sipping tea with the same air of leisure, even calling out, “I’m tired today — go prepare a few small dishes and a pot of wine.” He glanced again at Prince Anqing. “The outcome is settled now — will Father join me for a couple of cups?”

Prince Anqing looked at his son, thinking, why isn’t he anxious? I haven’t said a word — there’s bound to come a moment when this boy grows anxious. Father and son sat in the garden pavilion, watching the spring scenery, eating and drinking, yet neither mentioned A’Luo at all.

Liu Jue’s teeth itched with frustration inside. The old man surely had arrangements made already, and other schemes besides — he simply wouldn’t say, wanted him anxious on purpose. He smiled faintly. “Father, do you think Zili will wipe out the Wang clan after his enthronement?”

Prince Anqing perked up. So, the boy couldn’t hold back any longer? He stroked his beard smugly. “Are you asking about the Wang clan, or about A’Luo?”

“The Wang clan, of course — such a matter of state affairs naturally concerns me,” Liu Jue answered seriously.

“Oh, he won’t. Didn’t you see — Queen Wang was granted white silk, Grand Commandant Wang retired home, Wang Yanhui took her own life…” At the mention of Wang Yanhui, Prince Anqing abruptly stopped himself.

“Wang Yanhui took her own life? Does she seem like the sort to commit suicide? At Yellow Water Canyon, if you and Zili hadn’t summoned the entire Right Flank Army, your son might not have made it back at all! How could a woman like that possibly kill herself!” Liu Jue didn’t believe it, looking at Prince Anqing suspiciously. He’d only heard of Wang Yanhui’s intelligence and skill at strategy before — after the battle at Yellow Water Canyon, he’d come to believe it firsthand. And now this woman was simply dead? By her own hand? He’d expected her to lay traps throughout the palace, expected the assault on the palace to cost them heavy casualties all over again.

Prince Anqing gave his son a deeply knowing look. “How could she not die? If she hadn’t killed herself, would Zili have spared her? Kept such a woman around, nurturing a tiger for future trouble? Even if Zili had spared her, would she have been content to be confined for life alongside the Crown Prince? Better to die by her own hand, better to hand over the palace intact. Her father, Grand Commandant Wang, and the rest of the Wang clan can now step back from court — at worst. If they’d fought to the death defending the palace, what would the outcome have been? The extermination of nine generations!” Prince Anqing’s voice grew heavy as he said those final words.

Liu Jue could easily imagine the aftermath if the palace had been stormed by force — all the officials attached to the Eastern Palace, the entire Wang clan. How many would have died? Blood would have flowed like a river outside the palace’s main gate; the executioners’ blades would have grown dull from overuse. Prince Anqing sighed deeply. “That she could trade her own life for a chance at survival for the Wang clan — one can’t help but admire that.”

Liu Jue turned his father’s words over carefully, eyes flickering in thought. After a long moment, he said, “The art of war says: to know when one can fight and when one cannot is the mark of victory. Wang Yanhui knew she could not win the fight — though she died by her own hand, it’s hard to say she truly lost.”

“Ha ha, exactly!” Prince Anqing was deeply gratified — his son was maturing day by day, learning to draw lessons from experience, his wings filling out, ready to fly. Afterward, his eyes suddenly grew moist; he lowered his head and drank a cup of wine. “Son, today is the last time. From now on, remember — Zili is the king, not the Prince Li who fought alongside you as an equal.”

Liu Jue broke into a brilliant smile. “Your son understands.”

“And if he wants A’Luo?” Prince Anqing finally couldn’t help but ask.

“With his breadth of mind and depth of scheming, would he openly seize a subject’s wife? I think — openly, no. Secretly, that’s harder to say,” Liu Jue said flatly.

Prince Anqing smiled at his son, thinking, you little rascal, cursing me in your heart while forcing yourself to endure this long — how difficult that must have been for you. He laughed heartily. “I won’t tease you any longer. I’ll tell you plainly — do you think I’d bear to let harm come to that girl? As you might guess, I have people inside the palace. And, there’s someone you’ve long wanted to meet — today, you may finally see him.”

