Once again, she donned the eunuch’s attire, tightly binding up all her hair and covering it with a gauze cap. Yang Chonggu had returned to his side.

Chang’an. The waning moon had set, and stars scattered across the sky.

The early spring night wind was bitingly cold, and all seventy-two districts were wrapped in silence.

The midnight knocking startled the doorkeepers of Prince Kui’s mansion, filling them with anxiety. They didn’t understand why someone would knock at midnight when the Prince had just returned.

With trepidation, they opened the small door and looked at the person outside.

Under the starlight stood a slender figure wrapped in a cloak. The palace lantern’s dim light beneath the eaves illuminated her face, revealing pale cheeks and clear eyes, causing the doorkeepers to cry out in shock: “Master Yang… Miss Huang? Why have you come at this late hour?”

“I’m here to see the Prince,” she said softly, removing her cloak’s hood as she walked inside.

Someone looked worriedly at the sky, but the quick-witted ones had already rushed to announce: “Miss Huang requests to see the Prince!”

Jing Yi was on night duty at Jingyu Hall today. Hearing the news, he immediately got up, straightened his clothes, and ran out, trying to contain his delighted voice: “Miss Huang!”

Huang Zixia nodded to him, asking quietly: “Has the Prince retired?”

“Yes, what time is it now? Moreover, word came from the palace earlier that His Majesty summons the Prince to court early tomorrow morning.”

Huang Zixia walked to the door and knocked gently. Jing Yi looked outside, then cleverly led the others away to make tea.

Left alone at the door, as Huang Zixia was considering whether to call out, the door opened. Li Shubai stood inside, silently watching her. He wore only plain white inner robes without any patterns, his hair loose on his shoulders, not yet tied up. The bright lantern hanging before the door cast light upon him, surrounding his figure with a faint glow, making him particularly striking.

Perhaps just awakened from sleep, as the night breeze came, the palace lanterns hanging in the corridor swayed slightly. His gaze fixed on her rippled like water under the wavering lamplight, glistening with moisture.

Huang Zixia bowed formally outside the door, saying softly: “Please forgive Zixia’s boldness in visiting so late at night, Your Highness.”

He nodded slightly but didn’t answer, just looked at her for a long while before reaching out to grasp her arm.

Through her sleeve, he felt her soft skin, slightly warm, and finally smiled self-mockingly: “Really now, I thought I was still dreaming.”

Huang Zixia felt her heart skip a beat, a strange warmth suddenly filling her chest. She grasped his hand in return, saying softly: “If this is a dream, it’s not a bad one.”

Li Shubai smiled faintly, leading her inside by the hand.

Huang Zixia followed him in, and they sat down on the couch. He casually took a hairpin to tie up his hair, asking: “What’s wrong? Is something happening in the palace?”

Huang Zixia nodded slightly, stood up took the hairpin from his hand, then pulled open a drawer to get a comb. Standing before the mirror, she helped him comb his hair.

Li Shubai raised his hand to grasp her wrist, looking up at her.

She casually withdrew her hand and continued combing his hair, slowly gathering it into a topknot, saying: “Has Your Highness forgotten? Back in Shu, when you were injured, I always helped you comb your hair.”

Li Shubai gazed at her through the mirror; the bright bronze mirror reflected her downcast face, like a lotus flower bowing in the twilight. And those eyes, half-hidden by her eyelashes, were like the clearest dewdrops on flower petals.

Unable to contain his emotions, he said softly: “Back then, we lived day to day in such dire straits, but thinking back now, it was the most precious beautiful time of my life.”

Huang Zixia’s eyelashes trembled as she raised her head to look at him through the mirror.

Their gazes met in the bronze mirror, as if looking at their lifelong destiny, unable to look away for a long time.

After a while, Huang Zixia lowered her head to finish tying his hair, inserted the jade hairpin, and said softly: “Tomorrow morning, Your Highness should not go to the palace.”

“Why?”

“Wang Yun came to inform me today that we cannot depart for Shu tomorrow as planned,” Huang Zixia stood behind him, slowly explaining, “The reason is that tomorrow he must send the Buddha’s bone relic to various temples for worship, and will be too busy to get away.”

“Your journey to Shu tomorrow was set long ago, and the transfer of the Buddha’s bone relic to the capital’s temples was also predetermined. How could he suddenly be unable to get away?” Li Shubai didn’t want to continue speaking through the mirror and turned around to look at her directly.

Huang Zixia nodded slightly, saying: “His Majesty has long been gravely ill. If there’s no improvement after this prayer to the Buddha’s relic, I fear he will… take action against Your Highness soon.”

Li Shubai smiled at her and asked: “Does he not care about the Zhen Wu army’s siege?”

