The night was very quiet, the tree canopy pavilion-like in its spread.

Zhu Nanxian held the torch at the front, leading the way. Jiang Ci watched his back, only feeling that his master was strange today.

Though usually taciturn, he wasn’t silent. When happy he would smile, when displeased he would scold a few times. Nothing like earlier—upon seeing Yun Xi, his entire person seemed to have lost his soul. After quite a while he finally said, “Let’s go.” Even his voice sounded as if it had gotten stuck in his throat, rolling out only after being ground down several times.

He looked away at Yun Xi again.

In those bright eyes was the night, and deep within the night was the firelight from Zhu Nanxian’s hand. The tear mole at the corner of his eye shimmered faintly—it was impossible to discern what he was thinking.

Could these two know each other? Jiang Ci wondered.

Impossible. How could a small child like Yun Xi know an important person like his master? He was probably just shocked by his master’s astonishing martial arts earlier.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they happened to encounter several guards from the Jiang family. Seeing that Zhu Nanxian had found the four children, they breathed a sigh of relief and said, “After Master Chao’s old friend arranged for people to go up the mountain, he left the four of us to provide reinforcement. Second Miss just came by saying that Guard Nan, you went up the mountain from the town entrance and might know where the young master was, so that Young Master Su told us to come meet you.”

Zhu Nanxian’s mind was filled to the brim. He didn’t listen carefully to what the guards said, only responding with a “Mm.”

Another guard said, “Guard Nan, please come with us to Master Chao’s place. The children have been found, and the constables have also arrived. It’s a good time to give them an explanation.”

Zhu Nanxian agreed. He had just lifted his foot when, remembering they said the constables had also come, he suddenly stopped.

With his current identity, showing his face before too many people was already improper, let alone with constables present. Even if he wasn’t afraid for himself, what about Lin’er? Both uncle and nephew were living borrowed lives. Having finally reunited with such difficulty, they absolutely couldn’t take this risk.

Endure a bit longer, Zhu Nanxian told himself.

Lin’er and Shu Xiang lived right in town. Jiang Ci was familiar with him. Endure just a few more hours—once dawn broke and people dispersed, he would immediately go find them.

“You all go. I’m heading back,” Zhu Nanxian said.

At these words, Jiang Ci was stunned. “Master, you’re not coming with us?”

Yun Xi also couldn’t help but step forward. Somehow, he very much wanted to speak with him, but didn’t know how to begin.

“Guard Nan,” another guard said. “You’re really not going? You’re the one who found them—that’s a great achievement. You might even get a reward!”

The moonlight was faint. Zhu Nanxian didn’t respond, lowering his eyes and shaking his head. He turned to leave.

But after just two steps, he stopped again. The hand hanging at his side clenched and then released. Unable to restrain himself after all, he turned back, stood before Yun Xi, half-crouched down, looked into his eyes, then asked softly, “What’s your name?”

Yun Xi gazed at Zhu Nanxian, his small hand gripping his sleeve, his palm already soaked with sweat.

Watching him about to leave, he inexplicably felt distressed. His heart had been hoping he would turn back, and he actually did turn back.

“I’m called,” he moistened his dry lips, “I’m called Mu Tou.”

Zhu Nanxian was startled.

Jiang Ci, having just shared hardships with Mu Yunxi, intuitively felt their relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds—they could be called brothers who had faced life and death together. Seeing Zhu Nanxian’s expression, thinking he found the name “Mu Tou” unsatisfactory, he hastily explained, “Master, Mu Tou has a courtesy name—it’s Yun Xi. Clouds at the edge, faint light; prosperity and joy. Master Chao chose it, because he’s very clever, the cleverest in our school.”

Zhu Nanxian’s eyes were very calm. “I know.”

How could Lin’er not be clever?

His father was the eldest imperial brother, his mother was Shen Jing. Qingyue had taught him from a young age, pouring everything out whether he understood or not. Every time Qingyue finished speaking, he would look at him and giggle.

With such wonderful parents and uncle, he should be the cleverest child under heaven.

Zhu Nanxian looked at Yun Xi, seeing him also gazing at him with brimming eyes. Unable to restrain himself, he reached out his hand and gently stroked his head, smiling slightly as he said, “The name Mu Tou—is actually very good.”

The smile was faint, yet like moonlight from the sky falling into his eyes, turning to water, rippling outward in circles—truly so gentle.

Yun Xi froze.

