Ye Zhao lay on the bed, drenched in a hot sweat. He felt as if he had been stuffed into a tumbling dryer; his head throbbed with a dizzying ache that made him want to clutch his skull and roll around, yet his body remained immobile. His brows furrowed in deep distress.
Four young eunuchs held his arms and legs firmly to allow the imperial physician to take his pulse.
Nearby, Ye Zhao’s parents were frantic with worry. When the physician finally determined the nature of the pulse, his explanation was as good as silence—a string of incomprehensible medical jargon. He proceeded to wrap Ye Zhao’s head in medicinal gauze, despite there being not so much as a scratch from the fall.
But… it was useless.
Anyone could see that Ye Zhao’s head still hurt. Finally, one physician, cornered by relentless questioning, stammered for a long while before saying, "Young Master Ye has no external injuries. It is likely he took a severe jar to the head. He should… wake up in a short while."
Then, another physician murmured thoughtfully to himself, "However, these symptoms… they look somewhat like Soul-Departure Syndrome?"
Someone asked in confusion, "Soul-Departure Syndrome?"
The man blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "Yes. It occurs when a person suddenly loses a specific segment of memory due to some shock. When they later begin to remember, symptoms such as headaches and discomfort will manifest."
His tone was filled with uncertainty. Regardless, it sounded slightly more plausible than the previous physician’s excuse.
The room fell silent.
After a moment of stunned silence, Father Ye was the first to react. "Impossible! I watched my son grow up. He’s prone to forgetting things, but how could he have Soul-Departure Syndrome?!"
Mother Ye, thinking more deeply, suddenly asked, "Does it count if it happened during childhood?"
Everyone’s gaze instantly shifted toward her.
The physician asked, "At what age? Did he lose a specific memory all at once?"
Mother Ye hesitated slightly. "Not exactly. It’s just that… his personality suddenly changed."
The crowd grew suspicious. "How did it change? Because of what incident?"
Since it concerned Ye Zhao’s health, Mother Ye naturally poured out everything she could remember. However, the details sounded somewhat unreliable; they were merely the intuitions of a mother, or perhaps just a woman’s keen observation.
Father Ye looked over in surprise, clearly unaware of what his wife was referring to.
After a long pause, she began to recount the story thoughtfully. "Before the age of six, Ye Zhao was actually very clever. Sometimes, he was so intelligent that I felt he didn't seem like a child at all. The only thing was, he always loved to ask inexplicable questions. Later, once he began his formal schooling, he never spoke those strange words from his youth again. His performance became… mediocre, and has remained so until now."
After hearing her out, the listeners had mixed thoughts. The story didn't sound particularly strange; children change quickly, and there was nothing especially unique about it.
Pei Shian suddenly asked, "What kind of strange words?"
So much time had passed that Madam Ye couldn't remember clearly.
At that moment, Jiang Ziqi suddenly spoke up. "Zhong Ziqi! My name is Jiang, but he often liked to call me by the wrong name."
The crowd’s eyes swept toward him, and Jiang Ziqi silently shrank back.
Pei Shian remained silent. He walked slowly to the bedside, his gaze toward Ye Zhao complex and unreadable.
A short while later, the sound of a zither echoed through the side hall of the Imperial Medical Bureau. The music was gentle, leisurely, and far-reaching—a small melody intended to clear the mind.
Ye Zhao’s emotions gradually stabilized. He lay motionless as if asleep, though the shifting expressions on his face suggested his dreams were far from peaceful.
Wei Feng left the injured there and took Jiang Ziqi and the others away. The matter was not yet concluded; the Emperor was still waiting for a result, and Wei Feng had no time to wait for everyone to wake up.
Not long after Wei Feng left, Ye Zhao woke up. He was startled awake, bolting upright in bed and gasping for breath.
Ye Zhao’s parents were given a fright. "Son?"
The zither music stopped abruptly. Father Ye carefully reached out to pat Ye Zhao’s back. "Son, are you alright?"
To his surprise, the moment his hand touched Ye Zhao’s body, Ye Zhao reacted as if he had suffered a massive shock. His body recoiled, and he flipped over with lightning speed to face the person by the bed.
The flash of terror, trance-like confusion, and wariness on his face were captured by everyone present. They froze. After about two breaths, Ye Zhao seemed to recognize who was in front of him, and his expression slowly returned to calm.