“Your Highness surely knows better than I that the Uighurs have long occupied the north, raiding southward every winter when they lack food and clothing. But since Your Highness defeated them last time, they’ve been much weakened. Now they can hardly threaten the court, just some scattered soldiers at the borders—but what the court faces now is the entire realm. The transfer of imperial power happens in just one night; His Majesty is gravely ill, the Crown Prince is young, and you, Prince Kui, have grown too powerful.”

Li Shubai silently looked at her; her eyes were full of worry and fear as she gazed at him. Knowing this was all because of him, he smiled slightly, stood up, and patted her shoulder saying: “Don’t worry, I don’t think the situation is so dire.”

“Is Your Highness too confident in yourself, or too confident in His Majesty?” Huang Zixia asked anxiously, “After so many years at court, do you not believe in fraternal strife and kinslaying? I cannot believe you would be so naive!”

He slowly shook his head, smiling: “Rest assured, I’m not as naive as you think, nor is it as frightening as you imagine.”

Huang Zixia was momentarily speechless, her breathing quickening. She lowered her eyelashes, wanting to turn and leave, but forcefully held herself back.

“Your Highness, please trust me this time…” She walked before him, knelt, and looked up at him, “After all, this matter is of great importance. I don’t want… don’t want Your Highness to be in danger, and I’m more afraid that due to my negligence, I couldn’t help you. If anything happens to you because of me, in this life and the next, I will regret it forever and never forgive myself!”

Li Shubai bent down to look at her kneeling on the ground, his lips curving in a slight smile, asking softly: “Then, what do you think I should do?”

Huang Zixia grabbed his arms, looking up at him, saying urgently: “Your Highness is brilliantly talented and surely can arrange the best path for yourself, as long as… as long as you don’t put yourself in danger!”

“See, I said you were too naive.” He gazed deeply at her, noticed her arms still unconsciously holding his elbows, and smiled, stretching his arms to lift her, cradling her in his arms as lightly as holding a cloud.

Huang Zixia was stunned, her cheeks instantly flushing red as she struggled: “Prince Kui, what I’m telling you are all serious matters…”

“I’ll tell you something serious too,” he said, gently placing her on the couch and sitting beside her, “First, I don’t like seeing you plead before me. Didn’t you once tell me? You wished to be a catalpa tree, standing by my side, weathering wind and rain together, supporting and sheltering each other.”

Huang Zixia leaned back on the couch, raising her elbow to cover her eyes, softly making an “mm” sound.

“Second, I truly deserve punishment, no wonder His Majesty wishes to eliminate me quickly,” Li Shubai stroked her hair, saying softly, “You know about the Zhen Wu army’s private expansion, but do you know that other military governors have also taken action?”

Huang Zixia looked at him with widened eyes in shock: “So…”

“Yes, since Pang Jun’s rebellion four years ago, using the opportunity of joining forces with other military governors to suppress the rebellion, my people have gradually infiltrated various armies. When I summoned troops from various regions to the capital, established the Shen Wu and Shen Wei armies, and rebuilt the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court according to old regulations. His Majesty naturally noticed and deeply regretted nurturing a tiger that would bring calamity. When we were attacked in Chengdu, I also knew he could no longer tolerate me—now all military governors are more or less under my control, and I have elite forces in the capital under my command. Isn’t His Majesty’s decision to eliminate me for the sake of the realm a wise judgment?”

Hearing him speak thus, Huang Zixia finally relaxed a bit, asking softly: “Was it all arranged by Your Highness?”

“It was their own choice,” Li Shubai said calmly, “I just added a splash of oil to the pile of kindling that had just begun to spark.”

Huang Zixia didn’t know whether to be happy or worried, speaking in a lowered voice with moving lips: “Is Your Highness not afraid of losing control of the situation?”

Seeing her expression, Li Shubai raised his hand to lightly flick her forehead, saying: “Don’t worry, if I can start this fire, I can also put it out.”

“Since Your Highness had arrangements already, then I was overthinking,” seeing his confidence, Huang Zixia finally relaxed, saying softly, “Yes… no matter what, when circumstances are urgent, some extraordinary measures must be taken.”

“The situation has indeed reached a point where action must be taken, and Wang Yun will truly be busy tomorrow. Because today at dusk, when the Imperial Guards were changing shifts, a group was detained in the palace, presumably in preparation for tomorrow. And this afternoon when His Majesty was praying before the Buddha’s relic, he suddenly summoned Wang Zongshi for an audience. Guess what important matter would make him interrupt his prayers before the Buddha’s bone to summon this Divine Strategy Army commander?”

