When someone you thought had been dead for three, five, or seven years appears silently at your doorstep on a moonlit night…

Among the hundreds of scenarios I had imagined for Song Langsheng’s reunion with Cai Mi, this situation was the most terrifying.

Though she cried like pear blossoms in rain, quite moving, Song Langsheng remained rigid and unmoved.

I stood awkwardly to one side, examining this little palace maid who had grown up with me, unable to make sense of the situation for a moment.

Just then, Song Langsheng stepped back two paces in an awkward manner, craning his neck unnaturally toward me and asking: “Ghost?”

“…” I had forgotten that during those days when I told stories to amuse my prince consort, ghost stories always made him break out in cold sweats.

Before I could remind him, there was a thud as Cai Mi fainted to the ground.

Not only did Song Langsheng not help her, he actually stepped back further. Unable to bear it, I said: “She has a shadow.”

Song Langsheng stared at her ominously, his shoulders stiff as he asked me: “Could she be a zombie?”

I: “…”

Regardless, Cai Mi was carried back into the residence by us. I had Liu Bo summon Zhou Wenyu for diagnosis and had maids cover her with bedding. During this time, Song Langsheng sat dazed in the guest room staring at Cai Mi, not knowing what he was thinking.

I pulled up a chair to sit beside him, resting my chin on my hand and asking: “Back then… didn’t you bury her?”

Song Langsheng pondered for a while, then slowly said: “So I’m wondering if I dug the pit too shallow…”

The implication being he regretted not digging a deeper hole to prevent her from climbing out?

Fortunately Zhou Wenyu arrived in time, administering dozens of needles before Cai Mi slowly awakened.

Her first reaction upon waking was to look for her “Big Brother,” her second was to greet me tearfully.

I gave a cold laugh. She lowered her head with red eyes and began recounting her twists and turns over the years.

Actually it wasn’t very complicated. That year, while fleeing for her life, she accidentally fell from horseback and lost consciousness.

It seemed Song Langsheng’s pit was indeed too shallow, and heavy rainfall had washed away some of the dirt burying her, allowing a passing good Samaritan to rescue her.

So essentially, she had only feigned death and stopped breathing briefly that year, but was buried alive by Song Langsheng who thought she was truly dead.

Long-term oxygen deprivation left her half-paralyzed, and she lay bedridden for five full years before she could get up and walk.

She spent the next two years searching everywhere for her Big Brother. When she reached this part, she stared tearfully at Song Langsheng. Seeing me raise an eyebrow, she continued: “But I could never find him. Later I thought my disappearance might worry Princess, so I wanted to find you first, Princess. Who would have thought I’d see Big Brother instead.”

I chuckled, trying to make my smile not look too much like mockery: “How thoughtful of you to remember after seven years whether this palace would worry about you.”

Cai Mi looked at us with a bewildered expression and asked Song Langsheng: “By the way, Big Brother, why are you at the Princess residence?”

She opened her eyes wide with an expression of complete ignorance that her beloved had married another, causing Song Langsheng to open and close his mouth in a daze, speechless for a long while.

For an instant, I saw in my prince consort’s eyes the doting gaze of a big brother looking at his little sister from years past.

That should have belonged to me, but now it was directed at another woman.

Seeing he didn’t answer, Cai Mi turned to look at me: “Princess, he’s the Big Brother that Cai Mi often mentioned to you during that time. Cai Mi would tell you about him every day when returning to Yulong Manor. Did you meet him through Cai Mi?”

At this point, I marveled, only able to admire how this girl’s acting had reached perfection.

If I had already acknowledged each other with Song Langsheng, these words would inevitably make Song Langsheng suspect I had won his heart under false pretenses using her identity. If we hadn’t acknowledged each other, even better—if I tried to claim after the fact that I was the little sister from back then, wouldn’t that be obvious nonsense? If it were me, why would the person who eloped with Song Langsheng be her? Don’t forget, back then Big Brother had only seen the little sister’s appearance, which was hers.

