As the sky was about to darken, Gao Yuexing couldn’t find Li Fuxiang anywhere. She asked the guards about his whereabouts and then, accompanied by several attendants, trudged through the night along the mountain path, her steps uneven.
Long before reaching the hot spring, still some distance up the mountain road, Gao Yuexing caught a faint medicinal fragrance carried by the wind.
Gao Yuexing did not find the smell of medicine unpleasant in the slightest. While the attendants wrinkled their noses impatiently, she quickened her pace.
Li Fuxiang wouldn’t soak in the hot spring for half a day. Even though it was a medicinal bath, soaking for too long would still be harmful to the body. He had already changed into clean clothes and was sitting on a smooth, clean rock by the hot spring, waiting.
Waiting for Gao Yuexing to come find him.
He knew she would come.
On an autumn night, after lingering outside for a while, the chill on the mountain path seeped into the bones. But nearing the hot spring, one could distinctly feel the warm, misty heat.
Gao Yuexing felt warmth spreading through her entire body, and her heart carried an illusion of melting completely.
Ahead, they gradually entered a grove of ginkgo trees. It had rained a few days ago, and after each autumn rain, the ginkgo leaves would blanket the ground in a thick layer. From afar, the golden brilliance was dazzling to the eyes.
The osmanthus flowers had fallen.
But the ginkgo’s resplendence quickly followed.
Gao Yuexing stepped on the thick layer of leaves, which covered the damp, soft soil beneath, creating a soft rustling sound. Unconsciously, she slowed her pace. She liked the sound; it brought an incomparable sense of peace to her heart.
Li Fuxiang, too, heard her footsteps from afar. He had been waiting, but as Gao Yuexing’s steps grew slower, he gradually became restless. Standing up, he moved to a slippery stone at the edge of the pool, gazing down the path she had taken.
The night deepened.
For ordinary people, their vision at this time would be significantly impaired, unable to see far.
But Li Fuxiang was no ordinary person. No one knew just how keen his night vision was; all they knew was that he saw everything effortlessly, as clearly as in daylight.
He saw Gao Yuexing approaching slowly, her head lowered. Though her pace was unhurried, her steps never faltered.
Until she was right before him.
Li Fuxiang called out, “Gao Yuexing.”
Gao Yuexing froze at the sound and looked up.
Ever since Li Fuxiang had grown up, he rarely addressed her by her full name. The sound of her name coming from his mouth felt like something she hadn’t heard in many years.
Suddenly, Gao Yuexing thought of that year, trapped in the underground palace beneath the Eastern Palace. Li Fuxiang had stayed with her in the darkness, attempting to speak, repeating her name over and over.
Whenever he called her like that, it always made her feel as if he had much to say but refused to speak, burying it deep in his heart.
Gao Yuexing spoke, “Why are you standing so high up?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “I’m waiting for you.”
Gao Yuexing: “How did you know I’d come?”
Li Fuxiang: “I just knew you would.”
Gao Yuexing: “I’m about to grow up soon.”
Li Fuxiang: “I know. I’m waiting for you.”
Their voices were quieter than the wind.
Gao Yuexing smiled, spreading her arms as if to hug him.
Li Fuxiang bent slightly, ready to receive her.
But the stone by the pool was too slippery. Gao Yuexing’s careless lunge caused his foot to slip, and it was too late to steady himself.
At the moment he fell backward, Li Fuxiang, with quick reflexes, pushed Gao Yuexing in the opposite direction.
Gao Yuexing fell onto the thick layer of ginkgo leaves.
Li Fuxiang landed in the water.
Li Fuxiang’s swimming skills were more than reassuring. The hot spring wasn’t deep, but with the surface always shrouded in hazy steam, it was hard to see what lay beneath—even in daylight, let alone at night.
Though Gao Yuexing knew he wouldn’t be in any danger, her heart remained uneasy when her eyes couldn’t see him. When Li Fuxiang still didn’t emerge after a while, she called out, “Your Highness, where are you?”
