It seemed the new year truly possessed the power to renew all things. Grandpa Feng’s complexion looked much improved. He had just returned from a banquet at the palace; as he held the official rank of Commander of the Third Rank, his official hat was adorned with gold and silver streamers on both sides, just like those of the civil and military officials who had attended. This gave him an even more jovial and festive air.
Seeing me eye the shimmering ornaments—symbols of his presence at the imperial banquet—Grandpa Feng generously plucked the streamers off with his own hands and merrily handed them to me to play with, which made me feel a bit bashful.
"Good child, the gift A-Qing and I sent you wasn't bad, was it?" he asked with a beaming smile.
I thanked him profusely and heaped on the praise. Then, I presented the "Phoenix Chirping on Mount Qi" guqin I had prepared long ago. As expected, he was delighted, testing out several melodies on the spot.
I had intended to leave after kowtowing to Grandpa Feng, but unexpectedly, Chu Jiangheng arrived in the company of a tall, portly official. That official wore the uniform of a Deputy Commander of the Lower Third Rank; both had also come from the palace. One look and I guessed his identity: this was the Commander Zhao Pengyun, whom Ye Jun had once disdainfully and angrily called "Zhao the Second." He had entered the Imperial Guards through his family's shadow privilege in his youth. His father and grandfather had been renowned generals on the front lines, but by his generation, he could only manage a few flashy moves. Yet, for some reason, he had been a favorite of the late Emperor and remained in the new Emperor's good graces. He was a quintessential "official maggot," highly skilled at social climbing. Placing him in Yingzhao Temple to act as a constant check on Feng Zhen was, of course, a manifestation of the Emperor’s desire for balance.
After entering Yingzhao Temple, Zhao the Second had leveraged the organization's unique functions to become a tyrant in both official and merchant circles. Years of ease and luxury had turned his once upright and decent frame quite obese, making him look like a tower slowly shifting toward us. Knowing they likely had matters to discuss, I tactfully took my leave. Having nothing else to do, I let a young eunuch from the Preparation Study lead me on a stroll through the nearby gardens.
Though I had entered these gardens several times, I had never dared to take an extra step or a lingering look, so I truly hadn't had the leisure to appreciate the scenery. This time, having received Master Feng’s permission, the young eunuch named Xue He said with a smile, "This area is quiet and far from the front offices. Madam may wander as she pleases."
I nodded with a smile and pressed a small red envelope into his hand. As we walked, I chatted with him about his age, his family, and how Master Feng’s health had been lately. When we reached the lakeside, I spotted two people standing in a small pavilion in the distance, which was quite unexpected: it was A-Wan and a tall, slender man. The man wore a cloak with the hood up, obscuring his face.
I had seen A-Wan once when I returned home, but later she had been sent away by the Temple on some official business, vanishing during New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. She wasn't exactly a servant of our household, and Wei Qingming didn't treat her as a mere demon attendant, so I naturally didn't pry into her whereabouts. Meeting her here at Master Feng’s place was unexpected, yet it made sense.
Upon seeing me, A-Wan naturally had to acknowledge my presence. She respectfully informed the man beside her, then approached me with a bright smile and a bow. "New Year's greetings to the Mistress."
A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face, which then dissolved into a meaningful smirk. "Wei Qi’s wife?" As he spoke, he stepped down from the pavilion, closing the distance between us in a few strides. Ignoring A-Wan’s subtle attempts to block him, he leaned down to scrutinize me as if I were a curiosity.
Up close, I finally saw the face beneath the hood. He possessed a fine set of features—a high bridge to his nose and deep-set brows. His eyes were a deep, dark emerald, giving him a distinctly foreign appearance. His expression was both arrogant and frivolous, as if he were intentionally being provocative.
I was already incensed by this abnormal and rude attitude, but I didn't let it show. I merely took a cold, detached step back, while A-Wan and Xue He nimbly stepped between us.
Though Xue He was young, he handled himself with the poise cultivated in the Feng household. He said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "What does the Noble Guest wish to ask? This lady is a family member of the Temple; I hope the Noble Guest will not disturb her."
"Disturb?" The man let out a wicked laugh. "Do you think she looks afraid of me?"
