The banishment of the Zheng clan members to the southern frontier signaled the conclusion of this sweeping crackdown on powerful families.

Princess Imperial Luling surrendered the temple that the Emperor had specially built for her and moved to another palace to rest her mind. Many handsome young men were forced to leave her – some were imprisoned, others fled far away. The once-glorious Princess Imperial Luling now hid in a palace on the outskirts of Chang’an, her situation rather desolate.

On a scorching day in the seventh month, Feng Xianyu left the government office and made a special visit to the Princess Imperial in the suburbs.

The courtyard’s scenery remained exquisite, with lush flowers and grass. As Feng Xianyu walked through, he couldn’t help but feel it was merely keeping up appearances, maintaining what little dignity the Princess Imperial had left.

Through the curtain, when Feng Xianyu paid his respects to the Princess Imperial, he saw two young actors kneeling at the feet of this most noble lady. The two actors were giggling, trying to amuse the princess.

Princess Imperial Luling lifted her eyelids, and upon seeing Feng Xianyu’s arrival, waved for everyone to withdraw. As the two actors reluctantly retreated, they shot Feng Xianyu a fierce glare.

They felt this man was truly detestable, always persuading the Princess Imperial to send them away.

Feng Xianyu’s expression remained unchanged. He was, after all, a scholar with pride in his bones – how could he lower himself to quarrel with these ignorant actors?

Once the room was quiet, Feng Xianyu reported to the Princess Imperial: “The crackdown on powerful families is gradually concluding. The Crown Prince said privately that he’s grateful for Your Highness’s sacrifice and won’t forget it.”

Princess Imperial Luling gave a cold laugh.

She spoke slowly: “Let’s hope he truly won’t forget.”

Feng Xianyu remained silent.

He knew she was just putting on a brave face. Now the power lay in the Crown Prince’s hands. The Princess Imperial… after all, depended on the Emperor. Once the Emperor stopped caring for her, she would become a discarded piece.

The Princess Imperial spoke softly, with a hint of sorrow: “Tell me, why won’t His Majesty see me? Why won’t he show me affection anymore? Is it because now that girl Danyang is by his side, he’s forgotten about me? Or is he trying to build up the Crown Prince’s authority, so he’s giving face to the Crown Prince? Why is my Imperial brother treating me this way?”

After a long while, Feng Xianyu replied: “Thunder and rain, dew and frost – all are the Emperor’s grace. His Majesty’s divine will is unfathomable, who can truly understand it? In any case, Your Highness resting here is better than being in Chang’an. Perhaps after some time, such as during the year-end ceremony, when Your Highness enters the palace to see His Majesty again, his favor might return as before.”

The Princess Imperial spoke quietly: “I can’t understand my Imperial brother’s mind. Say he loves power, yet he easily handed over military and financial authority, giving his sons chances to practice. Say he doesn’t love power, yet he still firmly controls all directions. Say he loves his princes, yet when the Prince of Jin injured his leg this time, no one spoke of it openly, and he pretended not to know; say he doesn’t love his princes, yet he’s given both the Crown Prince and Yaoyao opportunities to gain popularity…”

“I just can’t understand him.”

Feng Xianyu said: “Your Highness need not worry about such things. You are the Princess Imperial – as long as His Majesty lives one more day, as long as you don’t do anything too excessive, no one would dare move against you. This time they only targeted those who depended on Your Highness. As long as Your Highness endures, there’s still a possibility of returning to how things were before.”

Princess Imperial Luling spoke softly: “Master Feng, come closer.”

The curtain lifted slightly, and Feng Xianyu, standing behind it, stiffened slightly, raising his eyes to look at the lady behind the curtain.

The Princess Imperial spoke in a low voice: “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Ever since you became that Proofreader, you’ve visited me less often. I’ve missed you quite a bit. Master Feng, come, let me look at you properly.”

Feng Xianyu paused for a moment before stepping forward.

The curtain lifted and fell again, with the soft sound of jewels clinking.

Behind the curtain, in the shadows, the gentleman and lady embraced. His clothes were light, her face flushed like peach blossoms.

Passion engulfed them, as the weakening cicada songs of the departing summer afternoon occasionally sounded—

The summer resort trip had ended.

Summer ended, the crackdown on powerful families concluded, and the Emperor, though not in Chang’an, had watched an entire month of theater.

This play was performed jointly by his children, perhaps only Princess Yuyang hadn’t participated. It allowed the Emperor to carefully examine each of their hearts.

Having watched enough of the show, and with the weather cooling, the Emperor returned to the palace. Princess Danyang, who had accompanied him for over a month, could finally return to her princess residence.