Only then did the sound of water gradually approach.
Li Fuxiang climbed out, gripping the stones, and said, “I don’t have any clothes to wear now.”
The autumn night was cold, and as soon as Gao Yuexing heard this, she quickly stopped him. “Then don’t come out. Stay in the water for a while. I’ll call someone to bring you some clothes.”
The guards escorting her into the mountain had stopped outside the ginkgo grove. Gao Yuexing pressed Li Fuxiang back into the water and jogged out to instruct the guards to return to the palace quickly and fetch a set of clean clothes.
The guards obeyed.
When Gao Yuexing returned to the hot spring, she saw that Li Fuxiang had already taken off his soaked outer robe. He had kindled a fire using dry leaves nearby and was now wearing only a moon-white inner garment, drying his wet clothes over the fire using a branch.
Gao Yuexing said, “They’ll be back soon.”
Li Fuxiang nodded. “Alright.”
But he had already started the fire, and the clothes were drying quickly.
Gao Yuexing watched him across the fire, her gaze drifting from his sharp jawline down to his collar.
Though his frame was still somewhat slender, it was far from weak. She could almost feel the strength beneath the thin fabric with just her eyes.
Realizing her thoughts were wandering, Gao Yuexing blinked quickly and lowered her head, telling herself not to look anymore.
Amid the crackling of the bonfire, Li Fuxiang suddenly raised his hand and waved it in front of her. “Ah Xing, look at the shape of this mountain.”
Gao Yuexing looked at him in confusion and let out an “Ah?”
Li Fuxiang pointed eastward.
Following the direction of his finger, Gao Yuexing stared into the pitch-black darkness but couldn’t see anything.
Helpless, Gao Yuexing said, “Not everyone has eyes like yours.”
Li Fuxiang retracted his hand and scratched his head with his index finger. “I forgot.”
A cat cannot understand why a rabbit only eats grass, just as a rabbit cannot understand why a cat loves meat.
They couldn’t grasp each other’s limitations and peculiarities when it came to sight.
Li Fuxiang said, “Then let me explain it to you. This small mountain peak backs onto Xiaoshan Palace and is very close to it. The terrain is not steep, and the summit offers an exceptionally broad view. If someone needs to move troops or supplies in large quantities, this spot would undoubtedly be their first choice.”
Gao Yuexing’s expression turned serious. “You’re preparing for war.”
Li Fuxiang replied, “Not preparing for war, but waiting to trap the enemy in a jar.”
Gao Yuexing asked, “Does Consort Hui still have troops at her disposal?”
Li Fuxiang said, “Whether Consort Hui has troops, I truly don’t know. But there is a band of bandits roaming the outskirts of the capital that has yet to be apprehended.”
Gao Yuexing frowned, her tone hesitant as she inquired, “Who are they?”
Li Fuxiang stirred some dry leaves and tossed them into the fire. “Back in the day at Jitian Mountain, letting them go was truly a mistake.”
Gao Yuexing exclaimed, “That nest of bandits at Jitian Mountain hasn’t been wiped out yet!”
Li Fuxiang replied, “When we passed through Jitian Mountain, we destroyed their granary. But since we were preoccupied with the tense battlefront in the western territories, we didn’t have the focus or time to engage them further. Our hit-and-run tactics not only failed to strike a fatal blow but also alarmed them. The clever ones among them had already planned escape routes. When the Zheng family’s army later conducted a crackdown, they only managed to clean up the remnants.”
The bandits who fled Jitian Mountain became elusive troublemakers, stirring up chaos wherever they went. They even attempted to ambush Li Fuxiang and his party at Qingliang Mountain.
Li Fuxiang said, “I’m very curious to know who, in the end, those people are truly working for. Perhaps the autumn hunt will bring it all to a close.”
Gao Yuexing was silent for a long moment before nodding lightly. “Hmm,” she murmured softly.
When it came to simple reasoning, she might be able to follow Li Fuxiang’s line of thought. But as soon as military strategy was involved, Gao Yuexing felt that her best option was simply to agree.
