This was an unremarkable small town not far from Ruyang City, and it was also the first market town they had seen since leaving the Imperial Tomb. It had only about a hundred households, becoming lively only every couple of days when villagers from nearby settlements would come to trade their excess goods. When they entered the town, they happened upon the market day. Tan Jizhi had changed into different clothes, and the three of them looked like an elderly man accompanying a young married couple – they didn’t draw much attention.
They entered a dilapidated inn, and the three were quickly led to the courtyard in the back, which was a safehouse Tan Jizhi had prepared in advance. Unlike the shabby front of the inn, the backyard was clean and serene, an unexpected sight in this northwestern small town. As soon as they stepped through the gate, someone came out to greet them. “Jizhi, you’ve finally returned.” The person who approached was a beautiful young woman wearing blue silk robes. Ignoring the presence of others, she rushed straight into Tan Jizhi’s arms and said coquettishly, “Jizhi, you’re finally back. I’ve been so worried that something might happen to you.”
Tan Jizhi was indulgent of this young woman. His usually gloomy face showed traces of a smile as he said softly, “See? I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry.” The woman in blue stepped out of his embrace and finally noticed Ye Li and Doctor Lin standing nearby. Her gaze, however, was mainly fixed on Ye Li, and pointing at her with eyes full of jealousy and disgust, she demanded, “Who is this woman?!”
Ye Li’s mouth twitched. Sister, can’t you see I’m heavily pregnant? Isn’t this jealousy a bit too intense?
Tan Jizhi quickly held the woman back, comforting her softly, “Lin’er, we need her alive for now. You know you’re the only one in my heart.”
The woman in blue was not satisfied with this and continued glaring at Tan Jizhi. “You still haven’t told me who she is.” Tan Jizhi smiled helplessly and said, “She’s Prince Ding’s consort, so… please don’t harm her.” A gleam flashed through the blue-robed woman’s eyes as she leaned against Tan Jizhi, examining Ye Li. “Prince Ding’s consort? Wasn’t she supposed to be dead? How did she end up here?”
Tan Jizhi said gently, “We encountered her by chance. Have someone watch her carefully.” The woman in blue smiled brightly and said, “Don’t worry, when have I ever failed at anything you’ve asked me to do?” Tan Jizhi nodded and turned to Ye Li, saying, “Your Highness, we’ll be staying here for two days. If you need anything, you can tell Lin’er, and she’ll help you.”
Ye Li had no objection to this, but the woman in blue became unhappy, glaring at Tan Jizhi, “What do you mean? I’m not her maid!”
Thus, Tan Jizhi had to spend quite some time sweet-talking her before she finally cheered up. She snorted lightly and said, “Fine, I’ll take good care of her.”
Ye Li paid no attention to their flirting in front of her, merely lowering her eyes with a faint smile. Her mind, however, was racing. She had never met this woman called Lin’er before, but… her voice sounded familiar… She casually glanced up at the woman in blue, who appeared to be in her early twenties, very beautiful, with a hint of strange, bewitching charm in her features. Yet her eyes seemed full of genuine love when looking at Tan Jizhi. And her voice… while she spoke Central Plains dialect well, someone like Ye Li, who had received special training in voice recognition, could detect slight accents in certain pronunciations. Ye Li had only heard one person speak this way before – Princess Anxi of Nanzhao. Looking at the woman in blue before her, Ye Li maintained her composure. Lin’er… Lin’er… Shu Manlin – the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier.
It seemed their previous speculations had been somewhat mistaken. They had all thought Shu Manlin was in league with Mo Jingli, but now it appeared… Mo Jingli was merely a tool and scapegoat. The real mastermind was this young man smiling tenderly before them – Tan Jizhi. Having realized this, Ye Li’s assessment of Tan Jizhi reached new heights. He was someone who could manipulate two countries from behind the scenes while remaining quiet and unremarkable. Compared to Mo Jingqi, who alternated between madness and impulsiveness, and the brainless Mo Jingli, this man before her was the true threat to be wary of.
“What is Your Highness thinking about so intently?” Tan Jizhi had finally finished communicating with the woman in blue and turned back to probe Ye Li.
Ye Li gave him a casual glance – how could she possibly be lost in thought in such a situation? “Nothing much, I was just moved seeing how close you and Miss Lin are.” The woman in blue giggled while leaning against Tan Jizhi, “Could it be that Your Highness misses Prince Ding?” Ye Li smiled without denying it, saying softly, “Having been away from home for so long, I miss not only His Highness but also worry about my family. Before my incident, I hadn’t received any news from my elder brother. Does Master Tan have any information?”