A month of companionship had brought the princess and Emperor much closer.

There would occasionally be sounds of laughter.

When Princess Danyang accompanied the Emperor for meals, she had learned to act coquettishly and jest. The Emperor was in good spirits, pleased that his little daughter had become affectionate again.

Whether genuine or not, everyone was trying hard to play their roles, trying hard to perform their image well.

However, when leaving the summer resort, Mu Wanyao still took Chunhua from the Prince of Jin’s residence to her side. Mu Wanyao explained that she could give Chunhua to the Prince of Jin. But the Prince of Jin would have to properly take Chunhua into his household.

A princess’s maid entering the Prince of Jin’s residence might not become a noble concubine, but whatever dignity could be given, the Prince of Jin must give.

This month, the Prince of Jin was probably exhausted as well. Additionally, Mu Wanyao had just lost the Zheng clan and was in her worst mood. The Prince of Jin didn’t want to provoke her temper and easily agreed to the requirement of properly taking Chunhua into his household—

At the end of the seventh month, Mu Wanyao alighted from her carriage at the entrance of her residence’s lane.

It wasn’t that the carriage refused to enter the lane, but rather there were people at the entrance blocking the carriage’s path. While the carriage still needed to negotiate with the people at the entrance to clear the way, Mu Wanyao had already impatiently descended from the carriage, her magnificent skirts spreading on the ground.

Two maids followed the princess as she dismounted, but Chunhua wasn’t among them. Chunhua was hiding in another carriage, feeling unwell and unable to attend to the princess.

Mu Wanyao saw Yan Shang.

Of course, he didn’t know when she would return, so meeting at the lane entrance was merely a coincidence.

Mu Wanyao saw him bending over at the entrance, surrounded by a group of young children. Yan Shang and his two or three servants were all holding bronze bowls, distributing candy from the bowls to the children amidst their noisy clamoring.

Yan Shang’s voice was clear and gentle: “Don’t rush, don’t rush, everyone will get some.”

His servant Yunshu’s voice was much louder than his master’s: “Be good now, don’t pull our master’s belt!”

The sudden appearance of Princess Danyang’s group startled everyone there. Mu Wanyao dismounted with the help of her maid, and everyone at the entrance came to pay their respects.

Yan Shang had his back to her, but hearing the commotion, he turned around to look at her.

In that instant of turning, his robes were caught by the wind, his hair ribbon fluttering gracefully. As he turned to look at her, he still held the bronze bowl, but his eyes fixed unwaveringly upon her. His gaze was bright as jade.

Mu Wanyao quietly gazed at him, her eyes moving inch by inch over his eyebrows and eyes, sweeping across his collar and neck, taking in his entire being.

No one spoke, and those around could sense something very different in the air.

After a long moment, Yan Shang finally broke their eye contact, bowing with everyone else, his voice carrying a hint of a smile: “Has Your Highness returned?”

Mu Wanyao shifted her gaze, avoiding his eyes. She looked down at the children surrounding him and asked: “What’s all this? Have you suddenly started adopting children? I won’t accept a bunch of children living in the same lane as me. If you’re going to make this much noise every day, you should move out.”

Yan Shang sighed and smiled.

His smile carried seven parts of joy.

He explained to Mu Wanyao: “I received news from home that my sister-in-law, after ten months of pregnancy, finally gave birth to our family’s first child. It’s a boy, weighing a full eight jin. My elder brother wrote to tell me, and I was so happy that I decided to share some candy sent from home with the children around, to share my joy with everyone.”

He said somewhat bashfully: “I apologize if my commotion has disturbed Your Highness’s return.”

Mu Wanyao remained silent.

After thinking for a long while, she could only vaguely recall that Yan Shang’s elder brother was a burly man. She couldn’t remember his exact appearance clearly but barely remembered that his elder brother was a very simple and agreeable person.

It was precisely because he was so agreeable that the Yan family’s affairs were left to Yan Shang to manage, with the elder brother having no say at all.

However, now that Yan Shang was in Chang’an, the Yan family affairs had returned to Yan’s elder brother’s hands. That Elder Yan was now even having children… Yan Shang was distributing candy in celebration of his elder brother’s joy.

Mu Wanyao looked down at the children around Yan Shang – all noble children, dressed exquisitely with jade-like complexions, yet they all clung to Yan Shang, seemingly very fond of him.

Mu Wanyao spoke flatly: “You like children?”

Yan Shang smiled, looking down at the children beside him, and said: “Who doesn’t?”

Mu Wanyao: “I don’t.”

The air stilled for a moment.

She looked at him mockingly: “Do you think it’s unreasonable that I, being a woman, don’t like children?”