Huang Zixia murmured: “How many Divine Strategy troops can be mobilized in the capital?”

“At least five to eight thousand. Though they might not all be needed—the palace Imperial Guards, if including those from two shift changes, number no less than a thousand. That should be more than enough to deal with me and a few household troops.”

Huang Zixia nodded, thought for a moment, and then said: “Then, I wish to go with you.”

Li Shubai raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at her in surprise.

“Before coming here, I had already packed my things, everything is prepared,” she pointed to her bundle by the door, saying softly, “I think if the situation has truly reached an irreversible point, at least Your Highness’s forces arranged in the capital over the years can allow for escape from the city at the last moment. And I, wish to serve by your side, never to part.”

He gazed at her, asking softly: “What about Wang Yun?”

She bit her lower lip, saying quietly: “I… I’m sorry to him. But we had an agreement from the start—I would return his divorce papers, and he would help you escape danger. But now, he hasn’t kept his promise, instead becoming our opponent, so this agreement is void.”

Seeing the determination on her face, Li Shubai couldn’t help but sigh, saying: “Zixia, you are so ruthless.”

Huang Zixia froze, her voice becoming weak: “Yes… but if I’m not ruthless to him, he will be ruthless to you. Now that things have come to this point, I inevitably cannot care for both sides, I can only choose the side I wish to follow…”

“No, I mean you’re too ruthless to yourself,” Li Shubai’s hand gently slid down her spine, then tightened his arms to draw her into his embrace, holding her close, “What do you think you are? You can entrust yourself to Wang Yun for my sake, then abandon everything to flee with me. Being such an intelligent woman, don’t you know that following me like this means you’ll gain nothing in the future, only a life of endless wandering? If something were to happen, if I met with misfortune, or if I abandoned you, you would have no recourse?”

“I won’t let you abandon me.” She whispered by his ear, her voice dreamy yet somehow firm.

Hearing her murmur by his ear, he couldn’t help but smile. He seemed unable to control himself, his body’s heat making his throat slightly dry and hoarse as he said quietly: “You’re quite confident in yourself.”

Hearing his rapid breathing and feeling his hot breath scattered against her ear, Huang Zixia’s body trembled slightly: “No, I… have confidence in you, Your Highness.”

“You should indeed have confidence,” he held her tightly, his words becoming unclear due to his rapid breathing and intense heartbeat, “Because I… seem to belong to you already.”

Huang Zixia was momentarily bewildered, not understanding his meaning.

He buried his face deeply in her hair, his tone like sleep-talking: “When you were angry with me and went to seek the Wang family’s help, I couldn’t sleep all night. I sat all night before Pillow Stream Pavilion with that Agashne, watching the moonlight reflect off the ice, so bright it hurt my eyes, keeping me from any desire to sleep. I kept feeling you would appear before me the next moment, walking on that bright light, telling me you regretted it and had come back… Funny, isn’t it?”

Huang Zixia buried her face in his chest, her ear pressed against him listening to his rapid heartbeat, saying softly: “No, if you were to leave me, I would also wait for you to return night after night like this.”

“When I heard in Xiuzheng District that you and Wang Yun were about to head south to prepare for the wedding, I almost went mad. At that time, I secretly made up my mind that if on the day you were to depart south, His Majesty still hadn’t allowed me to leave, I would break out of the Court of Imperial Clan at all costs to find you…” he tightened his arms, embracing her even more firmly, “No matter what, I would take you back, never to let you go…”

Huang Zixia felt the strength of his arms, tight enough to cause slight pain. But her face instead showed a smile as she raised her arms to tightly embrace his waist in return.

“Also… since that day, I’ve had some wishes, turning over and over in my mind, too embarrassing to speak of, with no one to tell. But tonight, I want to tell you, because I’m afraid if I don’t speak now, there might not be another chance.”

Huang Zixia nodded in his embrace, then asked: “Which day do you mean?”

He didn’t answer, but his breath scattered against her ear grew hotter and more urgent. His voice trembled, rough and difficult: “Since that day, I’ve been thinking over and over in my heart, if there came a day when I could hold your hand, I wouldn’t let go if I didn’t want to; if there came a day when I could embrace you, I wouldn’t release you if I didn’t want to; if there came a day when I could kiss you again, whether your hands, your cheeks, or your lips…”

Huang Zixia’s face instantly turned crimson; she immediately understood which day he meant, and also immediately understood why he said these wishes were too embarrassing to speak of, with no one to tell.

She instinctively struggled, trying to break free from his embrace and turn away. However, he held her so tightly that her struggles only gave him an opportunity. He pressed down on her shoulders and bent to kiss her smooth forehead.

