Wei Shubin sighed deeply as she looked at Li Yuangui sitting across from her.

The fourteenth son of the Supreme Emperor, the current Emperor’s brother, and Prince of Wu of the Great Tang sat drenched from head to toe. His headwrap was discarded, his outer robe removed, and wrapped in a tattered felt blanket, and shivering. Unable to maintain dignity, his long legs curled up as he slumped in the corner, dazed, with wet black hair clinging to his forehead and cheeks – completely disheveled, nothing like his usual neat and proud bearing.

What happened?

It’s a long story.

The night before last, Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi had led her out of the Small Western Market warehouse district. Shortly after, the Bei surname man and other servants joined them, saying Cheng Yaojin had taken An San and the other Hu people away, with village head Zhang handling official matters. They found a random place to rest, and at dawn, the group returned to the Bei family estate outside town. Only then did Wei Shubin learn the estate owners were children of the former famous minister Bei Ji, and the young Miss Bei who helped treat her wounds was the future Princess of Zhao, Li Yuangui’s sixth sister-in-law.

While Miss Bei and the Hu maid Fen Dui cleaned and dressed Wei Shubin’s wounds in the inner chamber, chatting through the day, outside Li Yuangui and Master Bei the lawyer had planned their next moves: Village head Zhang would take Fen Dui to gather news from Xianyang’s Hu merchant groups and city guard, A Chen’s group would return to Da’an Palace to ask Official Chen about palace developments, and the Chai family servants Wei Shubin brought would return to Guangde Ward to try contacting Chai Yinglu and inform her of Li and Wei’s current location.

As for Li Yuangui, Yang Xinzhi, and Wei Shubin, Master Bei apologetically told them they should leave the farm first.

The reason needed little explanation. Cheng Yaojin had already spoken with Master Bei – they had met several times during the Wude years and were acquaintances. That night, Master Bei had reluctantly invited General Cheng to “rest at my humble home and reminisce.” Though Cheng Yaojin declined citing business, he had noticed Yang Xinzhi, the “Supreme Emperor’s grandson” with his distinctive appearance. Once he entered Chang’an at dawn and heard about the Imperial Guard’s search for Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi, he would likely direct them straight to the Bei family estate.

Previously, there had been no official warrant for Li and Yang’s arrest, so Master Bei could claim ignorance. If government guards came to his home with an imperial edict and he didn’t cooperate in handing them over, he would be charged with harboring wanted criminals. So upon hearing the dismissal, Li Yuangui immediately rose to leave, but Master Bei grabbed him:

“Wait, Fourteenth Young Lord! Let me finish!”

The rest was that he had anticipated this situation days ago and discussed it with Village Head Zhang, preparing another location for Li Yuangui’s group. However, this place was extremely basic – a vegetable garden several li northwest of the Bei estate, far from villages and waterways, nestled among small hills and hidden by trees, very quiet and secluded.

The vegetable garden was entrusted to Village Head Zhang’s care, not under the Bei family name, and untraceable in household registers. The garden farmers had been reassigned to help watch canals and farm fields, leaving only two old women as caretakers, unlikely to leak information. The garden wasn’t too far from the Bei estate, allowing timely message delivery. Li Yuangui, having no other options, agreed.

The servants left first in groups, then Li, Yang, and Wei departed last, exchanging polite words before the Bei estate servants about leaving on a long journey and not returning. Master Bei humbly insisted on seeing them off, accompanying Village Head Zhang westward to lead them to the garden.

Before even entering the bamboo-fenced gate, Wei Shubin smelled the stench – Village Head Zhang explained they “needed lots of fertilizer for watering vegetables” – the manure pit at one end of the garden had chunks spread out drying on the ground, their sour stench permeating the entire area inside and out, inescapable.

The garden was sizeable, with over ten terraced fields of varying sizes, green with growing seedlings, and a vibrant sight. Besides the vegetable plots and manure pit, inside the fence stood a three-room thatched house, a well without a platform, a shed storing firewood and farm tools, and a chicken coop.

Amid barking and clucking, Master Bei led the three into the thatched house. Unused in winter’s cold off-season, it was even more basic than regular farmhouses, with rammed earth walls and dirt floors. Two drafty branch walls divided it into one hall and two bedrooms, each with a brick kang bed-stove.

The middle hall had a large stove by the entrance, with firewood and water vats piled behind the door. Inside stood a wooden table missing two legs, barely propped up with stones, holding clay bowls and crude chopsticks – the only furniture. Without proper seating, several straw mats on the ground served for meals.

After entering, the group could barely sit. Master Bei repeatedly apologized with a guilty expression, but old Zhang seemed unconcerned. He first instructed the two old women, then returned to say “The vegetable farmers will return in three to five days, don’t make trouble. Help out when free, the garden needs work now, plenty to do like carrying water and moving manure. You young folk, growing so tall, eating two jin of rice per meal, can’t just eat without working…”

The old man kept glancing at Yang Xinzhi as he spoke. The tall guard’s face darkened but he couldn’t protest. Wei Shubin and Li Yuangui exchanged glances, both struggling to hold back laughter. Master Bei smiled: “Though Zhang’s words aren’t pleasant, they make sense. After all, you all know this garden’s owner – doing some farm work won’t be a wasted effort.”