Yan Shang said: “…Everyone has their preferences, which is perfectly normal. There’s no rule saying that being a woman means you must like children.”

Mu Wanyao’s lips curved slightly, and she said nothing more.

She had once again found a deep chasm between herself and Yan Shang, just when she was happy to reunite with him after a month.

Reality repeatedly reminded her how unsuitable she and Yan Shang were for each other.

He liked children, but she would probably never have the chance to like or dislike them.

Mu Wanyao stopped paying attention to Yan Shang and stepped toward her residence. Yan Shang paused briefly at his spot, then handed the bronze bowl to his servant and caught up with her.

He gently tugged at her sleeve, and when Mu Wanyao looked over, he offered her a piece of candy.

Mu Wanyao: “I don’t like this kind of candy used to coax children.”

However, Yan Shang remembered that when she was sick in Lingnan, she loved eating candy.

Yan Shang said: “Just consider it as Your Highness joining me in celebrating my brother’s joy of having a son, alright? I’ll give Your Highness a few pieces of candy, and Your Highness can give my brother some face, alright?”

Mu Wanyao glanced at him, and he raised his eyes to look at her. Her heart fluttered slightly, and she looked away but didn’t refuse.

Yan Shang smiled slightly.

He followed her to the princess’s residence, and as Mu Wanyao was about to climb the steps, she turned around to see Yan Shang still following.

Mu Wanyao: “…Why are you still following me? Are you that idle?”

Yan Shang’s face reddened slightly.

He said softly: “May I come to see you tonight?”

Mu Wanyao: “…”

Her feelings were complex.

She thought to herself, what would he come to see her for at night? It couldn’t just be to lie under the covers and chat, could it? His intentions were as clear as day!

However, Mu Wanyao was troubled about what should be done between her and Yan Shang and didn’t know how to answer.

To tell her to grit her teeth and break it off with Yan Shang, to say she had never been interested in him and that he shouldn’t pursue her – she couldn’t bring herself to be so heartless; to sweetly and carelessly be with Yan Shang – she feared she couldn’t control her feelings, and also feared leading him astray.

Since she couldn’t give him any promises, she would only be wasting his time.

But she was too addicted to Yan Shang’s goodness… just like the candy he had pressed into her hand. It was sweet but not cloying – who could bear to throw it away after just one taste?

Mu Wanyao was lost in thought for a while when Yan Shang gently tugged at her sleeve again. He said: “If Your Highness has something to say, couldn’t we discuss it after going inside? Must we linger here at the residence entrance?”

Mu Wanyao: “…”

Was she the one who wanted to linger?!

He was the one who had to mention coming to see her at night, making her conflicted.

Mu Wanyao yanked her sleeve from his hand, extremely polite: “I’m very busy and have no time for you. You should focus on your studies and stop thinking about unnecessary things. You’re wasting both your time and mine.”

Yan Shang paused, looking up at her as if trying to understand her true meaning.

Mu Wanyao avoided his gaze, afraid he would see her indecision and hurried into the residence. In her haste, she stumbled on the steps. Hearing what seemed like a sigh from Yan Shang behind her, Mu Wanyao immediately turned back, red-faced and angry.

He shifted his gaze away, pretending he hadn’t seen her almost trip on the steps. However, his elegant bearing and the slight smile at the corner of his lips made Mu Wanyao even more embarrassed—

That night, Mu Wanyao pushed open the door to the guest room to find Chunhua bent over the desk writing a letter.

Since tomorrow people from the Prince of Jin’s residence would come to receive Chunhua, it was no longer appropriate for her to stay in the maids’ quarters. Mu Wanyao had specifically emptied a room for her. When she opened the door to check on her former maid, Chunhua stood up and hastily bowed to the princess.

Chunhua’s pregnancy was over two months along, and while she wasn’t yet having difficulty moving, the child often made its mother suffer from morning sickness.

However, gradually, Chunhua had taken on the hazy beauty that only mothers possess.

Chunhua welcomed the princess to sit, kneeling beside the princess’s skirts, head lowered: “Your Highness.”

Mu Wanyao picked up the letter on the desk, seeing it was addressed to Liu Wenji.

Mu Wanyao casually glanced over it, and Chunhua softly explained: “I told Master Liu that I am gravely ill and won’t live much longer. I asked him not to think of me, and after I’m gone, not to come looking for me. I am pure and clean, a maid of the princess’s residence. I don’t want people after my death to say I was entangled with a man outside the palace, damaging the princess residence’s reputation.”