“Elder brother?” Tan Jizhi was startled for a moment before quickly realizing, “Does Your Highness mean the Xu family’s eldest son, Xu Qingchen?”
Ye Li nodded, clearly noticing how the woman in blue’s expression stiffened momentarily, her eyes flashing with hatred and unwillingness. She smiled inwardly – it seemed this woman was indeed the Holy Maiden Shu Manlin from the Southern Frontier. That day in the secret chamber of the Southern Palace, although she hadn’t seen Shu Manlin’s true face, she had heard her speaking with her brother. The obsessive and manic possessiveness in her voice toward her brother seemed completely different from this woman who appeared wholly devoted to Tan Jizhi. Indeed… they were all masterful actors.
After being settled in a room in the deepest part of the courtyard, Tan Jizhi never appeared again. However, the beautiful woman in blue would frequently visit under the pretense of caring for her, making provocative and mocking remarks. Seeing Ye Li respond calmly with smiles each time only made her gnash her teeth in frustration. Ye Li didn’t mind this – Tan Jizhi had forbidden his subordinates from speaking or interacting with her, and after a while, Ye Li had worried about becoming depressed, so having someone to verbally spar with wasn’t bad. She was just curious whether this woman, presumably Shu Manlin, was targeting her because of Tan Jizhi or because of Xu Qingchen.
“You’re quite patient,” Doctor Lin remarked while putting away his things after checking her pulse.
Ye Li leaned back comfortably in her chair, sipping the freshly prepared tonic soup with a smile, “It’s not really about patience. Master, don’t you think this is much more comfortable than our time in the Imperial Tomb and that small village?” Whatever tonics or medicines she needed, whatever needed to be done, there was always someone to help – this was how a pregnant woman should be living, not following strangers up mountains and down seas to dig up graves. Doctor Lin looked at her with a complex expression, “Aren’t you worried he’ll use you to threaten Prince Ding?”
Ye Li shrugged helplessly, “Since I’ve already fallen into his hands, what’s the use in worrying? He can’t harm me before the child is born, at least. But Master… I feel that Tan Jizhi knowingly remaining in our Prince’s territory despite the danger… can’t be for anything good.” Doctor Lin’s expression changed slightly – he certainly knew why Tan Jizhi was still lingering here. These past two days, Tan Jizhi had approached him as well, but… A bitter smile appeared on Doctor Lin’s aged face, “Would you believe me if I said I truly don’t know?”
Ye Li nodded, “I believe you.” Just from the message on that piece of cloth, one could tell what kind of unpredictable and mischievous character that former dynasty’s founder was. He was capable of keeping the true whereabouts of himself and the treasure from everyone, “Unfortunately, Tan Jizhi doesn’t believe it.” Doctor Lin grew somber and silently sighed. Looking at Ye Li, he asked, “You’re not worried at all now because you’re confident you can escape from here, aren’t you?”
Ye Li looked at him with some regret and said, “In the past, this place truly couldn’t have held me. But now… Master, I can’t escape from this tiger’s den alone while seven months pregnant. There’s no need to worry about these things. If Tan Jizhi is clever, he should know what benefits he can gain from the leverage in his hands. And as for Mo Xiuyao…” Thinking of Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li’s eyes softened considerably, “Even if it costs something… I believe he won’t mind. As long as Master Tan doesn’t make excessive demands, imagining conditions that are simply impossible. Master Tan, what do you think?”
Tan Jizhi walked in from outside with a stern face, naturally accompanied by the beautiful Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier, Shu Manlin. Looking at Ye Li sitting comfortably in a chair with cushions, he smiled faintly and said, “They say the wise adapt to circumstances. Your Highness has truly impressed me.” Ye Li nodded, accepting his praise, and replied, “Mutual destruction is the way of the reckless, and besides, in my current condition, I couldn’t even manage that.”
Tan Jizhi gave a cold laugh and said, “Your Highness is too modest. By the way, I have some good news that should make you happy. Today… Mo family soldiers suddenly appeared in this town. What does Your Highness think… about this?” Ye Li maintained her composure, ignoring Tan Jizhi’s probing gaze. She smiled lightly and said, “Shouldn’t that question be directed to Master Tan? If you truly suspect I did something, there’s nothing I can do about it, is there? I am at your mercy after all…” Tan Jizhi snorted and said, “It’s good that Your Highness understands your position. You’d better… not risk the young prince’s safety. If anything unfortunate were to happen, not only Prince Ding but I too would deeply regret it.” Ye Li raised her teacup to Tan Jizhi with a smile and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Master Tan. Since you mentioned it, I have a suggestion for you – it would be best to leave the Northwest quickly. Now that you’ve drawn His Highness’s attention, the Mo family troops might be manageable, but the Shadow Guards won’t be so easy for Master Tan to deal with. And if this draws the attention of Qilin… Master Tan, I don’t want to speculate whether this venture of yours will end in profit or loss.”