The strategies and formations described in books were utterly incomprehensible to her.
The only thing she could make sense of was the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
Among them, the one she had mastered to perfection was “retreat is the best option.”
Li Fuxiang looked at her bewildered expression. It reminded him of when he had first left the Xiaonan pavilion and began attending lessons with Tutor Liu. How could he not understand what she was thinking?
Gao Yuexing was pondering borrowing a few military strategy books to read in her spare time over the next few days. Even understanding just the basics would be better than staying completely in the dark.
But Li Fuxiang seemed to guess what she was thinking. He said, “With me here, you don’t need to learn these things.”
Gao Yuexing looked into his eyes, just about to say something, when her ears caught a sound—the soft clatter of hooves suddenly came from outside the ginkgo grove.
The sound of hooves on the thick ginkgo leaves was dull.
Gao Yuexing thought it must be the guards returning with the clothes.
Li Fuxiang, dressed in disarray, was not fit to show himself. Gao Yuexing was just about to head out to greet them when Li Fuxiang abruptly reached out and tightly grabbed her wrist.
Gao Yuexing, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “Don’t move. The sound is off.”
Seeing the seriousness in his expression, Gao Yuexing tensed up as well.
Li Fuxiang’s left hand reached for his Shenwu sword.
He didn’t have time to put on his clothes. As he stood up, he hesitated for a moment. There might be danger ahead, and he was reluctant to bring Gao Yuexing into harm’s way. Yet, leaving her here alone unsettled him even more.
Gao Yuexing grabbed his hand in return and firmly said, “I’m going with you.”
It wasn’t a matter of wanting to.
It was a matter of will.
Nothing could stop her.
Li Fuxiang glanced at her, nodded, and, with a blade in one hand and his other arm around her shoulder, strode forward, wind following his steps.
Gao Yuexing leaned against him, stumbling slightly as he led her forward.
As they reached the edge of the ginkgo grove, they saw a horse galloping toward them. One of the guards she had sent to fetch the clothes dismounted, his arm hanging limply at his side, blood dripping steadily to the ground.
The guard half-knelt and said, “Your Highness, there was no time to retrieve the clothes. Xiaoshan Palace is already surrounded by rebels, and the fighting has begun inside. I could not break through the palace defenses alone, so I returned to inform you.”
Gao Yuexing exclaimed, “They acted so quickly!”
Li Fuxiang motioned for the guard to rise and speak, a cold smile playing on his lips. “Though speed is of the essence in warfare, they are being far too hasty.”
—
The imperial palace.
The night was deep, and the lights were sparse.
A group of eunuchs hurried to the gates of Mifei Palace under the cover of darkness. Seeing the gates shut tightly, one of them raised a foot and kicked.
The vermilion gates swung open with a loud bang.
Inside Mifei Palace, there was no movement.
Not even a single servant came out to investigate.
The eunuchs, noticing nothing unusual, headed straight for the inner hall.
Wen Zhaorong, fully dressed, lit a lamp in her room the moment the palace gates were broken open.
Seeing her, the eunuchs wasted no time. They grabbed her shoulders roughly and escorted her out.
Wen Zhaorong remained calm and compliant, not saying a word. She even managed to carry a pale apricot-colored palace lantern with her.
The lead eunuch sensed something amiss, glancing at her with suspicion. But unable to pinpoint anything specific, he simply escorted her with doubt lingering in his mind.
Once they brought her to Jingmen Palace, the eunuchs released their grip and withdrew.
Standing in the courtyard of Jingmen Palace, Wen Zhaorong turned in a half-circle, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings. Protecting her lower abdomen with both hands, she softly remarked, “Jingmen Palace has been desolate for half a lifetime, and it has finally welcomed a bit of excitement.”
Author’s Note:
His Highness’s night vision is so sharp. Imagine when the bridal chamber is lit by the red candles, and the lights go out… Tsk tsk…