He remembered that over three years ago, when he saw his uncle in Wuchang Prefecture, Shen Xi had also half-crouched like this, gently stroking his head and saying, “Lin’er, I’m your uncle. Do you still remember me?”

Shen Xi’s tone and expression at that time were exactly the same as this person before him.

Such gentleness was truly precious in the suffering of his young years.

Yun Xi suddenly felt that he seemed to know who this so-called Guard Nan really was.

Shen Xi had once told him, “Lin’er, in this world, you don’t have only your uncle as a relative. You also have Third Aunt, Grandmother and Grandfather. You also have a Thirteenth Uncle. Like your uncle, he searched for you for many years, watched you grow up, competed to hold you. He dotes on you very much and worries about you constantly. So you must know—even if your life is somewhat difficult, you are not all alone.”

The identity of legitimate imperial grandson was too special. To live safely, one could only learn to bear responsibility from a young age. Therefore, neither Shen Xi nor Shu Xiang had ever thought of hiding it from him.

In the twelfth month of the first year of Yongji, when news came that Emperor Jin’an had passed away, little Zhu Lin sat in a carriage heading to Shu, gazing at the overwhelming winter snow outside the curtain, tears flowing for three days and three nights.

He had thought that Thirteenth Uncle, who doted on him just like his uncle, was also gone.

He didn’t know why he had come back to life. But if there was anyone in this world besides Shen Xi who would look at him and treat him this way, who else could it be?

Thirteenth Uncle.

Was he his Thirteenth Uncle?

Yun Xi stared blankly at Zhu Nanxian. A tear suddenly rolled from his eye socket without warning, quickly sliding down his small cheek, falling to his chin, landing on the ground with a “pat,” catching even himself off guard.

Zhu Nanxian froze.

The smile gradually disappeared. The hand hanging at his side clenched tighter and tighter, veins bulging.

He so wanted to pull him into his embrace right now and never be separated again for the rest of his life.

But endure, endure a bit longer, Zhu Nanxian told himself.

Heartbreak and bone-deep longing were all restrained in the depths of his eyes. He moved the hand that had been stroking Yun Xi’s head, patted his shoulder, stood up as if very relaxed, and said very casually, “I’m heading back. Take good care of him.”

Then he turned and left.

No one saw that the instant Zhu Nanxian turned his back, that relaxed expression was immediately washed away by the night, revealing its true form—absurd sorrow, sorrowful joy.

Yun Xi watched Zhu Nanxian’s retreating figure as if entranced, not coming to his senses for a long time.

A Jiang family guard said, “The little child was frightened!” Then consoled, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Didn’t you come out of the mountain safely?”

It was still Jiang Ci who asked, “Yun Xi, what’s really wrong with you?”

Yun Xi didn’t answer, only saying, “Let’s go, to Master Chao’s place.”

It was nearly the hour of yin. Though dawn hadn’t broken, outside Chao Qing’s residence the lights blazed brightly, with dozens of people standing in a bustle. Not only were there hunters from town and guards from the Jiang family, even the county magistrate from Pingchuan County had arrived with constables.

When Su Jin saw the constables had arrived, he originally breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew that this Magistrate Yao, upon arriving, first wouldn’t help search for people, second wouldn’t listen to the circumstances, and immediately demanded to arrest people. His reason was that Cuiwei Town bordered Cuiwei Mountain, and beyond that was Jianmen Mountain. There was only one official road to town, so outsiders wouldn’t normally come. With several children missing, it was most likely someone from town who did it. In any case, the town’s residents weren’t numerous—find those who are suspicious, bring them back one by one for interrogation. Magistrate Yao wasn’t afraid of this trouble.

In Su Jin’s over ten years of official career, serving as registrar in Songshan County, then as secretary in the capital’s government office, then rising all the way from supervising censor to assistant censor-in-chief, to vice minister then minister of the Ministry of Justice, and finally to first-rank cabinet minister—he understood that investigation methods could be unconventional, but he had never seen anyone this absurd.

He asked, “What kind of townspeople count as suspicious?”

Magistrate Yao counted on his fingers for him one by one. “The families of students at Master Chao’s school—that counts, right? Those who came to help tonight—there’s a saying that thieves catch thieves, so that counts too, right? And then there’s the Jiang family. The Jiang family is most suspicious. Only they have guards—they have the greatest ability to abduct four children at once.”

If someone hadn’t arrived just then saying Guard Nan had already rescued the four children from the mountain, Su Jin would have already opened his mouth to rebuke him.