Tan Jizhi’s eye twitched slightly. Having worked with Prince Mo Jingqi for years, he was certainly familiar with the formidable nature of the Shadow Guards. As for Qilin… though he hadn’t encountered them directly, their reputation over the past half year had made him extremely cautious. He looked at Doctor Lin sitting nearby, his face showing traces of unwillingness. Shu Manlin disagreed as well, standing up to say, “Jizhi, don’t forget our purpose in coming here. If we just return like this…”
The Imperial Jade Seal is a symbol of the Mandate of Heaven. The founding dynasty’s treasure is said to be countless riches accumulated through years of conquest by the founding emperor. After establishing the dynasty, he had hidden all these treasures in a secret location. And then there were the legendary military texts and secret manuals – the founding emperor had been godlike in warfare, yet no military treatises had been passed down to later generations. It was said that all of these… had been hidden by the founding emperor, waiting to be discovered by his descendants. With these in hand, how could their great undertaking fail? Tan Jizhi gritted his teeth and waved his hand, ordering, “Seize Doctor Lin!” Two men appeared at the doorway and moved to drag Doctor Lin away. Ye Li frowned, “Master Tan, what about my care if you take Doctor Lin away?” Tan Jizhi looked at her coldly and said, “Rest assured Your Highness. Both Lin’er and I have some medical knowledge. Once we leave the Northwest, I will certainly find another famous physician to attend to you.”
“He is your father!” Ye Li said gravely, looking at Doctor Lin’s expressionless face.
Shu Manlin snorted, “What kind of father is he? He merely happened to raise Jizhi. Jizhi is a descendant of the previous dynasty’s royal family, while he’s nothing but a royal servant. Jizhi shows him respect out of gratitude for raising him, does he think he’s someone important to Jizhi? Take him away!”
Watching Doctor Lin being taken away, Ye Li closed her eyes tiredly. She fixed her gaze on Tan Jizhi and said solemnly, “You will regret this.”
Tan Jizhi sneered dismissively and said, “Rest well Your Highness. We leave at dawn tomorrow.” He left with his arm around Shu Manlin’s waist, and she turned back to give Ye Li a provocative look. Ye Li glanced at her, having no patience to deal with this tiresome woman.
Late that night, a fast horse galloped toward Ruyang City. The soldiers guarding the city walls immediately became alert. The rider below seemed prepared, casually tossing something up to them. After carefully examining the object, the guard waved his hand and shouted, “Quick, let them through!”
Moments later, the city gate opened slightly. The rider wasted no time and galloped into the city.
At Qilin’s quarters in the city, Qin Feng’s expression was somewhat dark as he was woken in the middle of the night. He quickly walked into the study and asked Mo Hua who was waiting there, “What’s so urgent at this hour?”
Mo Hua’s expression was peculiar. After a moment’s silence, he took out a folded prescription paper from his robe and handed it over, saying, “The Shadow Guards just brought this. Take a look.” Qin Feng frowned – it was an ordinary prescription, with nothing unusual about either the paper or the handwriting. He looked up and asked, “What’s wrong with this prescription?” Mo Hua explained, “This came from one of Tianyi Pavilion’s former underground contacts. A few days ago, two men and a pregnant woman arrived in that town and stayed at an inn. That inn is currently under Tianyi Pavilion’s surveillance. Yesterday, someone from the inn went to fill this prescription for pregnancy care. But two of the medicinal doses are too heavy. The dispensing physician examined the prescription carefully due to this and discovered some strange characters, but they couldn’t decipher them.”
Qin Feng’s heart stirred, and he looked excitedly at Mo Hua, who remained silent. After a moment of quiet, Qin Feng grabbed the prescription and slowly examined it against the candlelight. Gradually, two lines of blurry characters appeared on the originally clean prescription paper. Though blurry, they didn’t prevent Qin Feng from recognizing that familiar and distinctive handwriting. Unable to contain his excitement, he exclaimed, “Quick! We must see His Highness – we have news of Her Highness!”