"…Father, Mother?"
The Ye parents answered, though their hearts were filled with doubt.
"Son, you…?" Ye Zhao’s reaction just now was wrong. They wanted to ask but didn't know where to start. In the end, all their words condensed into one phrase: "It’s good that you’re okay… it’s good that you’re okay…"
Pei Shian sat behind the zither table, his eyes fixed on Ye Zhao, refusing to miss a single nuance of his expression. He called out, "Ye Zhao?"
Ye Zhao turned his head, paused for a beat, and then replied, "Shian? So it was you playing the zither just now?"
Looking into Ye Zhao’s clear eyes, Pei Shian’s expression slowly froze. He did not reply.
As the family of three began to talk, Pei Shian slowly relaxed his stiff back and lowered his eyelids. His eyes were a swirl of complexity—it was hard to say if it was disappointment or a sense of loss.
***
Almost as soon as Ye Zhao woke up, Wei Feng received the news.
The Fourth Miss Yin’s maid had rushed frantically to Changming Hall to seek help from Minister Yin, an act she hadn't bothered to hide. A vast number of people knew about it, and since the matter involved Ye Zhao in addition to the Yin family, the Emperor’s expression had soured on the spot. Being unable to leave Changming Hall at the moment, he ordered the Crown Prince to handle the matter and signaled Noble Consort Yin to go and see what was happening.
When Ye Zhao was led to the door, he heard a cacophony of crying and arguing inside. It seemed the dispute over this matter was in full swing.
As Ye Zhao walked in, he happened to hear Zhang Zuyao and Jiang Ziqi arguing with each other. When their eyes landed on him, their voices cut off—one with joy, several with shock.
"Ye Zhao, you’re awake!" Jiang Ziqi wanted to run over, but the setting was inappropriate. He started to say something but held his tongue.
Ye Zhao gave him a reassuring look and bowed. "Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince, and to Her Ladyship the Noble Consort."
"Rise," the Crown Prince said calmly from the high seat. "Young Master Zhang says the two of you molested Miss Yin. What does Young Master Ye have to say?"
Today was not the first time he had seen Ye Zhao, and he had heard the recent rumors, though he didn't quite believe them. The Crown Prince remained inscrutable, showing no emotion.
Ye Zhao turned his head, glanced at the two who had suddenly gone silent, and fixed his gaze on Zhang Zuyao.
He stood up slowly. As Zhang Zuyao saw him approach, his scalp tingled. The terror of facing that danger earlier returned in full force. He backed away slowly, stammering a warning, "You… what are you doing? Don't come over… don't come any closer… do you hear me!"
"Ah!—" Zhang Zuyao shrank against a pillar. The moment the other man drew near, he clutched his head and let out a short, sharp shriek. Halfway through the cry, he realized the other man had merely used a folding fan to tilt his chin up, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and walked away.
???
What was he doing?
Ye Zhao casually handed the handkerchief to Eunuch Babao and turned back. "You dare to recklessly pin the blame on others before you've even wiped your mouth clean after eating? How can there be someone as stupid as you in this world?"
Eunuch Babao looked down at the faint light-red stain on the handkerchief. After a moment’s thought, he guessed what it was. "Lip rouge?"
In an instant, everyone’s expressions changed. Their gazes swiveled toward Zhang Zuyao.
Both he and the Fourth Miss Yin turned deathly pale. The facts required no further explanation. Those who had been speaking up for Zhang Zuyao earlier didn't dare utter another word.
"Heh~ Indeed. The cosmetics from Fragrance Pavilion have always been known for their superior quality. This particular shade of rouge is especially difficult to wash off, which is why it is so beloved by young ladies and wives. Could it be that Young Master Zhang also has a hobby of wearing rouge? And specifically, a preference for the lip creams used by women?" Ye Zhao partially opened his folding fan, half-concealing a mocking smile. With a look of mild curiosity, as if watching a good show, he whispered slowly, "That scent… I’m afraid once it’s on you, it’s not easily dispelled…"
Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Zhang Zuyao and the girl felt their faces burning with a stinging pain. They were humiliated and terrified to the extreme.