She just closed her eyes, not daring to open them, her trembling eyelashes casting faint shadows in the lamplight, showing traces of blush.

His gentle kisses gradually moved downward, following along her cheeks. Under the brilliant lamplight, her lips were the color of peach blossoms mixed with roses, the brilliance of an entire spring condensed together, moving one’s heart.

However, gazing at her nervous face for a long, long time, he ultimately only lightly touched these brilliant spring days before relaxing the strength of his arms, sighing softly: “Alright, don’t be afraid.”

Huang Zixia opened her eyes in confusion and surprise, looking at him so close to her.

He raised his hand to gently caress her cheek, saying softly: “I don’t know if I’ll die tomorrow, so why needlessly make you fall deeper?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Huang Zixia raised her hand to cover the back of his, saying softly, “Coming here tonight, I wanted to tell Your Highness: if you live, I live; if you go to the northern frontier, I’ll go as a minor eunuch; if something happens to you, I won’t live alone.”

Li Shubai gazed at her, turning his hand to grasp her palm and kiss it, his voice slightly hoarse: “Don’t be so willful, Zixia. In this world, you’re perhaps the one who best understands my current predicament. Even I don’t know if I can emerge unscathed, how can you not understand how frightening it is?”

“Of course I know,” Huang Zixia slowly shook her head, saying, “All the strange events around you—the small red fish coughed up in blood by the late emperor, the talisman obtained on Xuzhou’s city tower, Noble Consort Chen’s madness and the hints she left, Prince E’s mysterious disappearance and death… After I understood all this, I realized what I face is the most powerful and terrifying force in this world. But Your Highness, even though with my tiny form I can only be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, I still hope that when the wheels crush down, I can make it deviate just a little bit. Perhaps just a little bit is enough to make this chariot that madly crushes everything in the world collapses with a crash.”

Hearing her speak thus, Li Shubai was slightly startled, asking gravely: “You already know the truth behind all these cases?”

“Yes, I have organized all these strange and inexplicable cases, and I’ve cleared up all the connections between them, and know all the methods used.” In the bright flowing lamplight, she looked at him, her gaze clear and transparent, without any hesitation.

Li Shubai looked into her eyes, seeing his reflection in her pupils, unable to control the trembling in his heart. He pulled her to lean against the couch, whispering: “Very well, since there’s still sometime before the court, first tell me about that talisman.”

Huang Zixia hadn’t expected him to say such things in this situation. She hesitated, turning her head to lean on his shoulder, asking: “Aren’t you tired? Don’t you need to prepare other things?”

“There’s nothing to prepare. Going today, who knows if I can return. Before that, I want to hear you solve the greatest mystery of my life,” he said, gently hugging her shoulders, then saying softly, “Having uncovered the secret, and with you by my side, whatever I must face, I am at peace.”

Huang Zixia silently turned her head to look at him, then sat up straight, saying: “Your Highness, please take out that box.”

Li Shubai hugged her shoulders gently once more before getting up to go to the side, bringing out that box and placing it before her: “This talisman changes unpredictably, repeatedly foretelling my encounters, so incredibly strange. In such a short time, can you explain it clearly?”

“You and I are both people who don’t believe in ghosts and spirits. As long as we know it’s human manipulation, what’s so strange and inexplicable?” Huang Zixia placed her hand on the box, saying: “The method of this talisman appears complex, but only requires very simple techniques. For example, two identical talismans and two identical boxes.”

At this point, as if piercing through the final veil, Li Shubai suddenly understood, making an “Ah” sound and pondering: “So that’s it!”

“You once said that when you first obtained the talisman in Xuzhou, you didn’t pay attention to it, just casually stored it away. I think at this time, someone must have acted before the army could report your mother’s death, simultaneously placing red circles on the character for ‘lonely’ on both your talisman and his—because to create identical strokes, it could only be done by stamping, otherwise you would surely notice slight differences in the brushstrokes. After you first discovered the talisman’s strange change, the other party arranged for assassins, and that person also circled the character for ‘injured’ on the other talisman—” Huang Zixia held that thick talisman, saying softly, “Zhou Ziqin learned from the old master at Yi’s mounting shop that in paintings and calligraphy, there’s often vermilion ink mixed with white vinegar and tea ash. The tea absorbs the vinegar smell, and both can absorb color. Such mixed vermilion ink will naturally fade after some time, leaving only faint traces. So if you had met with misfortune then, the talisman could be discarded, and if you had truly become disabled in the assassination attempt, he could have switched it with another talisman where the character for ‘injured’ was circled with regular vermilion ink while the ink hadn’t yet faded, never to fade. But because you recovered well, that color naturally faded gradually, and didn’t need to be dealt with.”