I narrowed my eyes, staring at him with a frigid expression, and smiled thinly. "Since Your Excellency knows my husband, you should show more self-respect." It was a pity this man had a cultivation at the peak of the Cloud-Swallowing Realm; otherwise, I would have certainly made a few flowers bloom on his face.
Only then did A-Wan find the chance to grab the man's sleeve, smoothing things over with a placating smile. "Prince Xu, please don't frighten us servants. Wouldn't it be better to sit back in the pavilion and talk?" Then, turning to me, she whispered a half-explanation, half-warning: "This is the Royal Grandson of Shiying, His Highness Yi Zhixu..."
Hah! So this was the core of the recent rumors, the root cause of the Shiying envoy's visit? No wonder he could do something as absurd as sneaking into a neighboring country unannounced; he truly had the air of a local thug.
I maintained my cold sneer and gave a casual curtsy. "Suit yourself, Excellency. I shall not keep you company." With that, I turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Yi Zhixu completely disregarded decorum. He suddenly struck out at me, a heavy sword whistling toward my face with the force of a breaking bamboo. His cultivation was deep; had I not used my illusions to make him miss his mark slightly, I would have been forced to strike back in self-defense, which would have blown my cover as the "frail and delicate" Su Zhenzhen.
Yangyang didn't even wait for my command. She jumped out indignantly, transforming into a shield to block the path. Her green eyes were wide with rage, and she looked ready to bare her teeth and curse Yi Zhixu out.
A-Wan and Xue He turned pale with fright. Simultaneously, the alarm array in the Preparation Study was triggered, and hidden guards swarmed the area. Yi Zhixu’s attendants, who had been watching from a distance, now drew their weapons and shielded the Royal Grandson.
Yi Zhixu shrugged nonchalantly, but he didn't sheathe his sword. He kept that thuggish smirk. "What a grand display! I only wanted to play with this little lady for a bit."
His Jing language was remarkably standard; no wonder he had wandered the south for months before the court discovered him. A-Wan was also angry now, saying bluntly, "If the Prince wishes to play, he should mind the location. While this is not a government office, it is the residence of a high official. On this day of New Year greetings between two nations, every action is a matter of state protocol. How can you be so regardless of dignity?"
Yi Zhixu ignored her official tone, becoming even more irreverent. He chuckled, "Your Emperor wants to start a war, yet today in the grand hall he feigned grace and kindness to deceive me. This mistress of yours clearly possesses martial skills, yet she pretends to be weak and dares not strike back. Even you—for a month you have flattered me with smiles every day, yet in your heart you think nothing of me, always wondering what you can get from me. A-Wan, is your country so hypocritical from top to bottom?"
I suddenly turned back, eyeing him with a half-smile. "Does the Royal Grandson wish to trade blows that badly?"
He ignored my question, saying thoughtfully, "Why didn't I hit you just now? Strange, very strange."
As we spoke, Grandpa Feng approached quickly, clearly drawn by the array's alarm. A crowd followed behind him, including Wei Qingming and Chu Jiangheng, though Zhao Pengyun was nowhere to be seen.
"Your Highness." Grandpa Feng waved his hand to signal the hidden guards to retreat as he walked, sounding a bit out of breath. "What is the matter, Your Highness?"
Yi Zhixu intentionally glanced at Wei Qingming, whose expression was extremely grim. He sheathed his sword and laughed. "A small misunderstanding. It was my lack of courtesy." He then gave me a mock bow. "My apologies for the disturbance."
Grandpa Feng immediately made an inviting gesture, smiling. "The scenery here is the pride of my life. Please, allow this old man to accompany Your Highness on a tour."
Yi Zhixu nodded and followed him readily. As he passed Wei Qingming, his smile grew more playful. He put his hands behind his back and leaned toward her ear, whispering, "I don't trust your court, and I don't much trust your Eunuch Feng. If there's to be a talk, I will only talk with you."
"It is my honor, then," Wei Qingming retorted expressionlessly. "I shall visit Your Highness at the Banjing Guesthouse another day."
He laughed loudly at her words and reached out to pull A-Wan along. "Brother Wei, I'll need your favorite lady to stay with me for a few more days."
A-Wan’s expression remained calm. Meeting my worried and concerned gaze, she gave a steady, reassuring smile and shook her head to indicate she was fine before following him away.
