Huang Zixia followed Li Shubai to their quarters.

In the western courtyard of the Military Commissioner’s mansion, the newly swept compound had Li Shubai in the main hall, with Huang Zixia and Zhang Xingying occupying the wing rooms on either side.

“It’s very late, and you’re exhausted from today. You should get some rest,” Li Shubai said to her.

Huang Zixia stood rooted to the spot, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Please punish me, Your Highness.”

His expression remained unchanged as he turned to look at her: “What crime have you committed?”

Huang Zixia stammered, “With the current situation still unclear, I… shouldn’t have exposed everything so hastily.”

Li Shubai observed her uneasy demeanor, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his lips as he said, “You were worried about me facing a third assassination attempt, so you became a bit anxious, isn’t that right?”

Huang Zixia nodded silently and said, “But before this, I hadn’t imagined it would be Wang Yun…”

“That’s precisely why it’s troublesome.” Li Shubai thought for a moment, then gestured for her to enter his room.

They knelt facing each other on the low couch by the bed. Li Shubai took out a paper bag from his person and extracted the talisman paper, passing it to her.

Huang Zixia looked at the six characters on it. Except for the blood-red circle remaining above the third character “lone,” the marks on the other characters had all disappeared.

Huang Zixia carefully examined the character for “waste,” but saw the paper surface was normal, with no trace of the previous blood-red marks.

Li Shubai calmly said, “Earlier, after we encountered danger at the inn, I checked this talisman paper, and the character for ‘waste’ was still circled in red, unchanged.”

“So you’re saying it only changed during these few days after entering the Military Commissioner’s mansion?” Huang Zixia returned the talisman paper to him, frowning.

Li Shubai said, “Isn’t it strange?”

Though they were discussing such bizarre matters, their tones remained remarkably casual. He put the talisman back in the paper bag and continued, “Because it was inconvenient during the journey, I didn’t put it back in the heavily locked box but chose to carry it with me. Recently, when the Sichuan army brought back my personal belongings, I returned them to that round box, and unexpectedly, it changed immediately.”

Huang Zixia lowered her head in contemplation, silent.

Li Shubai noticed the tea in the pot was still hot, so he poured her a cup. After smelling it and observing its color, he handed it to her, saying, “The Military Commissioner’s tea is quite good.”

Huang Zixia held the teacup, a trace of sadness welling up in her heart. From the moment he took over state affairs for the emperor who was preoccupied with pleasure, he must have been constantly on guard, facing countless life-and-death situations.

Seeing her expression, Li Shubai smiled reassuringly, poured himself a cup, and took a sip, saying, “It’s nothing. Would Fan Yingxi not fear something happening to me in his mansion? Since I’m on his side, he must naturally take responsibility.”

Huang Zixia nodded, still deep in thought, when she heard him say softly, “Sometimes I think, perhaps the only moment of peace and tranquility I’ve ever enjoyed in my life was during those few days when we were fleeing through the mountains together while I recovered from my injuries.”

Huang Zixia’s eyes widened as she stared at him in astonishment.

“Although we were wretched, our lives hanging by a thread, it was only then that all the world’s pain and doubt seemed to vanish. My past and future didn’t matter anymore. It was just the two of us walking forward together under the tree shade, with sunlight filtering through the leaves onto us, creating brilliant spots of light, dazzling and beautiful, gently dancing…”

He gazed at her intently in the lamplight, where the palace lamp’s flames flickered in the night breeze. Their surroundings were bathed in wavering light, creating an almost dreamlike, ethereal sensation. Even more surreal to Huang Zixia than the light was Li Shubai’s voice, softly resonating in her ear—

“At thirteen, my Imperial Father passed away. After His Majesty ascended the throne, I lived in a constant state of instability. Several older brothers all silently and mysteriously died. Besides three younger brothers still in their childhood, of those who were older, only I remained. Every day back then, I wondered if I would be next.”

He spoke softly, gazing at the lamp’s dancing wick, its blue-gray core wrapped in a warm orange glow, swaying gently in the slight draft. This warm light enveloped the crystal cup, where the Agashne fish that had been left in the carriage lay quietly at the bottom, unknown whether it was awake or asleep.