Li Shubai nodded: “Then, I began to take this talisman seriously, and because I didn’t trust ordinary locks, I specially commissioned this nine-palace box. Opening this box takes an extremely long time, and when making the box, randomly assembled eighty characters that even I hadn’t thought of beforehand as the code. I thought this way I could keep it under constant watch, but who knew it would still be tampered with.”

“Yes, on the surface, without knowing the arrangement of the code characters, opening this lock would require tens of thousands of attempts, and even memorizing the unlocking code would require matching up all the scrambled characters one by one, truly impossible to do quickly. And with this box constantly under Your Highness’s watch, naturally, no one would have such courage or time to laboriously open this box to switch the talisman,” Huang Zixia nodded.

“However, with two identical boxes, it’s different. As long as close attendants like Jing Yu and Zhang Xingying had chances to come and go, they could switch the boxes in an instant, with no one noticing. And even if during the switch, they didn’t have time to arrange the scrambled characters on the other box to match, they could say it was because the characters slid around while cleaning, no great matter,” Li Shubai said, then pondered, “But, the unlocking code on that box was randomly placed by me, the craftsman who made the box might have glanced at it, but I don’t believe he could memorize eighty characters in that instant.”

“Indeed, photographic memory is Your Highness Prince Kui’s unique skill, there’s only one such person under heaven. If that carpenter had such ability, why would he have struggled all his life, only to die mysteriously in the end?” Huang Zixia said, taking out something hard from the package she had brought and placing it before him, “I found this among the carpenter’s belongings, among the tools he left to his apprentice.”

Li Shubai picked up that object, slightly furrowing his brow: “Beeswax?”

“Yes, exactly beeswax. Generally, only poor craftsmen would use it to fill joinery gaps, so why would a carpenter famous throughout the capital need such a thing?” Huang Zixia sat before him, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at him.

Li Shubai met her gaze and slowly exhaled, saying: “For taking impressions.”

Huang Zixia nodded: “Yes. When Jing Yu was searching for a carpenter for you, he had already bribed him. When the final process was complete and you came to insert the code characters yourself, he had already spread a thin layer of soft beeswax on the wooden platform, sprinkled with sawdust. When you arranged the code and he nailed the characters face-down into the small copper rods, the wooden characters under pressure left raised impressions in the beeswax through the oiled cloth and sawdust. After you left with the box, he carefully removed the oiled cloth, scraped up the beeswax, brushed away the sawdust, and could immediately see what code you had casually arranged. Then, he could make an identical box with the same code pattern and give it to Jing Yu.”

Li Shubai nodded: “Thus, two completely identical boxes were completed, and the lotus box inside with only twenty-four points was already a trick box meant to prevent gentlemen rather than thieves, making it even simpler to create an exact copy. Each time, Jing Yu only needed to prepare the talisman, place it properly, and switch out my original.”

Huang Zixia nodded, saying: “Eunuch Jing Yu must have been extremely careful over the years. There might have been subtle differences in the talismans, but because the colors changed frequently, they weren’t easy to notice. And in maintaining the nine-palace box, he had to be meticulous, because even a small bump would create differences between the two boxes. While others might not notice, for Your Highness with your exceptional memory, it would be a fatal flaw.”

Li Shubai sighed lightly, saying: “But what I admire most is his wholehearted loyalty from beginning to end, even dying for my sake.”

“However, before dying, didn’t he arrange for Zhang Xingying to replace him?” Huang Zixia said softly, “I’ve always suspected that perhaps their change had something to do with Master Mushan.”

Li Shubai nodded slightly, saying: “Yes… if Zhang Xingying hadn’t entered Shu, perhaps he would still be doing well now.”

Huang Zixia propped her chin, saying quietly: “However, Master Mushan died before all the truth could come out. Dying at such a convenient time, making everything only conjecture, impossible to prove.”

“But when Zhang Xingying falsely accused you, Master Mushan was already dead, so what caused this change?”

“It was the redfish,” Huang Zixia said softly but firmly, “Earlier in Eunuch Jing Yu’s room, I saw his hollow stone ball still had watermarks. I think Jing Yu must have placed the fish eggs inside, and in his final moments, chose Zhang Xingying to be possessed by the Agashne.”

Li Shubai nodded, his gaze falling on the small red fish sleeping quietly in the water on the table: “A fleeting thought, the Agashne that occasionally appears beside those who die violently…”

He looked at her in the bright lamplight, seeing her clear eyes and transparent expression, and had to take a deep breath to control his heart’s violent beating caused by her: “So now… is it time to reveal everything?”

She raised her head, giving him a slight smile, saying: “Yes, this case is now over.”

Dawn was approaching, and though it was still dark, it was time to enter the palace for the morning court.