The man was mad and lacked all sense of propriety. Yangyang stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him for a long time before returning to the golden bell. Wei Qingming walked over and took my hand, her brow furrowed. Though she didn't speak, I knew she was furious. I could only shake my head and smile. "I'm fine, don't worry."
She frowned for a good while before saying, "If I had known he was here..."
Having frequented the Preparation Study, Xue He was well-acquainted with her temperament. He bowed deeply in self-reproach. "It was my negligence; I should not have brought the Madam to the lakeside." Seeing that Wei Qingming did not intend to scold him, he tactfully withdrew, leaving the two of us to talk.
"That fellow is difficult. Who knows what schemes he's harboring?" I said. "Is there anything that can't be discussed openly?"
"Does he look more like a person of Jing, or more like one of Shiying?"
"Now that you mention it..." I began to understand. "Could his mother be from Jing?"
"Yes." Wei Qingming curled one side of her mouth, clearly already calculating her strategy. "A royal family withered to almost nothing, leaving only a descendant of mixed blood. And this precious Royal Grandson dared to take a great risk to sneak into the heart of an enemy nation. Guess, A-Zhi, what his situation is and what he seeks?"
"He must have a bunch of uncles and cousins who don't recognize him as the legitimate heir," I said, rubbing my chin and speculating wildly. "Could he be here to seek an alliance? I thought his speech earlier was quite righteous, showing a fair bit of loyalty to his own country... Oh! And what about A-Wan? If he dares to bully her, we'll make sure he never goes back..."
After the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Temple gradually resumed its normal operations. Commander Wei’s illness had fully recovered, and after an examination by Daoist Master Zheng, the seal on her meridians was lifted. Wei Tian could finally hold her head high and settle scores with Yi Zhixu. The next day, she went to the Banjing Guesthouse, where the envoy stayed. Whether the two of them, being of similar cultivation, fought first then talked or talked first then fought—and what exactly they discussed—remained unknown.
As for me, I spent these days busy on behalf of Commander Wei and our "Into the Dream" business, sending and receiving calling cards and New Year gifts for friends in the business world. I was dizzy with work. I finally made it to the tenth, only to have to visit every shop to check on their reopenings. In the blink of an eye, it was the fourteenth; the Lantern Festival was tomorrow.
Following the destruction before the year's end, the nobles of the wealthy northeastern district had fled to their western suburban villas. Ziwa Street and Pingkang Lane, which should have been at their most boisterous, experienced their first-ever silent and desolate New Year. The spiritual veins were fully repaired around the tenth. The government urgently set up decorations along the Imperial Street, and the magnificent Turtle Mountain lantern display was finally erected. After being cooped up for over half a month, the sons and daughters of wealthy families swarmed the East Market to shop, making business even more bustling than before.
The entire capital was immersed in a festive atmosphere. Everyone waited with bated breath, and neglecting one's duties became the norm, all in anticipation of the Lantern Festival—the day when "the east wind at night sends a thousand trees into bloom." Commander Wei, however, had to be busy on duty. After all, on the night of the festival, the Emperor would share the joy with the people. The imperial concubines would ascend the Xuanle Tower to view the lanterns, while even distant members of the imperial clan couldn't squeeze onto the tower and had to settle for the viewing sheds below with the officials. The view there was much worse, leading a large number of powerful elites to scheme and even come to blows over a seat in the Thirteen Pavilions. Regardless, protecting the Emperor was always the Temple's responsibility.
On the afternoon of the fourteenth, the Commander headed out, not to return that night. I tugged at her sleeve and said with a grin, "The birthday girl must come back early tomorrow. Even if you're busy, you must come back for a drink before you go."
Wei Qingming agreed with a smile. Before she could respond, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed her lips.
"With a kiss from a beauty, even official business doesn't seem so loathsome," she said with a deep smile, then feigned worry. "A-Zhi isn't planning to use this kiss to cheat me out of my gift, is she?"
I laughed. "That’s a great idea! I hadn't even thought of it!"
"No way." She was dissatisfied, acting as if she wouldn't go to work unless I gave her a treat. I laughingly promised she would see another gift when she returned, only to be caught and kissed thoroughly by her. Only then did the Commander head out, looking every bit the dignified and high-spirited official.
***