“Over three years ago, when Pang Jun rebelled in Xuzhou, I volunteered to suppress the rebellion. At that time, all the court could let me take were a few thousand old and weak soldiers. But I wasn’t afraid at all then. I thought perhaps this might be my chance for release…”

As Huang Zixia listened to his words, she suddenly recalled what he had told her about his first encounter with Xuese and Xiao Shi. At the time, when she heard how he had single-handedly entered the tiger’s den to slay Pang Jun’s scattered troops, she had wondered if such risk-taking was unwise. But now, thinking back, she suddenly understood his state of mind then.

When he went to Xuzhou, he wasn’t initially looking for an opportunity to rise to power but rather seeking a form of death he could accept.

However, he became famous in one battle, with six major Military Commissioners pledging allegiance under his command. The day he returned triumphant marked the beginning of his overwhelming influence in court.

“After returning, I was re-enfeoffed as Prince Kui, glorified for a time, but life was still far from peaceful. I constantly faced two opposing forces, becoming a sacrifice pushed forward by one side and a target for the other. Countless people hoped for my disappearance from this world.” As he spoke, his eyes grew dark and obscure. He raised his hand to tap the crystal cup. The slight ripples within stirred, and the small fish flicked its tail before settling back on the bottom, unmoved. “Around me, countless mysteries appeared, keeping me constantly on alert. No one knew how anxious I was, living amid these mysteries. I thought that in this life, I would continue living in this endless state of spiritual torment and anxiety, until that day… you appeared.”

He released the crystal cup, and somehow, bright stars had appeared in those dark eyes, reflecting the lamplight’s shadows, gently swaying. He gazed at her unblinkingly, and her figure in his eyes also swayed slightly with the lamplight.

Huang Zixia felt extremely nervous, as if afraid of being drawn into those bright stars and losing all existence from then on; or perhaps afraid that if she willfully broke away from his gaze, she would become lost and never find the bright direction again.

So, she allowed her heart to pound violently in her chest until her body grew hot, and when she could no longer control that stirring of heart and spirit, she took a deep breath and said softly, “I… am deeply ashamed that I haven’t been able to share Your Highness’s burdens, and still haven’t helped you uncover those mysteries surrounding you…”

“How could a secret that could change the entire court be solved in such a short time?” He slowly shook his head and said quietly, “I spent many years without any progress, let alone you who have only recently become involved.”

“But I…” she gazed at his face, suddenly making a great resolution in her heart. Perhaps the night wind and lamplight had stolen away her reserve, but she reached out and gently covered the back of his hand with hers, saying earnestly, “I will stay by your side and help reveal this secret. I won’t let you remain lost in the fog anymore. I will help you drive away all the obscuring clouds and let you see your destiny.”

She spoke so seriously as if making a vow.

She didn’t tell him that on that night, when he lay unconscious and critically ill, she had thought to herself that if this person she had staked everything on following were to disappear from the world, she would have no support left in this world, no chance to seek justice for her family… Then, what meaning would there be in living?

But she thought some things need not be spoken aloud; he must surely understand.

Li Shubai gazed at her in the lamplight and that face that was usually as calm as water showed countless complex emotions passing through his eyes in an instant – joy, sorrow, sentimentality, and even a hint of confused trepidation.

Huang Zixia felt his hand move slightly, seeming to unconsciously tighten. Only then did she look down and realize she had been too caught up in the moment, her hand presumptuously resting on the back of his.

She immediately became flustered and nervous, quickly lifting her hand to withdraw it.

Just as her fingers moved, he turned his palm over and firmly clasped her hand in his.

The lamplight flowed brightly around them in the utterly silent night. The sleeping fish, the only sound was the passing wind outside and the beating of their pulses, rapid yet harmonious.

Huang Zixia slept lightly that night, countless tangled thoughts tumbling through her mind in disorder, crowding in and out, impossible to dispel yet impossible to see clearly.

She didn’t know if it was sweetness or sorrow.

