She had deliberately let him know she was taking the medicinal decoction, deliberately provoked him with her attitude toward Feng’er’s red dye just as he was about to return, deliberately amplified her reaction to his kiss in front of him, and deliberately — in front of him — undressed and loosened her sash, composing herself into a calm and placid manner, as though she had struggled within herself but ultimately chosen to yield and comply.
Mu Fulan knew these tricks could not deceive him. Even if Xie Changgeng had not fully seen through everything in the moment, afterward, with his keen mind and deep composure, he would certainly be able to see through it all.
But what did that matter?
Not only did it not matter — on the contrary, letting him see through her was precisely the purpose she intended.
That night more than a month ago, he had been provoked into leaving in anger. She had originally thought that once he returned, he would immediately release her and let her go home.
What she had not expected was that even when clearly provoked to fury, he had somehow endured it.
The tolerance and patience he showed toward her had, for the first time, left her genuinely surprised.
After that failed attempt, every single thing she had done over the past month or more had been aimed at this: without completely tearing things apart between them, seeing who, in this drawn-out tug of war, could outlast the other.
Mu Fulan firmly believed that a man like Xie Changgeng, even if he took an interest in a woman, was incapable of extending too much patience.
His ambitions were too vast. To him, she was at most someone who could add a little relaxation and amusement to his evenings after his busy days.
He favored gentle, understanding women — like his wife in their previous life, that woman before she became a burden to him; he had probably cared for her, by some measure.
The little interest he now held in her, and the patience that interest had produced, would sooner or later be worn away entirely by her countless provocations that stuck in his throat like a fishbone. It could not last long. Once that interest vanished, what use would there be in keeping her by his side? And his pride would never allow him to endure indefinitely the silent humiliation she had so repeatedly imposed upon him.
After more than a month of this tug of war, tonight, at last, he had completely lost patience with her.
She had won.
Mu Fulan summoned Nanny Mu and said she was ready to leave. That very night, she packed her belongings.
Xie Changgeng did not return to the bedchamber that night. Mu Fulan learned he had spent the night in the study. According to the servants, the lamps in the study burned through the entire night.
The following morning, just as dawn was breaking, Mu Fulan prepared to set out. Before leaving, she sent Nanny Mu to the study.
Xie Changgeng appeared not to have slept all night. The candle at the corner of the desk had not yet been extinguished. He was seated, a scroll of official documents in hand, his eyes tinged with red, his face worn with fatigue.
Nanny Mu said respectfully: “The young mistress is departing now. The steward said that an escort has been arranged according to the Military Governor’s instructions. The young mistress asked me to convey her thanks for the Military Governor’s arrangements.”
Xie Changgeng’s expression was indifferent. He did not even raise his eyelids, nor did he speak. His face showed only impatience, and he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Nanny Mu understood that he was urging her to leave. She expressed her thanks, bowed, and withdrew, returning to relay what had happened to Mu Fulan.
Not that Mu Fulan would care in the slightest about his attitude.
If he were not there this morning, so be it. Since he was, whatever he thought was his own affair. He had made arrangements for her departure — it was only proper to offer a word of thanks.
The city streets were empty and quiet. Outside the gates of the Military Governor’s residence, all was busy. Several carriages stood at the entrance; servants carried trunks and boxes up into the vehicles, while the steward gave instructions to the escort accompanying the young mistress home.
It was the same party that had escorted her here from the capital — well-trained, reliable people, every one of them.
Mu Fulan stood at the entrance and watched as Nanny Mu and the serving maids loaded the personal bundles onto the carriages one by one, checked everything carefully, ensuring not so much as a single strand of hair would be left behind in the room, and then she boarded the carriage.
The steward seemed to have not yet recovered from the shock and awkwardness of the mistress being so hastily sent away by the master overnight. He kept looking back over his shoulder, but the master never appeared. Having no choice, he gave up, sighed inwardly, bowed to Mu Fulan, and said: “Young mistress, safe travels.”
Mu Fulan smiled and thanked the steward, settled herself inside, and gave the order to set off.
The carriages rumbled forward, carrying her onto the road back to the Kingdom of Changsha.
No sooner had she left Guzang than she cast all that had happened behind her, her mind fixed entirely on returning to Changsha as quickly as possible.
She and Xi’er had been separated for several months already. She had barely been able to get through each day, missing him beyond all measure, wishing she could sprout wings and fly back to his side that very instant.
In the last days of the second month of that year, after nearly a month of travel on the road, she finally descended southward from Hexi and returned to the Kingdom of Changsha.
Mu Fulan did not go to Yue City first. She sent word ahead to Mu Xuanqing, then changed course and headed directly to Junshan.
Xi’er was there.
The reason she had not brought him directly into Yue City before was that she feared, in her absence, Xi’er — who from childhood had been accustomed to a quiet and simple life — would not adjust well to the environment of the royal residence.
In the letter she had written to her sister-in-law at the time, she had only briefly mentioned that Xi’er was an adopted son she had taken in while away, and asked her to send a few attentive serving maids to the medicine cottage at Junshan to look after him, until she returned and could bring him back herself.