Li Shubai arranged his formal attire, while attendants helped him prepare his official tablets and documents. When he walked to the gatehouse with his people, Huang Zixia was already waiting there.

She had once again donned eunuch’s attire – dark clothes with a blue silk sash, her hair tightly bound and covered with a gauze cap. On her somewhat pale, plain face, she had darkened her eyebrows. Yang Chonggu had returned to his side.

Li Shubai nodded to her, and his attendants handed everything to Huang Zixia. She took the cases, preparing to mount her horse to follow.

Li Shubai glanced at her, and she could only obediently dismount and join him in the carriage.

“Early spring is bitter cold, and it’s not yet light – how could you bear it?” Only after she sat down on the small stool as usual did he mock her.

Huang Zixia hugged the case of miscellaneous items and looked at him, blinking before breaking into a smile.

He glanced at her but said nothing.

She spoke unprompted: “It feels like last year… the past repeating itself.”

Li Shubai leaned against the carriage wall with folded arms, his lips involuntarily showing a trace of a smile: “Back then, someone was hiding in my carriage, was caught by me and had their identity exposed, yet still stubbornly refused to leave, instead asking for my help.”

“But after a year, I ultimately kept my promise and helped Your Highness uncover the secret of this Agashne, didn’t I?” She looked at the small red fish still placed on the table as always, asking him while resting her chin in her hand.

Li Shubai gazed at her, nodding slightly, saying: “In my life, I’ve made deals with many people. But this one with you has been my most worthwhile.”

“Given the current situation, we don’t yet know if I can truly help you, so how do you know whether it’s worthwhile?” Huang Zixia asked.

“Even if you can’t help me, meeting you because of this has been enough for my lifetime.”

Though his tone was light, it caused huge waves in Huang Zixia’s heart. Looking up at him, she felt countless warm currents flowing around her, yet couldn’t speak a word.

The carriage slowly stopped – they had arrived at the Daming Palace.

Li Shubai rose and walked out the door, standing on the carriage looking at the Daming Palace’s outline dimly lit by palace lanterns before him, then turned back to look at Huang Zixia.

Huang Zixia hugged the cases as she came out from the carriage, standing beside him.

The morning wind was bitter cold, howling as it came and went.

Li Shubai squeezed her hand, saying: “Let’s go. Today, we’ll put on a good show for everyone to see.”

Huang Zixia followed Li Shubai through the Danfeng Gate and continued north.

Past the Longshou Canal, through the Zhaoxun Gate, up along Dragon Tail Road, and the Hanyuan Hall appeared before them. The Qifeng and Xiangluan Halls flanked it like wings, resplendent in gold and jade, while the Hanyuan Hall commanded the center, appearing even more magnificent and grand against the ink-blue sky before dawn broke.

Though the Emperor had held court in the Xuanzheng Hall in recent years, today they were sending off the Buddha’s bone relic, so the entire court and palace had gathered to respectfully send it off, thus opening the Hanyuan Hall.

At the base of the hall, Wang Yun spotted Huang Zixia by the light of the continuous lanterns along Dragon Tail Road. His face changed dramatically as he immediately walked to her side and grabbed her arm.

Huang Zixia was carrying the cases, and looking up to see him, showed only slight surprise before bowing to him: “Commander Wang.”

Wang Yun’s face was ashen as he struggled to keep his voice low: “How did you come to be here?”

Huang Zixia slightly raised her chin to indicate Li Shubai who had already ascended Dragon Tail Road: “I came with Prince Kui.”

“He just left the Court of Imperial Clan and came to find you?”

Huang Zixia shook her head, saying: “No after you left, I went to find him last night.”

Wang Yun stared at her fixedly, the veins at his temples throbbing visibly. His expression was so terrible that people nearby couldn’t help but look, yet Huang Zixia remained calm, only saying softly: “Yunzhi, you didn’t fulfill your promise to me, so… I had no choice but to let you down.”

He was thunderstruck, staring at her in shock, his voice breaking: “You… what do you know?”

Her voice was extremely soft yet very clear: “What I know is what Prince Kui knows.”

“Then you… dare to enter the palace today?”

“If he comes, I follow.” She turned her head to look at the top of the steps. Li Shubai was at the front, closest to the great hall, and though his figure was blocked by many people behind him, she knew he was in that direction. “Since he’s willing to risk his life to seek the truth, why should I begrudge my insignificant form?”

But he ignored this, staring at her unblinkingly as he asked word by word: “So, from beginning to end, you came to my side just for him?”

Huang Zixia was silent for a moment, then turned her face away to look at the vast expanse of blue-green bricks below the city tower, saying: “When I agreed to return to Shu with you, I was also sincere.”

