The western side of the military camp was the site of the Royal Tent, but the Emperor had not returned there; instead, he had gone to the Side Tent.
Xiao Nanhui did not know exactly where the Side Tent was, but she could use the process of elimination to find it.
The Royal Tent was where the generals gathered for council, and it was connected to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters at the back. The Side Tent was used for brief rests and, theoretically, should not be too far away.
Observing from a distance, she spotted several familiar faces from the Black Feather Camp who usually hovered around the Emperor. She followed their direction, lingering among the various tents.
However, these were military tents after all. Even if it wasn't the Royal Tent but merely a general’s quarters, she couldn't simply walk in as she pleased.
How could she act with some semblance of propriety while discreetly inquiring about the Emperor’s condition?
Xiao Nanhui watched from afar for a while, unable to discern anything useful, which only served to heighten her anxiety.
After a moment’s thought, she adjusted her expression and steeled herself to walk toward the largest tent in the area.
As she drew within a few paces, the guards at the entrance keenly sensed her intent.
Before she could reach the tent flap, a guard from the Black Feather Camp spoke up, his voice cold and firm.
"Entry without an invitation is forbidden. Who goes there?"
Xiao Nanhui looked down at herself. She wasn't wearing her armor today; her training clothes from the martial grounds were nondescript, making her look like an ordinary soldier.
She stopped in her tracks, unfastened her temporary waist token, and handed it over, bowing where she stood.
"I am Xiao Nanhui, Right General of the Guangyao Battalion. I wonder if His Majesty..." As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, trying to peek through the small gap where the felt curtain was slightly raised.
In the next instant, the guard wordlessly shifted half a step to the side, blocking her inquisitive gaze.
He politely returned the token and saluted her according to her military rank, though the eyes visible beneath his helmet remained stern.
"So it is the Right General. May I ask what business the General has?"
Xiao Nanhui swallowed hard.
"I was practicing with His Majesty just now, and there are one or two key points I neglected to explain."
The moment the words left her mouth, she felt the excuse was utterly pathetic.
The guard remained expressionless, staring fixedly at her.
"Ah." She paused, stiffly retrieving a small porcelain bottle from her waistband. "And there is this bottle of medicine for invigorating blood and dispelling stasis. I intended to bring it to His Majesty."
As she said this, her fingers gripped the belly of the bottle so hard they began to cramp.
This was actually mutton fat she had swiped from Mo Chunhua this morning. The bottom of the bottle was still stained with grease from last night's leftover mutton leg. She had originally planned to use it to moisturize her face after a day of wind and sun.
Naturally, the stuff was only good for moisturizing skin.
She swallowed again, suddenly regretting her decision to embellish the situation. If the Emperor actually took it and poured it over himself, she might be guilty of more than just deceiving the monarch—she might be charged with "poisoning the dragon's body."
She waited in agonizing suspense. Finally, the guard spoke slowly.
"His Majesty is not here. Please return, General."
What? Not here?!
If he wasn't here, why didn't he say so earlier! She had wasted all this time...
"Or, the General may leave the item. I shall certainly deliver it on your behalf..."
Her lip twitched. She took three rapid steps back, waving her hands frantically. "Ah, no need to trouble yourself. I shall return later."
With that, she turned and fled the scene.
Xiao Nanhui walked briskly for dozens of paces before slowing down, looking back with lingering fear.
The guard clearly had little interest in her; he wasn't even looking in her direction now.
At some point, the fierce afternoon wind had suddenly died down. A small patrol of soldiers had just passed, and the surroundings were quiet.
Xiao Nanhui, who had intended to leave, stopped once more.
She knew her hearing wasn't as sharp as Xiao Zhun's or Bolao's, but it was far more sensitive than that of an average person.
She looked around and quickly identified the source of the sound her ears had caught.
It came from one of the tents she had passed earlier, though previously she had passed it from the side; now, she was behind it.
Faint human voices drifted through the gap at the bottom of the tent. Though the sound was low, careful listening allowed her to pinpoint the general direction. She moved her feet cautiously, drawing a few steps closer to the sound.
Now she heard it more clearly. The voice was indeed coming from the tent she had just tried to enter.
Strange. Didn't the guard say the Emperor wasn't inside? Were they lying to her? But why lie?
Xiao Nanhui was rarely a curious person, but for some reason, she couldn't suppress the urge now. She convinced herself she was only checking to see if the Emperor was alright and quietly circled to the other side of the Side Tent.