Seeing neither of us speak, she waited blankly. I guessed if I told her next that Song Langsheng was my prince consort, she would inevitably cry and shake her head “impossible, how could this be…” then struggle for a long time before saying things like “Cai Mi shouldn’t have survived back then, Cai Mi will leave now.”

Song Langsheng finally spoke: “I… I have already married the Princess.”

Cai Mi was silent for a moment, blinking as if she thought she was hearing things: “No, impossible, how could… Big Brother, are you lying to me… Princess, how could you…”

I rubbed my forehead, watching her continue muttering to herself, tears falling constantly as she threw off the bedding and put on her shoes and socks: “Cai Mi understands now, Cai Mi came to the wrong place. No, I should have been buried in that yellow earth back then, shouldn’t have troubled Princess and Prince Consort… Cai Mi will leave now…”

The prophetic me: “…”

At this point in the script, Song Langsheng should stop her and care for her with deep guilt and remorse.

I would inevitably be angry, making small jealous scenes every three days and big ones every two days, constantly trying to drive Cai Mi away or saying things like “she’s completely fake.”

Then Song Langsheng would feel heartbroken by such behavior from me, saying “she suffered so much all these years because of me, I just want to compensate her properly, I have no improper thoughts.”

And how could I, as princess, as wife, and as the real little sister from back then, tolerate my husband protecting a female fraud? After several rounds, my heart would turn cold, and I’d have Song Langsheng sign divorce papers and leave the Princess residence with Cai Mi.

Sure enough, Song Langsheng hurriedly stood up and grabbed Cai Mi’s hand: “How could I just let you leave like this?!”

Cai Mi turned back in disbelief: “Big Brother, you…”

Song Langsheng said to her: “Wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”

My legs went weak. No way, skipping the entire process? Was my prince consort planning to pack up and leave directly?

When Song Langsheng returned, he was actually carrying a bundle. Passing by me, he paused: “I’m sorry.”

I: “…”

He handed the bundle to Cai Mi, saying solemnly: “These years I’ve been an official at court with decent salary, but most of it I still turn over to Princess. This is what I’ve saved—altogether it’s still about two hundred taels.”

Cai Mi and I: “?”

Song Langsheng struggled painfully for a while, reluctantly handing the bundle to Cai Mi: “Use this as travel money.”

Cai Mi: “…”

I: “…”

The most ruthless prince consort’s heart.

For the first time, I found my prince consort’s ruthlessness so adorable.

But Cai Mi probably didn’t think so.

She had come all this way through wind and dust—she absolutely couldn’t return empty-handed. But she had cried saying she wanted to leave, and my prince consort wasn’t stopping her. She could neither leave nor stay, finally just standing there letting her tears fall.

This Cai Mi was no longer the little palace maid who would raise her small fists and boldly say “willing to serve Princess like a dog or horse.”

I quietly glanced at Song Langsheng’s face. Though he was always sharp-tongued and harsh, tonight’s actions really didn’t seem like what one would do to a former lover who had traveled a thousand li to find him.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings, so I said: “It’s already late, and Cai Mi’s health is still weak. Where would she go? Let her rest here properly first.”

Song Langsheng said nothing, didn’t even look at Cai Mi again, and walked out the door.

Only Cai Mi and I remained in the room.

Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say.

Should I angrily denounce her for eloping under false pretenses back then, or question her various ulterior motives?

Since recovering my memories as the little sister, every time I thought of Cai Mi, I assumed that when she was conveying messages for me, she became infatuated with my prince consort’s divine appearance, fell into love, and thus disregarded our master-servant relationship to usurp my place, dying unexpectedly.

But looking at the current situation, things were definitely not that simple.

Someone who fell from horseback half-dead and was buried in earth, yet could stand here perfectly fine now—if I believed her so-called “rescued by a kind passerby,” continuing as regent would probably lead to national ruin.