So, all responsibility still fell on him?

Wang Yun stared at her profile, wanting to retort, but seeing the sorrowful expression on her face, he couldn’t say anything, only irritably letting go of her hand and saying word by word: “Since that’s how it is, I will fulfill your wishes.”

The hall was filled with officials in their purple and crimson robes, only Huang Zixia wore the dark blue clothes of a low-ranking eunuch. Just past the fourth watch, it was not yet fully lit, and the Hanyuan Hall was lit by countless lamps and candles, brilliantly illuminated. The twin halls to the left and right were empty, so only a few small lamps were hung, with no one tending them.

Huang Zixia nodded to Li Shubai, picked up her cases, and ran toward the Xiangluan Hall. Her dark clothes were not conspicuous in the pre-dawn darkness, and the guards were only paying attention to the officials going up and down Dragon Tail Road, not noticing someone running toward the Xiangluan Hall in the darkness.

It wasn’t until Huang Zixia climbed onto the railing and shouted “Your Majesty” that the purple and crimson-robed officials queuing at the hall entrance realized something was wrong.

Everyone turned to look behind the Xiangluan Hall to see Huang Zixia standing on the farthest railing, with the ink-blue sky behind her, swaying precariously in the wind. The morning breeze caught her robes, threatening to carry her away.

Before others could identify who she was, Wang Yun, who had just ascended Dragon Tail Road, saw her and froze for a moment before shouting: “Have you gone mad! Come down immediately!”

Huang Zixia raised her hand to signal him, saying: “Commander Wang, please don’t come closer. If you approach, I’ll jump immediately!”

The guards behind Wang Yun, not knowing who she was, immediately cursed: “Which crazy eunuch is this? Commander, I’ll go pull him down!”

“No… no one is to go over there.” Wang Yun’s face was ashen as he raised his hand to stop all the guards. He turned back to look at Li Shubai, only to see him standing casually at the hall entrance, watching Huang Zixia with a calm expression amid the crowd.

Wang Yun felt a surge of anger rising in his heart, and while he was furious and at a loss, he heard several officials nearby whisper: “This… isn’t this just like when Prince E jumped from the Xiangluan Hall?”

“Yes! Who would have thought the old scene would repeat itself, almost the same? Back then, Prince E pointed at Prince Kui saying he was forced into it, but now, the one about to jump is a minor eunuch from Prince Kui’s household…”

“This… could this eunuch, like those before, be about to make some painful accusation?” The speaker’s tone was strange, clearly recalling not only Prince E’s jump but also the tragedy of Zhang Xingying’s father jumping from the city tower.

“Hush, Prince Kui is right here…” the other lowered his voice desperately.

Wang Yun watched Li Shubai’s impassive face, then looked back at Huang Zixia’s wind-blown figure swaying on the railing. His heart was in his throat, but he dared not move or shout, only able to watch from where he stood.

Huang Zixia’s voice carried from afar: “Your Majesty, noble lords! I reenact Prince E’s actions from that day only to prove that if heaven has spirit, I too can transcend through death and ascend as immortal smoke.”

“Nonsense! What virtue or ability does this minor eunuch have to dream of ascending to immortality?”

However, speaking thus… if Prince E had truly ascended to immortality then, how could he have died at Prince Kui’s hands behind Xiji Temple?

This thought arose unbidden in Wang Yun’s mind. Looking around, he saw the same strange expression on everyone’s faces, knowing they shared the same thought. He finally couldn’t contain himself and shouted: “Come down! Why sacrifice your life just to expose such a matter?”

“Please don’t worry, Commander Wang, and don’t bother looking for my body below, for I will vanish like Prince E, leaving no trace…” Before her words finished, she had already lit a flame in her hand, pointing to the ground saying, “Prince E burned everything Prince Kui gave him, and I too shall burn all I carry. My lords, farewell!”

With these words, she leaned backward and leaped into the darkness behind her.

The flame fell to the ground, and a pile of oil-soaked items burst into flames instantly, consuming the darkness before them and casting a sudden red glow on the pre-dawn sky.

Wang Yun hadn’t expected her to jump so casually and lightly, immediately letting out a great cry, his eyes reddening as he ran madly toward the Xiangluan Hall.

His guards followed closely behind. When the group reached where she had jumped, they found only a pile of items burning fiercely and complete silence.

He rushed to the railing and looked down, but the vast expanse of blue-green bricks below, now illuminated, was empty.

He hung numbly over the railing for a long while, until he saw two guards standing straight under the lamps near Dragon Tail Road below, and called out loudly: “You two, did you see anyone jump down?”