Adjacent to the Side Tent was a very low lean-to, separated from the main tent by only a layer or two of felt. Usually, the attendants would temporarily place the Emperor’s laundry, candles, and other sundries here for easy access. Suyan was dry and prone to fires, so the military camp had strict regulations regarding open flames; even a small shed like this was tightly sealed on all sides to prevent the wind from blowing over a candle.
Just how tightly was this shed sealed?
Xiao Nanhui practically had to claw a hole in the ground to squeeze under the canvas.
The lean-to was dark. She could hear her heart thumping wildly from the sequence of maneuvers she had just performed.
She had timed her entry during the gap in the sentry rotation; she would have to time her exit just as carefully.
The wooden frame supporting the temporary shed was very low. She didn't dare stand fully upright, instead groping cautiously toward the source of the sound.
The intermittent male voice became clearer. She could tell it was indeed the Emperor’s voice, but there was no one else speaking.
Was the Emperor talking to himself?
Xiao Nanhui drew closer, her face pressed against the oilcloth divider. She used a finger to gently hook the cloth, creating a tiny slit.
Su Wei sat with his back to her, behind a long desk in the Side Tent.
He was still wearing the raven-blue training suit; even the grey dust marks on his sleeves and shoulder blades were still there.
As expected, the Emperor hadn't come here to change his clothes.
She squeezed forward a bit more, pressing her ear closer.
This time, she heard him clearly.
However, she still didn't know what the Emperor was saying. To be precise, she could clearly hear every syllable and tone he uttered, but she didn't understand a word of it.
In her younger years, Xiao Nanhui had traveled far and wide with Xiao Zhun. While she wasn't a master of dialects, she had heard most of them even if she couldn't speak them.
But what the Emperor was chanting in a low voice was a language she had never heard before. it didn't sound like a dialect from any of the provinces.
The wind outside had died down completely. It was so quiet she could hear the rhythmic cadence of the man's breath.
Even though it was just past noon and the daylight was bright, the heavy felt curtains of the Side Tent were tightly drawn, leaving the corners in darkness.
Her gaze fell upon the desk.
A single candlestick sat on the desk, providing the only light in the tent.
And beside the candlestick, there was only one object.
It looked like a scroll of bamboo slips, half-unrolled, with the other half still coiled.
A military report? When did the Tiancheng Army ever have such a long military report?
Xiao Nanhui squinted, staring hard at the black dots on the scroll. She managed to make out one or two characters, but they looked like ghostly talismans, leaving her utterly bewildered.
An emperor, sitting at a desk, reading text from an unknown place and chanting in a language from an unknown land.
The scene was undeniably eerie.
In the past, Yao Yi had told her stories of ghosts possessing human bodies. He said that when spirits chose a suitable vessel, they would find a way to seize the mortal's flesh, discarding it after a period of indulgence and ruin. Yao Yi also said that some people were born as "perfect vessels" for spirits; without the protection of objects imbued with pure spiritual power, most would die young.
The image of the sarira bead bracelet on the man's wrist flashed before Xiao Nanhui's eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.
Even though it was the time of day when *yang* energy was at its peak, she felt an inexplicable chill down her spine.
Her impulsive curiosity had made her forget her original purpose. Now, a sudden, cold clarity washed over her. She felt as though her actions had been driven by some sort of madness; she truly, truly should not have done this.
It seemed the closer she got to him, the more she found herself doing things completely unlike her usual self.
Xiao Nanhui decided not to wait for the next sentry shift; she would retreat immediately.
Almost the very instant the thought crossed her mind, the low chanting stopped.
She froze instantly, unable to move, her eyes the only part of her that shifted toward the man.
The Emperor remained seated at the desk for a moment. He rolled up the object on the desk, put it away, and then slowly stood up.
He performed a slight stretching motion. The fitted training clothes were not like the loose, flowing robes he usually wore; they outlined a well-defined frame of broad shoulders and a narrow waist that usually appeared somewhat frail.
Then, he began to methodically remove his waistband and take off the dust-stained outer garment.
Xiao Nanhui quickly averted her eyes, her breathing becoming shallow and rapid.
However, just because her eyes couldn't see didn't mean her ears couldn't hear. The rustling sounds continued from that side, and after a moment, footsteps actually approached her position.
Startled, she hurriedly lowered her head. Unexpectedly, her hairpin caught on the edge of the oilcloth and was yanked violently.
In the next second, she felt a sharp tug on her scalp, and half of her hair spilled down instantly.
