The carriage wheels rolled, grinding over the muddy ground.

Cold wind constantly swept past the window. Ni Su wound her light hair behind her ear. Pale mist swirled at her side, gradually condensing into a person’s form.

Ni Su looked at his hands resting on his knees. After a moment, she reached out to hold them. Perhaps because her palms were warm, Xu Hexue came back to himself and raised his eyes.

Ni Su shifted closer to him. Under the cover of the carriage’s forward noise, she leaned near him, her voice very soft: “His Majesty doesn’t seem to intend to blame him.”

Shortly after Prince Jia entered the palace, the Imperial Guards on both sides of the road withdrew. Ni Su pretended she had forgotten something important at the Imperial Medical Bureau and told the eunuch driving the carriage she needed to go back to retrieve it.

When she returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau, she happened to encounter several Imperial Physicians hurrying out. She inquired of the medical students in the main hall as if casually, and learned those Imperial Physicians were going to Chongming Hall to treat Prince Jia’s injuries.

“You…”

Ni Su was about to say more when she suddenly paused and lowered her eyes.

A crimson blood drop hung at his wrist.

In the Imperial Medical Bureau she had been busy gathering news about Prince Jia and hadn’t noticed whether the faint mist at her sleeve’s edge had been following all along. “Where did you go?”

“The Political Affairs Hall.”

Though Xu Hexue couldn’t manifest form within the imperial city, he could hear and see. “I heard someone mention Jiang Xianming, saying he also met with His Majesty last night. Though I don’t know what exactly he said to His Majesty, as soon as he left, His Majesty approved Huang Zongyu’s memorial and increased the Imperial Guard deployment to protect Yonggeng.”

“What do you think he said?”

“Yao County.”

Two brief words from Xu Hexue, and Ni Su immediately understood. “That makes sense now.”

Ni Su had spoken to Zhou Ting about “applying pressure from both sides.” The Noble Consort’s falling out with Duke Luguo wasn’t only because she and Xu Hexue used the silver needles and Imperial Physician Wang matters to drive them apart, but also because Zhou Ting deliberately had people reveal Duke’s mansion sending medicinal materials to Yao County.

Once the Noble Consort became suspicious, she entered Zhou Ting’s trap. Her people, no matter how they investigated, were under Zhou Ting’s watchful eyes. What they ultimately discovered was all what Zhou Ting wanted her to know.

The Noble Consort couldn’t use this matter to whisper in His Majesty’s ear, because she was a woman and absolutely could not discuss politics. Moreover, this was all speculation without evidence.

But there was one person who rightfully possessed the power to “report rumors without providing evidence.”

That was Censor-in-Chief Jiang Xianming.

Zhou Ting was backed by the current chief minister Meng Yunxian. Meng Yunxian revealed this matter to Jiang Xianming. According to Jiang Xianming’s character, he might not report this matter to His Majesty verbatim. After all, Duke Luguo was imperial clan. He might first investigate clearly whether what Duke’s mansion sent to Rongjiang Prefecture was really medicinal materials, and if not, whether those things were sent to Yao County.

Jiang Xianming wasn’t New Party or Old Party. Everyone knew he was just a solitary minister—a solitary minister His Majesty personally placed in that position.

For the sake of Great Qi’s realm and state, he would certainly make the same choice as Huang Zongyu—protect Prince Jia.

Jiang Xianming only needed to casually mention before His Majesty that very likely forgotten descendant of Emperor Taizu’s bloodline—a county magistrate surnamed Zhao.

This was equivalent to reminding His Majesty: if the Noble Consort bore a daughter, should the realm and state be handed over to Emperor Taizu’s line?

Prince Jia was after all of Emperor Taizong’s line—he was blood kin closer to His Majesty.

His Majesty didn’t forgive his adopted son’s crime of defying the edict because of filial devotion, but rather, compared to the Taizu bloodline in Yao County, he was more willing to let Prince Jia continue staying in Yun Jing.

“Last night, I heard him call for us to stop,” Ni Su used an embroidered handkerchief to wipe his hand. “Even though you haven’t seen each other for many years and both your appearances and voices have changed, I think he acted that way because he felt the person who saved him last night resembled you.”

The crimson bloodstains marked the embroidered handkerchief. Fine luminous dust flickered.

Ni Su raised her head. “I think he never forgot you.”

The eunuch driving outside seemed to hear some muffled whispers. He turned his head. The bamboo curtain wasn’t easily blown by wind. He asked uncertainly: “Young mistress, what are you saying?”

“I said it’s really cold today.”

Ni Su looked toward the figure of the young eunuch beyond the bamboo curtain.