Chunhua leaned against Mu Wanyao’s knee, staring into space, murmuring: “After I enter the prince’s residence, Your Highness when Master Liu writes again to ask, please send him today’s letter. Tell him I’m already gone, ask him not to worry about me, and to live well.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she forced a smile, though it was very dry: “Wasn’t he preparing to marry me before? Wasn’t everything being prepared? How nice. Now there’s no need for preparation. When he meets another good lady, he can propose directly. In my letter, I asked him to treat that lady well, and not to mention me to anyone.

“Just… just… act as if I never had anything with him.”

Mu Wanyao’s fingers holding the letter trembled slightly, feeling her heart suddenly seize as if she couldn’t breathe.

She was deeply pained, tilting her head slightly, her voice hoarse: “I will help look after Liu Wenji a bit more. If he still can’t pass the imperial examination next year, I won’t wait for him to go around begging people – I’ll arrange an official position for him directly.

“Don’t worry. As long as he doesn’t oppose my interests, I will always protect him a little more.”

Chunhua smiled faintly: “That would be good.”

The room fell silent, mistress and maid wordless for a long while.

After some time, Mu Wanyao looked down at the floor mat and saw teardrops splashing down, one after another.

Mu Wanyao started, kneeling on the ground, making Chunhua look up at her.

Chunhua raised her face, which was indeed covered in tears.

Chunhua, tears in her eyes, smiled and asked Mu Wanyao: “Your Highness, by entering the Prince of Jin’s residence, have I helped you? Have I hindered your affairs, have I worked in vain, have I caused you trouble?”

In that instant, tears welled up in Mu Wanyao’s eyes.

But she gritted her teeth and held them back, forcing herself to be strong. If her maid was weak, she couldn’t be. She still had to support this princess’s residence. After Chunhua entered the Prince of Jin’s residence, if things didn’t go well, she would still need to rely on her.

Mu Wanyao scolded: “Fool! Of course, you’ve helped me. You helped me buy time and gave me time to make arrangements.

“You were just schemed against. You were just a chess piece. They needed this chess piece to work, they needed you to enter the Prince of Jin’s residence to drive a wedge between me and His Highness the Crown Prince… You had no choice, and you did nothing wrong. You didn’t work in vain, and of course, you didn’t cause me trouble.

“You’re just a maid, you don’t need to think too much about those people’s schemes. But after entering the Prince of Jin’s residence, given the delicate situation, I won’t be able to look after you much. You must keep a low profile… if the child in your womb survives and becomes the first child in the Prince of Jin’s residence, you must stay close to the Prince of Jin’s consort. Only the consort can protect you, only she has the position to speak for you.

“Serve the Prince’s consort just as you served me…”

Chunhua choked up but nodded.

Mu Wanyao said through gritted teeth: “Also, cut ties with your mother and brothers! Stop contacting them!”

Chunhua’s eyes showed sorrow as she said miserably: “Of course. I won’t make the same mistake again. In the future, I’ll just give them some money each year, but I won’t meet with them anymore, and won’t give them chances to scheme against me again. In this life, living without family… is possible. So Your Highness shouldn’t be sad about family either.”

Mu Wanyao said: “I was never sad about family to begin with.”

Chunhua smiled helplessly, knowing the princess would certainly not admit it. She looked up at Mu Wanyao, saying softly: “Then, Your Highness, let me go. Don’t think of me anymore in the future.”

Tears hung on her eyelashes as she softly repeated: “Let me go.”

From her fingers to her heart, Mu Wanyao went numb with pain at these words “Let me go.” She held her jaw taut and pulled Chunhua into her arms. Both women trembled slightly, and though Chunhua wanted to say this wasn’t appropriate, she still shakily reached out and embraced the princess’s thin shoulders.

She thought she had helped the princess a little after all.

That was good enough.

Though only she shed tears, while the princess didn’t shed a single drop, Chunhua thought she understood the pain in the princess’s heart—

The next day, as expected, people came from the Prince of Jin’s residence to Princess Danyang’s residence, left the betrothal gifts for taking a concubine, and welcomed Chunhua into the carriage.

Chunhua put on fine clothes she had never worn before and accepted the ceremonial bows that only mistresses received. After entering the Prince of Jin’s residence, she would no longer be a maid, but the Prince’s concubine. Rising from servant to mistress, everyone should be happy.

There were also some congratulatory voices in the princess’s residence.

Mu Wanyao stood expressionless at the entrance of the princess’s residence – after all, Chunhua was her maid, and coming out especially to watch was giving face to Chunhua.

Standing at the entrance, Mu Wanyao saw Yan Shang had also come out across the way. He stood at his doorway looking at her, concern in his eyes.

Mu Wanyao shook her head at him, indicating she was fine and he needn’t worry.