“The garden’s owner? Who?” Li Yuangui asked curiously.

Master Bei raised a finger, pointing straight at the young prince’s nose.

Seeing Li Yuangui’s shocked expression, Village Head Zhang was the first to laugh heartily. He explained that the garden was registered under the Dou family of Pingling, with locals only knowing it as the property of Princess Xiangyang’s consort, Duke Shen Dou Dan. Two years ago, Zhang accidentally overheard the Xianyang County Magistrate and village chief discussing how this garden and nearby households were registered as “Da’an Palace Princes’ Fief households,” with Consort Dou merely managing them. Of course, whether these fief households were further divided among the various princes’ mansions, and which prince’s mansion this garden belonged to, the old man hadn’t asked in detail. But calling Li Yuangui the garden’s owner wasn’t far off.

Not even recognizing his property… After everyone had a good laugh at Prince Wu’s expense, Master Bei gave some final instructions, left them clean coarse clothing and supplies, and then departed with Village Head Zhang.

Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi stayed in the east room, while Wei Shubin slept on the kang with the two old garden-watching women in the west room. Evening conversations could be heard by all, and at night thunderous snoring echoed back and forth. Wei Shubin endured her wounds’ pain and itching, drifting hazily until dawn, unsure if she had slept.

But she had no complaints – this was the path she chose. Li Yuangui never grumbled either. Besides telling her about what he’d seen and heard after they separated, he rarely spoke, often frowning in deep thought. Wei Shubin found herself comforting him:

“Since Seventeenth Miss was taken to the city guard, she should be fine. The guards would immediately report and send her back to the palace. Whether she’s with Empress Yuwen at Da’an Palace now, or the Empress has placed her back in Lizheng Hall, both sides will treat her well. Even the Crown Prince wouldn’t mistreat Seventeenth Miss. I know Princess Su who manages the Eastern Palace is very kind-hearted and will protect her. However you look at it, Seventeenth Miss has escaped this danger, Fourteenth Young Lord needn’t worry too much.”

“I know no one will try to kill or harm her anymore,” Li Yuangui smiled bitterly, “but to say she’s escaped danger, that’s not certain… You, and Yinglu, are the same.”

Wei Shubin understood his meaning. In this case of consorting with foreign enemies to plot rebellion, one main reason was Consort Yin and Crown Prince Chengqian’s scheme to marry the Seventeenth Princess, Chai Yinglu, and her as diplomatic brides to foreign tribes. Now this plan hadn’t been abandoned, but rather made easier for Li Chengqian to propose and implement – with Consort Yin dead, he no longer feared anyone exposing his collaboration with his parents’ enemies. And with the Seventeenth Princess back in the palace, arrangements could proceed.

So now the obstacle had become her and Chai Yinglu’s disappearance… but they never had princess status to begin with. Li Chengqian could simply propose marrying the Seventeenth Imperial Princess to Gaochang, without binding them together.

“I’m going back to the palace,” Li Yuangui suddenly said. “I’ll turn myself in and explain everything from start to finish before the throne. After all, this was all my idea. Whatever punishment His Majesty decides, I’ll accept it. I can’t keep involving all of you.”

“Mm. And then His Majesty and the Empress will decide Yang Kuzhen, Master Shangzhen and I truly bear no responsibility. Yang Kuzhen will continue advancing his career in another prince’s mansion, Master Shangzhen will return to Purple Void Temple to continue refining elixirs and serving the Empress with his medical skills, and I… I’ll go home to marry General Cheng, exchanging fifty thousand rolls of silk as dowry for my eldest brother to marry the Cui family’s daughter, all blessed and peaceful?”

She couldn’t tell if her tone was bitter or sarcastic, perhaps both. Li Yuangui’s gaze was gentle yet melancholic, the result of painful reflection, no longer clear and pure as before:

“Wei… Miss Fen, I’ve thought about that snowy day in Lizheng Hall… you were right. Thankfully you were right. You’re also right that marrying General Cheng may have its dissatisfactions, but ultimately, he’s better than me… I’m someone who can never make my own decisions in this life, even my future must follow fate and others’ arrangements. What right do I have…”

He couldn’t continue, his chest heaving, face flushed. Wei Shubin also felt her cheeks burning, with a great fire raging in her heart, and asked hoarsely: “So?”

“I have no right to marry you, so go ahead and marry him” – she waited for these words to fall like heavy snow freezing the world, allowing her to finally let go. But Li Yuangui just stared at her steadily, in his mist-filled black pupils, what flickered… was it reluctant attachment?

“If… if I were just the son of a moderately wealthy suburban family… tending a few acres, a garden like this…”

Would you propose to me again? Wei Shubin thought somewhat dazedly. Working at sunrise, resting at sunset, drinking from wells we dig, eating from fields we plow – what would imperial power mean to us then?

Being a farming couple living in seclusion in the countryside would be quite nice too…