“Anye?!” Liu Jue perked up with excitement.

Prince Anqing’s manor kept its Black-Clad Cavalry divided into five groups: Xuan (Black), Chi (Crimson), Ming (Shadow), Qing (Azure), and Ge (Dove). The Xuan group specialized in offense, the Chi group in defense, the Ming group mostly in assassination and tactical positioning, the Qing group served as bodyguards, and the Ge group handled intelligence and communications. Xuan Yi, Chi Feng, Ming Yin, and Qing Ying had all lived alongside Liu Jue for years. Only the Ge group’s Anye was not kept at the residence, responsible instead for relaying messages, executing orders, and coordinating the network of hidden watch posts everywhere. His was the strongest force among the Black-Clad Cavalry, holding the manor’s most closely guarded secrets. Yet this was the one man Liu Jue had never actually met.

Prince Anqing never allowed Anye to show himself before him. He would occasionally be present at the residence — Liu Jue could sometimes sense Anye’s presence near his father, a distinctive aura unlike anyone else’s. When Prince Anqing had gone off to the border city and handed the Black-Clad Cavalry over to Liu Jue, he had never once seen Anye. When he asked his father, the answer was always the same: “When the time is right, you’ll know.”

Now, with Prince Anqing bringing up Anye of his own accord, how could Liu Jue not be curious?

Prince Anqing said slowly, “Ever since my ancestor first established the Black-Clad Cavalry by decree, no one has dared underestimate us. Every member, except for Liu Ying, goes masked — so that if the group ever needs to disband, we can still preserve our strength for another day. Now that the Fourth Prince has ascended the throne, the Black-Clad Cavalry should be disbanded.”

Liu Jue understood at once — this was inevitable. What ruler would tolerate a princely household retaining such a force? The circumstances had been unusual while the late king lived — the late king had been gentle-natured, deeply close with Prince Anqing as brothers, and with the Wang consort clan’s power dominating the court, the Black-Clad Cavalry had been necessary. Now that Zili had ascended as king, and Liu Jue had personally witnessed how strict and disciplined his rule would be, the continued existence of the Black-Clad Cavalry would become a thorn in his side.

Prince Anqing was well satisfied with his son’s reaction — he hadn’t leapt up in alarm, clearly having already grasped the stakes involved. “Years ago, I already instructed Anye to quietly arrange for this. The core strength has already been hidden away, dispersed into the general populace. The remaining Black-Clad Cavalry can now remove their masks and let the world see their true faces. Look carefully, and get to know them.”

Recognize them clearly so they’ll be easier to eliminate later, was it? Liu Jue wanted to laugh but held it back — even between father and son in private conversation, things were still spoken this obliquely! He glanced idly at Prince Anqing. “This Anye’s skills must be something, then — over all these years I’ve investigated him more than once, and never turned up a single piece of information. He—” his voice sharpened suddenly: “he’s arrived and still hasn’t come in?!”

A shadow drifted lightly in through the window. Anye’s eyes glinted with something between playfulness and admiration. “My lord is sharper than expected — you noticed Anye’s presence far sooner than Liu Fei ever did.”

Liu Jue looked Anye up and down. He stood there with unhurried ease, broad-shouldered and slim-waisted, sharp eyes glinting beneath the mask covering his face. His hands — slender, pale fingers, with a faint callus on the tip of the middle finger.

Anye’s voice suddenly changed, carrying an odd, unexpected familiarity: “Can my lord recognize this voice?”

A deeply familiar feeling welled up in Liu Jue’s heart, though as if veiled behind gauze. Yes — he had heard this voice before, and surely this person was someone he knew well. Who could it be? He stared at Anye, the corner of his eye flicking toward Prince Anqing. In a flash of insight, a clear answer was on the tip of his tongue. He looked at Prince Anqing. “So it’s him!”

Prince Anqing and Anye exchanged a knowing smile.