Seeing from afar several guards leading the children back, aside from Jiang Ci who was injured, the other three only looked pale—perhaps they’d been frightened. Su Jin’s gaze was drawn to one of them, a face carved like jade—this should be the Mu Yunxi that Yunsheng mentioned.

Da Hu and Er Hu’s father grabbed Er Hu by the collar, about to beat him.

“Wait—” At this moment, Magistrate Yao suddenly interrupted. Ever since hearing that someone had found the four children on the mountain, he had been standing aside with a dark expression, saying nothing.

“Master Jiang, what do you say? Give us an explanation, won’t you?”

Su Jin’s brow furrowed slightly.

Jiang Jiutong clasped his hands in salute, bowing deeply. “Magistrate Yao, I apologize, truly apologize. Disturbing you and over twenty officials in the middle of the night—this commoner will come to the county office another day to make amends to you.”

“Make amends?” Magistrate Yao snorted through his nose. “You mobilized forces in the middle of the night to summon this official here, just to watch several children from your town being mischievous and unruly. Do you think making amends is enough? Do you know that if, while this official is not presiding at the county office, something happens somewhere in Pingchuan County, if bandits cause trouble somewhere, this official must bear all the responsibility? Once people die, floods occur, or chaos breaks out, will this official compensate, or will you compensate? This is the serious crime of obstructing official business!”

Jiang Jiutong’s face paled. He hastily bowed even deeper. “This—this, but Magistrate Yao, the disappearance of four children is a fact. This commoner did not intentionally obstruct official business.” He pleaded again, “Otherwise, please let Magistrate Yao make the decision on how this matter should be handled?”

Magistrate Yao thought for a moment. After a pause, he said unhurriedly, “This official does not wish to make things difficult for you all. How about this—in any case, the trouble tonight was caused by these few children. Please have these four children, Master Jiang, that Hu-something, and—” His eyes narrowed as he smiled at Shu Xiang, baring his teeth. “Miss A Xiang, come with this official to the government office for a visit. Come now, arrest them!”

“Wait!” Su Jin could watch no longer and shouted.

“Since you are a county official, you should serve the county’s people. When the people face difficulties and seek your help, helping them resolve it is your responsibility. Admittedly, making you come here for nothing tonight was a lapse in our consideration. But the disappearance of four children is real, their entry into Cuiwei Mountain is real, and encountering danger midway is even more real. If not for the Jiang family guards’ superior martial arts rescuing them in time, how could you be certain these four children wouldn’t need your rescue? Master Jiang has already apologized to you. That should be enough. If you still want to arbitrarily arrest people, that is abuse of power, disregard for the Great Sui’s criminal statutes. According to the law—first you should be dismissed from office, then flogged, then sentenced!”

“You—who are you?”

Hearing Su Jin’s words, Magistrate Yao flew into a rage. In his agitation he wanted to curse back, but upon meeting her gaze, he inexplicably felt intimidated. Looking her up and down again, the person before him was like fragrant orchids—her bearing was truly extraordinary.

The assistant magistrate beside him said quietly, “Sir, this person is surnamed Su. I heard she’s an old friend of Master Chao.” He added, “You know, during the Jin’an years, the Master Chao who wrote a letter to Lord Zhou of the Office of Transmission. At that time, even our Jinzhou Prefecture’s prefect came to pay respects.”

At that time Su Jin was still on a diplomatic mission to Annan. Chao Qing had written to Zhou Ping actually to inquire about Su Jin’s recent situation.

That letter went through the Office of Transmission and was learned of by the Jinzhou Prefecture’s prefect. Upon discovering that Chao Qing actually knew the Left Director of the Office of Transmission, he hastily rushed to pay respects.

Magistrate Yao was startled, remembering this matter.

But that Lord Zhou of the Office of Transmission who had backed Chao Qing—hadn’t he suddenly died before the Yongji dynasty began?

That being the case, this person before him with quite impressive bearing should be nothing more than a scholar or examination candidate with some ink in his belly who had read some books?

Magistrate Yao thought with a cold laugh: Today, these people—he was determined to take them away. This Su person before him, whether scholar or provincial graduate, had better be sensible and not provoke him. If he was pushed too far, he would bring out his superior. Just announcing the name would be enough to frighten a whole crowd to death!

With this thought, his anxious heart settled. He became even more thoroughly official, ordering, “Arrest them, arrest them.”