Everything was normal, until just as the carriage was leaving the lane, suddenly someone darted out from outside, running toward the carriage, shouting as he chased: “Chunhua! Chunhua!”

Chunhua in the carriage suddenly stiffened, her hand gripping the carriage door, recognizing whose voice this was.

Standing in the lane, both Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang were startled. Before Mu Wanyao could recall who this was, she saw Yan Shang’s expression change as he descended the steps and strode quickly toward the lane entrance. Seeing this reaction, Mu Wanyao then guessed it must be Liu Wenji.

Mu Wanyao’s heart suddenly jumped, and she looked toward Fang Tong. Fang Tong and others quickly followed the young master Yan.

Mu Wanyao’s heart also pounded as she lifted her skirts to follow them, fearing things would go wrong today.

Fearing this incident would create misunderstandings for Chunhua’s beginning at the Prince’s residence.

Liu Wenji chased after the carriage, holding a letter in his hand, shouting: “Chunhua! Chunhua! I know you’re in the carriage! You lied to me saying you were sick, afraid of infecting me so I shouldn’t see you. But Chunhua, Chunhua! How could I not worry? How could I not care!”

He chased the carriage, crying hoarsely: “Where are you going? You’re not sick, right? Chunhua, Chunhua… may our love never fade, strive to love Chunhua! Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten!”

The guards around surrounded him, holding him back. He struggled to break free, grappling with the guards, wrenching out of their grasp to run forward two more steps before being restrained again by the princess residence’s guards.

Liu Wenji fell to the ground, watching helplessly as the carriage moved away from him, while the guards and maids surrounding the carriage looked back strangely.

Liu Wenji shouted: “May our love never fade, strive to love Chunhua!”

Pressed to the ground, his clothes stained with dirt, his voice grew louder and hoarser. Suddenly Yan Shang came over and covered his mouth with his hand. Yan Shang blocked the guards who wanted to pin Liu Wenji motionless to the ground, holding his friend in his arms, just using his hand to cover Liu Wenji’s mouth to stop him from making a sound.

The guards: “Young Master…”

Yan Shang’s voice was slightly taut: “I’ll handle this! Don’t use force!”

But the guards were afraid Liu Wenji would shout more inappropriate things, and seeing Young Master Yan wouldn’t move away, they had no choice but to act… when Mu Wanyao’s urgent voice came: “Have you all gone mad! Who gave you permission to touch Yan Shang? All of you stop!”

Yan Shang held Liu Wenji’s body from behind, covering his mouth, his voice trembling slightly as he said softly: “Wenji, don’t make a sound, don’t make a sound! Things have come to this, things have come to this… for her sake, don’t ruin her reputation!”

Liu Wenji’s eyes were full of hot tears, his face was dirty from being beaten by the guards, with bruises at the corner of his eye.

He looked angrily at Yan Shang, struggling to question him with his eyes.

Yan Shang closed his eyes and said tremulously: “I will tell you everything, I will tell you… but don’t go disturb her.

“We want her to be well, want her to rise high, want her to focus without distractions. Right?”

A hot tear splashed onto the back of Yan Shang’s hand as he covered Liu Wenji’s mouth.

Mu Wanyao stood at the entrance of the lane, watching Yan Shang kneeling on the ground, embracing Liu Wenji without any disgust.

The carriage departed into the distance, and the lady inside, crying her heart out, never once lifted the curtain to look. The princess’s people had contained everything, preventing the incident’s impact from spreading. When the carriage was no longer visible, Yan Shang finally released his hand, which had been bitten by Liu Wenji and was covered in blood marks.

The sight made Mu Wanyao extremely anxious.

Liu Wenji suddenly lost all strength, collapsing in Yan Shang’s arms, letting out an anguished cry: “Why did it have to be like this… why like this!”

Mu Wanyao watched all this in a daze.

She walked over and crouched beside Yan Shang, taking his hand to look at the bite marks that had drawn blood. As Liu Wenji broke down crying, with Chunhua now gone to the prince’s residence, Mu Wanyao just quietly crouched there, looking at Yan Shang’s hand.

Yan Shang turned his face to glance at her, his eyes still gentle.

He said softly with a smile: “It’s nothing, don’t worry about me. Let’s take Brother Liu back first.”

Mu Wanyao held Yan Shang’s bleeding hand without a word, her expression cold, she just lightly rested her forehead against his shoulder. Only like this did she feel she could emerge a little from Liu Wenji and Chunhua’s tragedy.

She knew she could never let go of this person. Her reason told her to stay away, her heart told her to draw near.

Yan Shang was too good… even if he was good to everyone, she could never bear to let go of his hand.