The pervasive snow almost stung the eunuch’s cheeks painfully. He sighed deeply. “Yes, this winter is truly hard to endure. Heaven is merciless…”

The southern suburbs estate was built during Emperor Taizu’s reign. During Emperor Taizong’s time, it was used to house Emperor Taizu’s consorts. Through several emperors, by now not a single noble person remained in the estate. It had only been renovated a few times. The once elegant and refined gardens had now become overgrown with wild grass, and in winter with heavy snow, the desolation was even worse.

Ni Su presented her pass before being led into the estate. Li Xizhen lived in the southwest corner. The dwelling was equally cold inside and out—clearly no brazier burned inside.

Li Xizhen lay on the bed, coughing from time to time.

“Commoner Li, the person from the palace to treat your illness has arrived.” The palace servants at the estate spoke coldly, showing not a trace of respect on their faces. After speaking, without waiting for a response from behind the curtain, they left on their own.

Li Xizhen turned her head to look toward the plain gauze curtain. “A young woman?”

Her voice was hoarse from coughing.

“Princess Consort…” Ni Su started to speak, then noticed the palace maid watching her from the doorway and corrected herself. “Commoner Li, my name is Ni Su. Because His Majesty permitted me to serve at the Imperial Medical Bureau, I have the opportunity to come treat your illness.”

“Ni Su…”

Li Xizhen savored this name. “I know of you. You’re that young woman who returned from Yongzhou.”

“Yes.”

Ni Su responded, lifted the curtain and entered. She raised her head and saw the woman on the bed only had a single thin cotton quilt. “How could they…”

Li Xizhen extended her hand from beneath the quilt, her pale lips curving slightly. “I’m only a commoner now. This is already very good.”

Ni Su pressed her lips together, momentarily unsure what to say. She stepped forward and used a pulse pillow to cushion Li Xizhen’s wrist, examining her pulse.

“It’s very difficult for a woman to practice medicine, isn’t it?”

Li Xizhen observed her.

“Though difficult, it’s not completely impossible.”

Ni Su said.

Li Xizhen smiled. “I can see you’re an extraordinary young woman.”

“Your kidney qi is weak, your vital energy and blood insufficient, and now you’ve also caught a chill,” Ni Su released her wrist and put away the pulse pillow, searching in her medicine box for brush and ink. “But rest assured, I promised Prince Jia I would take good care of you.”

There were palace servants outside, so Ni Su kept her voice very low.

Hearing her mention Prince Jia, Li Xizhen first froze, then looked at the young woman before her in astonishment. “You…”

“Prince Jia has returned.”

Ni Su raised her head.

“He defied the edict?”

Li Xizhen immediately began coughing violently. She struggled to sit up. Ni Su quickly set down what she was holding and sat on the bed’s edge to help her up, then called out the door: “Quickly go boil some hot water!”

There was no movement outside. Ni Su had no choice but to lift the curtain and go out. The palace maid stood in the corridor, unmoving. Ni Su understood the coldness of human nature in this world. She took some money from her sleeve and pressed it into the palace maid’s hand. “Please go boil some hot water for Commoner Li.”

Seeing the money, the palace maid’s expression finally showed some smile. Without saying anything, she turned and headed toward the end of the corridor.

Ni Su returned to the room and wrapped Li Xizhen in the cotton quilt. “Prince Jia entered the city barefoot, from the Imperial Street to the imperial city, three prostrations and nine kowtows. As soon as he entered the palace, he received His Majesty’s summons. Not only did His Majesty not blame him, he also sent Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to treat his injuries.”

Ni Su also repeated those words she had personally heard: “His Majesty is benevolent and virtuous, ghosts submit and spirits revere! All faults of the myriad directions rest on this subject alone! I beseech Heaven above, transfer the disaster to this subject!”

Li Xizhen steadied herself, her chest heaving, her eyes immediately moistening.

Ni Su froze, about to use her own handkerchief to wipe her tears when she saw the blood on the handkerchief and quickly tucked it back into her bosom.

Li Xizhen suddenly lowered her head, several strands of long hair falling forward over her shoulders. She covered her face with both hands. Ni Su was about to console her when she suddenly looked up—though her eyelids were red, she was smiling.

Smiling with gratification.

“Thank you, Miss Ni.”

Li Xizhen looked at her and said, “This news is more important than anything.”

Before Ni Su left the estate, she gave the palace maid tending Li Xizhen some more money, asking her to prepare another thick cotton quilt and add some charcoal fire to the room.

“The Princess Consort truly is a refined and elegant woman.”

Ni Su held Xu Hexue’s hand as they walked by Yong’an Lake. “I suddenly remember you once told me your old friend personally made a paper kite to win his sweetheart’s favor. That sweetheart was her.”

And those two characters “Ziling” embroidered on that black cloak were also from Princess Consort Jia’s hand.

“They knew each other as children, understood each other in youth. Yonggeng and she were perfectly suited.”