Near dawn, she finally dozed off hazily, until the commotion outside startled her awake. She raised her hand to shield her eyes, extremely tired, turned over in bed, and blankly continued pondering the things that troubled her.

Someone outside pounded on the door: “Chonggu, get up quickly! I have a discovery!”

It was naturally Zhou Ziqin. He had probably grown impatient waiting at the office, so he simply came directly to the Military Commissioner’s mansion to drag her out of bed.

The sky was probably near noon. The light outside was so bright it was almost impossible to open one’s eyes. Huang Zixia pressed her temples hard, only responding vaguely, then put herself in order, first dressing properly in the clothes prepared for her by the Military Commissioner’s mansion, before opening the door to ask, “What discovery?”

Zhou Ziqin excitedly held up the double fish jade bracelet he treasured more than anything, saying, “Early this morning, someone from a pawnshop came to find me, saying that the office’s people had found him, and he had rushed over from Longzhou overnight. As soon as he saw this bracelet, he remembered that the buyer at the time was—”

Huang Zixia’s eyes brightened, seeing him deliberately create suspense by only telling half the story, she grew anxious: “Who was it?”

“Haha, I knew it must have been you who asked the pawnshop to investigate!” Zhou Ziqin looked triumphant, clearly full of confidence in his powers of observation. “When did you go to ask? Otherwise, how would they come looking for me?”

Huang Zixia nodded and asked, “Was the bracelet indeed sold by someone from Longzhou? Who was the buyer?”

Zhou Ziqin looked around at the surrounding courtyards of the Military Commissioner’s mansion, avoiding being seen by acquaintances while pulling her into the room. He leaned close to her ear and said softly, “You’ll never guess! The person who bought this bracelet wasn’t Fu Xinruan’s lover Yang Wen, but rather — the Sichuan Military Commissioner’s mansion!”

Huang Zixia was stunned, countless intricate clues and thoughts suddenly surging up in her mind. Everything seemed traceable because of this, yet everything also seemed more jumbled and confused because of it.

“According to them, it was just around the New Year, and the old pawnshop manager had, as usual, carefully prepared a batch of good items and invited the stewards from various mansions to come look. Naturally, the Military Commissioner’s mansion was first in line to select what they might like. Among that batch of items prepared for their selection was this jade bracelet. At the time, the person from Longzhou was in charge, and someone from the Military Commissioner’s mansion asked, saying this bracelet’s jade quality was ordinary but the design was quite interesting, so why not give it to them as a bonus? The pawnshop was naturally happy to do this favor, so they didn’t register it in the books and simply gave it to them directly.”

Huang Zixia slowly asked, “Who went from the Military Commissioner’s mansion at that time?”

“That person was temporarily helping from Longzhou, so naturally wouldn’t know. Since it wasn’t recorded in the books, it’s difficult to investigate now. However, the pawnshop people here recall that Qi Teng was among them.”

So this bracelet had fallen into Qi Teng’s hands.

What exactly was the relationship between Qi Teng and Yang Wen? What was his relationship with Yu Xuan? What was the nature of Fu Xinruan’s relationship with Yang Wen? How did the bracelet Qi Teng bought end up in Fu Xinruan’s hands? And the death of the maid Tang Zhuniang, was it an accident or murder? If it was murder, what was the reason?

Qi Teng’s death, who was it related to? Was it because Zhou Ziyan refused to marry him, so she used a method she hadn’t yet noticed or instructed others to kill him? Or was it someone he associated with… Yu Xuan? Yang Wen? Or perhaps, General Fan?

And what exactly had happened to Yu Xuan? Was his memory wrong, causing him to see scenes of her killing her parents in his confusion, or had someone framed her in front of him, setting up scenes to make him misunderstand?

At this point, in her parents’ case, the only thing that had been confirmed was the matter of the poison. Who had the opportunity to act and could obtain the poison at that time? What was the connection between Fu Xinruan, who died from the same poison, and her family? Could it have been the same person who administered the poison? Her father was the Prefecture Governor of Shu Prefecture, while Fu Xinruan was a performer – what could be the connection between them?

Huang Zixia quickly sorted through all these threads, pulling out the most important point — the poetry society they all belonged to.