She came by boat into the mountain, climbing the stone steps upward, and by evening she at last stopped before the wooden gate of the medicine cottage.
The gate was half-open, and the air carried a faint, drifting scent of medicinal herbs. Mu Fulan saw A’Da in the courtyard, busily sorting medicinal materials, his back moving with hurried purpose.
She held back the excitement and anxiety in her heart and pushed open the wooden gate.
The young man turned his head. Seeing Mu Fulan standing at the entrance, he happily dropped what he was holding, ran over, and bowed to her.
Mu Fulan asked about Xi’er.
A’Da said: “The young master is perfectly well! And Master returned last month too!”
The medicine elder had come back the previous month and had taken a great liking to Xi’er, often keeping him by his side and teaching him to identify various medicinal herbs. Today the medicine elder had gone down the mountain to see patients; Xi’er was at home.
A’Da said that Xi’er should be somewhere around the back right now, with serving maids accompanying him.
At hearing that one phrase — “perfectly well” — the heart that had been suspended with worry throughout the journey finally came fully to rest. The news that Master had also returned was cause for even greater joy.
Mu Fulan hurried through the cottage and came out to the medicinal garden at the back.
Xi’er was nowhere to be seen in the garden. She called out his name.
A serving maid was inside preparing the evening meal; hearing her voice, she came rushing out, and upon suddenly seeing Mu Fulan had returned, hurried to pay her respects.
“Where is the young master?”
“The young master was just here — he told us we didn’t need to stay with him…”
Mu Fulan looked around and noticed that the door leading to the mountaintop at the back was standing open.
“Of course! He must have gone up to the summit again on his own! He goes there often — he’ll sit there for half a day!” The serving maid remembered and said.
Mu Fulan went up at once, climbing a winding stretch of mountain path without stopping to rest, breathless, until she finally reached the summit.
Her footsteps halted.
She saw a small figure seated on a stone near the edge of the summit, facing in the direction of the capital.
Golden evening sunlight slanted in from the side. Dusk fell over the treetops; birds roosted in their rocky nests. A flock of birds wheeled above his head, filling the air with calls.
The child seemed not to hear any of it. He sat in stillness, motionless, gazing ahead, as though lost in a trance.
Mu Fulan’s eyes grew warm.
She knew why he had climbed to the summit, why he was gazing toward the capital.
He thought she was still there.
She composed herself and called out softly: “Xi’er.”
The child hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned his head. The instant he saw Mu Fulan standing just behind him, his eyes lit up with an incomparable brilliance.
“Mother!”
He cried out in delighted surprise, and in a single motion leaped down from the stone, spun around, and came running toward her with all his might, throwing himself into her embrace.
Mu Fulan opened her arms and held her son tight, laughing, kissing his face again and again, scolding him gently for coming here all on his own.
Xi’er’s two small hands gripped the back of her neck tightly, his face pressed against her chest, and he said softly: “I’m not afraid. I’m always very careful.”
Mu Fulan sat down on the stone and held Xi’er in her lap, the two of them speaking in hushed voices.
“Xi’er, Mother made you wait so long before coming back. Have you been blaming her?”
Xi’er shook his head vigorously at first, but after a moment, he lifted his face and looked at Mu Fulan, saying quietly: “Xi’er was just a little frightened…”
“Frightened of what? Tell Mother.”
He said softly: “One night, I had a dream. I dreamed that Mother disappeared, and there was only me left alone. I wanted to go and find you, but I didn’t know where you were…”
His voice gradually faded away. His hand gripped Mu Fulan’s sleeve tightly and would not let go.
Mu Fulan gazed at the pair of familiar eyes in her arms — bright and pure, carrying a few threads of sorrow — and could not help but think once more of the child from their previous life, the one who had accompanied her through countless lonely dawns and dusks in the old Xie family residence in Xie County. Her chest swelled full with an emotion that was both bittersweet and burning.
Her eyes reddening, she kissed the little one in her arms, tightened the arms holding him, and held him for a long while before finally letting go.
She said: “Xi’er, Mother is going to take you back to the city now. From this day forward, you will not only have Mother — there will be many other people in your life as well. But remember: alongside those who love you and treat you well, there will also be bad people around you. You are still young, and Mother will protect you. Mother tells you all of this because she hopes you will not be afraid. Remember — no matter what happens, from today forward, Mother will never be separated from you again!”
Xi’er nestled quietly in her arms for a moment, then suddenly broke free, climbed down from her knees, planted both feet on the ground, and declared in a loud voice: “I’ll remember it! I want to grow up quickly too, so I can protect Mother — I will never let bad people bully my mother!”
His voice was still young and tender, yet it rang out with great clarity, the sound of it startling the flock of birds circling overhead, who beat their wings and soared up into the sky.
Mu Fulan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and nodded: “Mother will be waiting for that day!”
……
The medicine elder returned after nightfall and was very pleased to see Mu Fulan. Master and disciple conversed, and when the subject of Xi’er’s origins arose, Mu Fulan said he was an orphan she had chanced upon while away, that they had taken to each other, and she had brought him back as her adopted son.