Li Xizhen had a sickly constitution and disheveled appearance, so Xu Hexue hadn’t followed Ni Su inside.

Actually, Xu Hexue had rarely seen Li Xizhen in his youth, but he knew that after Prince Jia entered the palace, he and Li Xizhen maintained correspondence. Those letters were almost Prince Jia’s only pillar in the palace.

“Yonggeng was always taciturn in the palace. Only when receiving her letters would he speak to me more,” Xu Hexue recalled some matters, showing a trace of sentiment. “Though I didn’t particularly want to hear about those trivial matters between the two of them.”

Yet Zhao Yonggeng always insisted on reading them to him.

“My teacher was also his teacher,”

Xu Hexue suddenly stopped. “A’Xi, I think he’s taken the teacher’s last words to heart, but I’m also afraid of this.”

He knew Meng Yunxian was pushing Zhao Yonggeng down a difficult path.

Great Qi’s princes could not participate in court politics. Even as princes, they held no real power. From the year he was enfeoffed, though Zhao Yonggeng never attended court, he had always been caught up in political whirlpools.

As his close friend, Xu Hexue admired Yonggeng’s courage in defying the edict to return to the capital, but equally, he knew Yonggeng would be drawn into an inescapable death trap because of this act.

But in these turbulent times, who could escape unscathed?

Ni Su looked up at him, her hood sliding to her shoulders. She suddenly said: “Xu Ziling, look at yourself.”

The person before her had bloodstains mottling his lapels. Ice-cold crystalline snow particles fell on his dark thick hair, brushing past his cool brow and eyes, never melting or dispersing.

Such a face—elegant bone structure, yet pale almost without any color.

“You respect your teacher, care for your close friend. Even after death, you guarded Yongzhou’s territory for this Great Qi, saved soldiers and common people. You’re willing to act for others,” She raised his hand that she held, the sleeve falling back to reveal the cold pale wrist bone with a bloody scrape wound. “Why can’t people act for you?”

“We who are living also want to act for you.”

Xu Hexue said not a word.

He only looked at the woman before him. She was saying these things with a smile. He couldn’t help but reach out his finger to touch her eyelid.

Her eyes blinked once.

The wind sound was fierce, cold mist thick.

Xu Hexue pulled her hood back onto her head and said: “A’Xi, let me carry you home.”

“My legs aren’t injured. Why would you carry me?”

Ni Su laughed.

Xu Hexue turned around and crouched down before her. His robe hem brushed the accumulated snow the ground hadn’t been swept clean of. He lowered his eyes and said softly: “Your shoes and socks are wet. I know.”

——

Chongming Hall.

Prince Jia leaned against the soft couch. The food on the table was untouched. Both his feet and knees were wrapped in fine cloth. His face was pale and gaunt. His hair was unbound, a few strands of light hair gently brushing his cheeks.

He neither ate nor spoke.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the hall all stood quietly to the side.

The Noble Consort was supported by an attending palace maid as she entered the hall to see this scene. The hall showed no warmth. She frowned. “You slaves, why don’t you know to add charcoal for His Highness? If His Highness’s condition worsens, how can you answer for it?”

The palace maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads.

“Go.”

The Noble Consort raised her chin toward the palace maid beside her.

The palace maid immediately understood and led all the palace servants out. For a moment, only the Noble Consort and Prince Jia remained in the hall.

“Your Ladyship.”

Prince Jia showed some reaction. “In this bitter cold, you shouldn’t have come.”

“I should come,” The Noble Consort curved her lips and took a sip of the hot tea before her. “I heard His Highness has thought it through and is willing to marry my niece?”

“Yes.”

Prince Jia lowered his eyes. “Given the current situation, I should have seen clearly long ago.”

These words were very pleasing to hear. The Noble Consort nodded lightly. “If Your Highness had thought this way earlier, you wouldn’t have angered His Majesty. This is originally a good thing. My niece is a very striking beauty. When she arrives in the capital and you meet her, you’ll know her virtues.”

Prince Jia’s lips were dry, cracked and pale. With the slightest movement, blood seeped out. “I understand very well what Your Ladyship is thinking.”

He suddenly raised his face, eyes filled with bloodshot veins staring at the Noble Consort. “But those people who make both Your Ladyship and me unhappy?”

Who those people were, the Noble Consort knew clearly.

She looked at Prince Jia with some surprise. She didn’t know why, but she felt this person was somehow different now.

But she laughed lightly. “They truly have gone too far. What does Your Highness think we should do?”

Prince Jia pushed aside the brocade quilt. Ignoring the injuries on his feet, he walked step by step before the Noble Consort. The floor was marked with bloody footprints. He seemed completely unaware, bowing in salutation:

“Zhao Yi is willing to walk the same path as Your Ladyship.”