She reached up with her right hand, but she couldn't find the jade pin that had held her hair. She reached down to feel around the floor of the lean-to, but there was nothing.
At that moment, Xiao Nanhui finally understood the meaning of "misfortunes never come singly." Her heart, which had been racing wildly, now felt as if it might stop altogether.
Holding her breath, she stared intently at the figure just inches away.
The Emperor stood barely two paces from her nose, still holding his outer garment in his hand.
Time seemed to freeze. After an eternity, the figure moved again, placing the garment aside and walking toward a wooden clothes rack standing nearby, seemingly considering which set of clothes to change into next.
Xiao Nanhui seized the opportunity. She reached her hand through the gap in the oilcloth, carefully groping among the pile of soft silk fabrics.
On the other side of the oilcloth was a soft couch with several garments piled upon it. It was thanks to these clothes that her hairpin hadn't made a sound when it fell.
In her frantic search, she didn't pay much attention. Her fingers suddenly brushed against something cold and hard—a jade-like texture. She quickly grabbed it, pulled it back through the oilcloth, and retracted her hand.
Before she could examine it, the man took a garment and walked back.
Through the gap in the cloth, she saw a glimpse of a man's body through the half-open, thin inner robe. The fine texture of his skin and the subtle lines of his muscles and bones were clearly visible.
Xiao Nanhui’s eyes widened.
In an instant, regardless of whether he heard her, she scrambled out of the lean-to as if fleeing for her life. In her haste, she forgot to fill in the hole she had dug and practically ran all the way out of the camp area.
Inside the Side Tent, the tall, slender man stared unblinkingly at the oilcloth behind the soft couch.
Only after a long while did he resume dressing at a leisurely pace.
His movements were efficient and practiced, not at all like a monarch who had been waited on since childhood.
Just as he finished tying his inner robe, hurried footsteps approached the tent entrance.
Su Wei’s narrow eyes lowered slightly as he smoothed the corner of the oilcloth that had been slightly lifted.
"Presumptuous."
His voice was calm, yet the pressure it exerted made the guard stop instantly. The guard knelt outside the screen to report.
"This subordinate has intruded; please forgive me, Your Majesty! I must ask, is Your Majesty well?"
Su Wei picked up the moon-white outer robe from the couch, and an object fell from it. "I am well. Why the panic?"
"This subordinate heard a strange noise coming from the lean-to. Upon inspection, I found a hole dug into the ground on the northern side. It looks like..."
Su Wei suddenly interrupted him smoothly. "It may not necessarily have been a person."
The guard was taken aback. "What?"
"I said, the one who dug the hole may not have been a person." Su Wei smiled faintly, toying with the hairpin he had just picked up. "This is a wilderness, after all. Perhaps it was merely a confused wild rabbit."
****** ****** ******
On the northern side of the main camp, in front of the tents of the Guangyao Battalion’s Right Wing, Xiao Nanhui rubbed her trembling calves. The agitation in her heart was finally beginning to settle.
She looked up at the sun; it seemed to be just past the hour of the Sheep.
Reflecting on the day's events, she felt as though it had been exceptionally long.
Soldiers from her battalion passed by and were about to greet her, but they all froze when they saw her half-disheveled hair.
Only then did Xiao Nanhui realize she had run the whole way with her hair hanging down.
With lingering fear, she opened her palm. The moment she saw what she had brought out, she was stunned.
Where was the hairpin? Where was *her* hairpin?
In her palm, damp with cold sweat, lay half of a long, narrow jade pendant.
It was an archer’s ring pendant that had been sliced in half.
Such pendants were rare to begin with; one sliced in half into this specific shape was even rarer.
But she had seen one just like it not long ago.
Xiao Nanhui was utterly confused.
Wasn't this... the jade pendant she had seen that night in Prince Kang’s traveling palace?
When she had fainted in the Hall of Snowy Delusions and woken up, the pendant was no longer on her person.
But how could it be here?
How could it be... in that man's tent?
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 韘形佩 | Archer's ring pendant | A jade pendant shaped like an archer's thumb ring (shè), often decorative in later periods. |
| 羊脂 | Mutton fat | Used here as a crude moisturizer or salve. |
| 舍利珠串 | Sarira bead bracelet | A bracelet made of Buddhist relics (sarira). |
| 康王 | Prince Kang | A royal title. |
| 雪迷殿 | Hall of Snowy Delusions | A specific location within Prince Kang's palace. |