The medicine elder smiled and said: “The first time I laid eyes on this child, I felt as though his face was familiar, as though I had seen him somewhere before, though I could not for the moment recall where. Hearing this now, it seems the bond between you runs exceptionally deep. The child is not one for much talking, but he is very clever. I say a thing once and he remembers it. Nurtured well, he will accomplish great things in the future.”
Mu Fulan thanked the medicine elder.
That night she did not return to the city but stayed in the medicine cottage, mother and son sleeping together.
The thatched dwelling was simple and plain, the lamp no bigger than a bean, yet she was content in her heart. She held the beloved child curled and deep in sleep in her arms, gazing at his face over and over again, until the middle of the night before she finally fell asleep herself, and did not wake until dawn.
Early the following morning, the people sent by Mu Xuanqing to receive her arrived. Mu Fulan brought Xi’er into the city and returned to the royal palace. The family was reunited. Mu Fulan held Xi’er’s hand and led him before her elder brother and sister-in-law, saying with a smile: “This is Xi’er. Though he is my adopted son, he is dearer to me than a child of my own blood. I hope that elder brother and sister-in-law will look after him from now on — I am deeply grateful.”
Xi’er bowed most respectfully to Mu Xuanqing and Lu Shi, and following Mu Fulan’s instructions, addressed them as “Uncle” and “Auntie.”
Lu Shi smiled and helped Xi’er up. At first glance, she paused for a moment, thinking to herself it was merely a coincidence, and then called over her daughter A’Ru, asking her to take the newly arrived little brother to his quarters. Knowing her husband and sister-in-law must have things to discuss, she lingered a moment longer, then withdrew as well.
Mu Xuanqing dismissed the attendants and immediately asked: “Younger sister, I learned earlier that the Empress Dowager Liu intended to hold you as a hostage, but then you were taken away to Hexi by Xie Changgeng. Half a month ago, not knowing you were already on your way back, I was truly worried. Handing was just back at the time, so I sent him to Hexi.”
The iron mine at Ru was producing smoothly, and the armory had taken shape. Craftsmen had begun working in shifts day and night to forge weapons and armor. With affairs there settled for the moment, Yuan Handing had handed things over to his subordinates, and half a month ago he returned to Yue City. Learning that Mu Xuanqing wished to send someone to Hexi to bring Mu Fulan home, he volunteered to lead the party himself.
Mu Xuanqing was wholeheartedly set on bringing his royal sister back, but he knew full well that he had gravely offended Xie Changgeng before, and he remained unsure of Xie Changgeng’s motives for taking his sister out of the capital. After much deliberation, he truly could not rest easy, and so he thought to send someone to Hexi — first, to learn the true situation; second, to find a way to bring the royal sister back. But with his sister in the other man’s hands, even if he were willing to lower himself and seek reconciliation, he did not know how the other side would respond. Getting her back was no easy matter. His first choice for leader of the party had been Lu Lin, but Lu Lin had been ill again these past days. It so happened that Yuan Handing had returned at just the right moment.
He was steady and reliable in all he did, foremost in valor among the army, and had grown up alongside both the prince and the royal sister since childhood. Since he came forward of his own accord, it suited Mu Xuanqing’s wishes perfectly. And so, with gifts prepared, men selected, and instructions given, Yuan Handing had set out for Hexi.
“He must be more than halfway through his journey by now. Even if we were to send someone to intercept him, I fear they would not catch up!”
Mu Fulan was surprised, and deeply moved.
Her royal brother’s dislike of Xie Changgeng had deep roots. Yet for her sake, he was now willing to set aside his pride and send someone to seek goodwill with Xie Changgeng.
She thought for a moment and said: “Royal brother, it is good that Elder Brother Yuan made this trip. I was just about to tell you — Xie Changgeng had previously promised that if the Empress Dowager Liu moved against our Kingdom of Changsha, he would offer his protection. We cannot count on anyone to truly protect us, but with our national strength not yet risen, should something arise, if he at least does not make trouble for us, that too is a good thing. Since Elder Brother Yuan has already gone with your instructions, once he arrives and learns I have returned, he will surely adapt accordingly — present the gifts and treat it as royal brother’s expression of thanks.”
Mu Xuanqing was astonished.
When Xie Changgeng had come last time, he had left with enmity between them, and that was no exaggeration. Later, upon learning that he had taken his sister out of the capital, Mu Xuanqing had already been bewildered, unable to understand his motives.
Hearing this now, he was even more perplexed.
Since his sister said it, it must be true. But how had Xie Changgeng become so magnanimous to this degree?
It was truly beyond his imagination.
He looked at his sister, and suddenly his expression changed. He shot to his feet and demanded sternly: “Did that man surnamed Xie mistreat you?”
Mu Fulan’s expression was calm. She said: “Royal brother, please do not be agitated. He and I are husband and wife — there is nothing to call mistreatment. It was of my own accord. Now I have returned, and he should not go out of his way to make trouble for us in the future. That is a good thing.”
Mu Xuanqing stood in a daze for a long while, then slowly clenched his fist and said through gritted teeth, one word at a time: “Younger sister, royal brother swears — the day Changsha rises, royal brother will never let you suffer even a fraction of a grievance again!”