The two looked up at him and immediately shouted: “Commander, no!”

“No?!” Wang Yun called again.

“Yes, not even a brick came down!”

He turned around bewildered, only to see someone standing behind a pillar watching him in the grey pre-dawn light. The person wore dark blue eunuch robes, with a jade-like face – it was Huang Zixia.

Seeing him turn to look at her, Huang Zixia nodded to him, saying: “Thank you for your concern, Commander Wang.”

“You… you didn’t jump?” He was still shaken, but seeing her standing safely before him brought relief, and his expression couldn’t decide between shock and joy.

“Indeed, it was all just an illusion.” Huang Zixia picked up the now half-empty case and walked back with him. The officials who had just watched her jump were astonished to see her return unharmed with Wang Yun as if nothing had happened.

Li Shubai deliberately ignored Wang Yun beside her, speaking only to Huang Zixia: “Explain to the lords how you, or rather Prince E, disappeared from atop the Xiangluan Hall.”

“Yes,” Huang Zixia bowed to the curious officials around her, then said, “Actually, this was just a simple illusion. This illusion has three requirements: First, it must be performed at night, because in daylight it would be instantly exposed; Second, a fire must be set afterward to destroy the evidence and prevent discovery of the trick; Third, one must wear dark clothes, preferably black.”

“Master Yang, stop keeping us in suspense, tell us quickly!” The speaker was Cui Chunzhan, always impatient and, as Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature, most curious about this matter, “I was there witnessing it that day, and no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t figure out how His Highness Prince E vanished.”

“This case is very simple. Did anyone notice that Prince E and I chose different railings to climb? When we were at the Qifeng Hall, Prince E chose the left railing of the Xiangluan Hall, so that from the Qifeng Hall on the right, it would appear as the farthest point head-on; while I climbed the rear railing of the Xiangluan Hall, which would appear as the farthest point head-on to the lords at the Hanyuan Hall. In other words, this method can only be implemented when viewed head-on, never from the side,” Huang Zixia said, taking out a painting from her case and unfurling it, “Because this method requires placing a painting. A painting is flat – from the front, it can align perfectly, but from the side, you would only see a thin piece of paper, immediately exposing the trick!”

In her hands was a black-backgrounded painting, with white spaces matching the railing exactly, just slightly smaller. She spread out the small wooden rods behind the painting and set up a folded wooden frame to support it, demonstrating to everyone.

Those viewing the painting from the side showed skeptical expressions, while those facing it were shocked to discover that the black painting merged with the still-dark sky, the white spaces aligned perfectly with the jade railings behind, and Huang Zixia standing on the frame behind the painting appeared, from the front, exactly like standing on the railing.

No one could tell that in front of the railing was another painted railing. Her seemingly swaying body was actually due to the unstable small wooden frame below, though it looked exactly like someone standing precariously on the railing.

“I believe Prince E, after rising and walking to the Xiangluan Hall, set up the frame and painting that were already placed there, then drew everyone’s attention. After denouncing Prince Kui, having achieved his purpose, he jumped backward—” Huang Zixia demonstrated by falling backward, instantly disappearing behind the painting, “It looked like falling over the railing, but his body was safely on the ground behind the painting.”

“But what about the items left behind? Surely someone would notice when they were being collected!” Cui Chunzhan immediately asked.

“That’s why a pretext was needed, such as—burning all the gifts previously received from Prince Kui. No need to mention the paper and the wood was already soaked in oil, naturally catching fire instantly. At this point, Prince E only needed to throw his purple outer robe into the fire and hide in the shadows of the Xiangluan Hall—because that day, I noticed something very strange: while everyone else’s inner robes were almost all white, only Prince E’s inner robe was black. Purple with black makes for a very dark combination that most people wouldn’t choose, yet he specifically dressed this way. Why?”

“Because… white inner robes would be very conspicuous in darkness… purple would be somewhat better, but if he still wore purple robes when leaving, he would be discovered immediately,” someone speculated in a trembling voice.

“Exactly, so he chose to wear black inner robes to hide in the shadows. When the first group of guards arrived, he could put on the prepared blue robes and mix among them, taking advantage of the chaos to descend the Xiangluan Hall and immediately flee the palace to hide at Xiji Temple,” Huang Zixia discarded the items and announced clearly, “So this was the truth behind the supposed transcendence to immortality and sacrifice for the dynasty’s sake.”

In the dead silence, everyone couldn’t help but secretly glance at Li Shubai, though no one dared voice the speculation in their hearts—

What was it, or whose instigation was it, that would make Prince E risk such danger and pay such a price to falsely accuse his fourth brother?

And his later death behind Xiji Temple, did it also have such unfathomable depths to its truth?