To their surprise, Ye Zhao wasn't finished. His attention shifted to the Fourth Miss Yin nearby. He walked over slowly and crouched in front of her, resting his chin on one hand. He looked her up and down with a gaze full of curiosity and feigned confusion.
To be scrutinized so blatantly by a man—no one could remain calm, let alone a woman with a guilty conscience. She shrank back, lowering her head, her voice trembling. "Young Master… Young Master Ye…"
Then Ye Zhao spoke, his voice incredibly calm and natural. "Fourth Miss Yin, now it is time I speak of your issues."
He opened with: "How can there be a woman in this world as beautiful, as confident, and as extraordinary as you?"
Ah… Ahhh??
The three "as" caused those present to doubt their own ears for a moment. Jiang Ziqi’s expression went blank as he muttered dazed, "Ye… Ye Zhao?"
What kind of development was this? He was praising the person who framed him??
Just as the thought that Ye Zhao had been bewitched by beauty entered someone’s mind, a storm of mockery slapped them all in the face.
Ye Zhao continued to "praise" her with a serious and calm demeanor. "You are as beautiful as fireworks; once you ascend to the heavens, even the goddesses cannot bear to look at you. You are as beautiful as gold; once you enter the earth, even the female ghosts admit defeat. You are like the wind, like a flower, like any beautiful thing in this world—except a human being."
"Not only are you beautiful, you are invincibly so. Your portrait could ward off evil spirits. When you personally take the field, even the gods and demons scatter in fear. It truly is a case of 'a thousand mountains without a bird in flight, ten thousand paths without a human trace.'
"A woman like you shouldn't remain in the mortal realm. Your very existence is a sin, a source that drives men to crime. The line of people wanting to molest you stretches to the horizon. I shouldn't cut in line; I’ll just wait at the very back."
"Despite the freezing weather outside, I shall still diligently wait in line to molest you. I’ll wait until you’ve finished your wild tryst with someone else before I take my turn. Perhaps it won't be my turn this winter, but that’s fine. One day, a hundred years from now, it will finally be me."
Finally, he added one last line: "Though by then I will have become a grave, I shall be very happy to have entered the dirt."
With that, he finished his performance.
Ye Zhao took a deep breath and exhaled. The world was still so beautiful.
The room fell into a bizarre silence. It lasted for a long, long time…
The face-slapping had come so unexpectedly and was as fierce as a blade, leaving everyone momentarily speechless and stunned.
Bewitched by beauty, my foot!
As the direct recipient of this "praise," the Fourth Miss Yin was utterly dumbfounded. She knelt there motionless until Ye Zhao stood up elegantly and took a couple of steps.
After two low whimpers, she suddenly burst into a fit of loud wailing. "Waaa… ugh… ugh!"
Only then did the others snap back to reality. Those words just now were truly too shocking!
The Fourth Miss Yin cried until she was hiccuping, her image completely shattered. She cried with genuine feeling, devoid of her previous fragile and delicate air. There was only grief, indignation, and a pathetic sense of misery that invited pity.
"Father!!!" The Fourth Miss Yin lunged toward Minister Yin, wiping her tears.
Minister Yin, snapped back to his senses by this cry, held his daughter. A belated rage finally rose within him. He pointed a finger at Ye Zhao, his voice stuttering slightly. "Ye Zhao! You… you rogue! You are unworthy of being called a gentleman! How could you speak to a lady like that?! It is utterly insolent!!!"
"Your Highness! Your Ladyship! Please, seek justice for my daughter!" The Minister of War said, dropping directly to his knees.
Ye Zhao sneered, standing tall. His retort was not a second slow. "Justice? I’m the rogue or you’re the rogue? Right now, it is your daughter who is slandering my reputation and molesting me! Minister Yin."
He enunciated those last two words with a lingering, melodic cadence that felt strangely familiar to those present. The other Minister Yin, who had projected himself into the situation, felt the same way and couldn't help but shudder.
Ye Zhao then presented another piece of logic. "Furthermore, it’s not only women who can be molested. When we—Ye Zhao and Jiang Ziqi—ran into your daughter, who knows who was the one being molested!"
*Caw… caw… caw…*
A bizarre silence drifted through the air…
The Fourth Miss Yin, cradled in Minister Yin’s arms, cried even louder…
"Ahem… ahem…" The Crown Prince cleared his throat to mask the awkwardness. After a moment of deliberation, he spoke. "…Minister Yin, I believe you have seen the truth of this matter for yourself."