Cai Mi was still crying.

I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning against the window watching her cry. Only when she became too embarrassed to continue crying did I speak: “If I asked you now what really happened back then and why you came tonight, would you tell me the truth?”

A trace of confusion appeared in Cai Mi’s expression: “Back then Big Brother asked Cai Mi to wait under the maple tree. He asked if I would go with him, and with my heart devoted to him, I naturally followed. Who knew we’d encounter assassins and meet with misfortune… That’s how it was. What do you mean ‘what happened’ and ‘why did you come’?”

I sighed, thinking she feared saying something wrong and revealing flaws, determined to perform this terrible play to the end.

She seemed to be pondering my words again: “Is Princess asking why Big Brother wanted to leave the capital? This… Cai Mi doesn’t know.”

Was she hinting that if I wanted to pursue her crime of unauthorized palace departure, she would expose Song Langsheng’s identity in the treason case?

“I see.” My smile stopped at my lips. “Then—”

She pressed her lips together, a flash of wariness in her eyes.

“Get some rest early,” I gestured near my ear, giving her an extremely gentle smile. “Good night, Cai Mi.”

Leaving the back garden, I stopped by the fence, looking from afar at the guest building’s small room as its lights went out, calling softly: “A’Zuo, A’You.”

Two shadow guards timely emerged from the shadows, kneeling on one knee in unison: “Princess.”

“Did you hear our conversation from the rooftop just now?”

A’Zuo and A’You nodded.

I said flatly: “She has thick calluses at the tiger’s mouth of her right hand—she should have practiced swordplay, most likely taught by whoever saved her back then. She came here with ulterior motives. A’You, return to the Intelligence Bureau and tell Tao Yuan it’s my order—investigate this person Cai Mi.”

After A’You said “order received,” he disappeared with a whoosh.

A’Zuo raised his fist and asked: “Princess, what about me?”

“Nothing for you to do.”

A’Zuo: “…Then why did Princess call me out?”

I tapped my index finger under my chin: “Checking in?”

A’Zuo: “…”

In the deep of night, I always complained why Father Emperor had to build the Princess residence so winding.

When I found Song Langsheng, he was sitting in a small pavilion by the water. The oil lamp on the stone table flickered, casting red light on his profile, making him quite handsome.

I sat across from him, resting my arms and cheeks on them to look at him. Song Langsheng tilted his head slightly, also propping his chin to quietly meet my gaze. His appearance made me laugh: “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He said flatly: “Checking if Princess is jealous.”

I scoffed: “Why would I be jealous? You practically drove her away directly.”

He suddenly curved his lips but didn’t refute. This smile made me feel somewhat dazed. I blurted out: “Prince Consort, why did you test Cai Mi?”

He was startled: “What test?”

I considered: “Even Zhou Wenyu said her spleen and lungs were severely damaged, she’d probably need medication for life, and she lay bedridden for five years because of you. Yet you immediately tried to send her away with two hundred taels. Honestly, I can’t think of any reason except that you were testing her.”

Song Langsheng rubbed his temples: “Can’t hide anything from you.”

I sat up straight to listen.

“If she really wanted to leave just now, she would have left already… but she kept crying…” Song Langsheng sighed. “A’Tang, I think she wants to stay and steal me back from you.”

I was confused for a moment. Though from my perspective I could see through Cai Mi’s intentions at a glance… but that was because I was the real little sister. Yet Song Langsheng, knowing nothing, could see through the essence so clearly when tangled emotions and grudges came at him—

Having a Court of Judicial Review minister as a husband was truly unromantic.

“Isn’t she your past obsession, your unbetrothed wife? Back then you refused to marry me no matter what, wasn’t it because of her?” I asked. “She’s back—aren’t you moved at all?”

Song Langsheng looked at me with a half-smile: “People from the past have no meaning to me.”