Minister Yin had indeed seen it. This matter had absolutely nothing to do with Ye Zhao and his companion. But… he didn't want to accept this outcome. However, things had reached a point where he had no choice but to acknowledge it. Consequently, his expression was extremely grim.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to plead for his daughter, his father, State Duke Yin, stepped forward from the side. He cupped his hands. "Your Highness, Your Ladyship."
The Crown Prince swallowed the words he was about to say and asked calmly, "Does the State Duke have something to say?"
"Yes."
The Crown Prince glanced at Noble Consort Yin, who had remained silent the entire time. After only a second of thought, he said, "Please, speak."
The next moment, the old man’s words were unexpected. "This old servant has been lax in family discipline, leading to such a scandal today. As for this granddaughter, I leave her to Your Highness to punish severely. My family will have no objections."
His tone was incredibly firm. Keywords like "my family" and "punish severely" directly stated his stance. But… it inevitably raised suspicions. The Crown Prince asked doubtfully, "The State Duke is…?"
Nearby, Noble Consort Yin set down her teacup and looked at her father. She wasn't sure what he meant either. Minister Yin and the Fourth Miss Yin were even more anxious.
State Duke Yin, of medium build with a half-white beard, looked thirty percent simple and seventy percent honest. In reality, he was an old fox who was extremely skilled at seeking benefit and avoiding harm, possessing a dark heart and a mind full of schemes. One could never take his words at face value.
This time, he was not deviating from his usual style, but his words were true. He cupped his hands again. "Every word this old servant speaks is true. This granddaughter is entirely at Your Highness’s disposal. If she is not punished heavily, this old servant will have no face to ever see the Eldest Princess again!"
As he spoke, he actually made a move to kneel.
Noble Consort Yin paused, walked down, and supported her elderly father. She consoled him, "Father, what are you doing? If my fourth niece has done wrong, she must naturally bear the consequences." She turned to the Crown Prince. "I ask Your Highness to punish her strictly."
Noble Consort Yin was the person most like State Duke Yin. After thinking for just a moment, she understood that her father was serious this time!
By speaking up now, she was also declaring her stance. She would not shield her niece. That was why she said "punish strictly" rather than "handle according to the law." The latter phrase was often just talk, eventually yielding to the Yin family’s prestige. But when the Noble Consort spoke this way, it was different.
Except for Ye Zhao and Jiang Ziqi, who didn't understand the subtext between the lines, everyone else had their own thoughts.
Zhang Zuyao and his companions, along with the Fourth Miss Yin, turned ashen. They knew it was over; neither begging nor crying would work now.
Hearing this, the Crown Prince was at ease. He immediately sentenced the Fourth Miss Yin to Qingyun Nunnery to pray for the Imperial Family for ten years. It was phrased nicely, but ten years of a woman’s life were precious. It was indeed a severe punishment, but the Crown Prince had his own small motives—this move effectively severed the Yin family’s path to using the Fourth Miss for a political marriage.
The Crown Prince and the Yin family were rivals to begin with. Why wouldn't he want one less person in court opposing him?
The Yin family members naturally saw through this. Minister Yin wanted to say something, but he was stopped by State Duke Yin.
As for Zhang Zuyao and the other two, their outcome was no better. they were to return home and reflect behind closed doors. Once the mourning period for the Eldest Princess was over, they would face heavy corporal punishment. By then, even if they didn't die, they would lose a layer of skin.
The Crown Prince’s final look at Zhang Zuyao, in particular, sent a chill through the young man’s heart.
It was over! The Crown Prince no longer trusted the Zhang family.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 离魂症 | Soul-Departure Syndrome | A traditional medical term used to explain amnesia or personality changes. |
| 凝香阁 | Fragrance Pavilion | A high-end shop for cosmetics. |
| 殷国丈 | State Duke Yin | The father of the Consort and grandfather of the Fourth Miss; "Guozhang" refers to the father of an empress or high-ranking consort. |
| 青云庵 | Qingyun Nunnery | A place for religious seclusion or punishment. |
| 口脂 | Lip rouge | Traditional lip balm or coloring. |
| 兵部尚书 | Minister of War | A high-ranking official in charge of military affairs. |
