When Zheng Qianye came looking for him, Li Fuxiang had just fallen asleep not long ago.
They had briefly met while handing over military duties. After that, Zheng Qianye became so overwhelmed with work that he only now found the time to visit his troublesome grandson.
Li Fuxiang was sleeping soundly.
The room was quiet. Gao Yuexing sat in a chair by the bedside, resting with her eyes closed. The sound of the door opening woke her. She stirred lightly, and a book that had been resting on her lap fell to the floor. Li Fuxiang frowned but didn’t wake up.
Zheng Qianye stopped a short distance from the door, unwilling to step closer.
After exchanging a glance with Zheng Qianye and understanding his intent, Gao Yuexing bent to pick up the book and exited, softly closing the door behind her.
After walking some distance, Zheng Qianye finally asked, “He looks extremely haggard. Is there something wrong with his health?”
Gao Yuexing answered plainly, “Yes.” She then shared her suspicions about the medication Li Fuxiang had been taking with Zheng Qianye.
Zheng Qianye looked back at the tightly closed door and said, “Ji Wei has also been found. None of us are fools; the people around him have long noticed something amiss. From Xiang City to Fox Hu, the weather has gradually warmed, and the days are getting hotter, yet he keeps adding more layers of clothing each day. Even an ordinary person afraid of the cold wouldn’t go to such extremes.”
Gao Yuexing replied, “I’m not knowledgeable enough. Let’s have the senior brothers from the Medicine Valley treat him instead.”
Zheng Qianye said the military report had already been sent to the capital. It would take several days for a reply. The royal family of Fox Hu had been entirely captured, and their fate would need to await the emperor’s decree.
They would be staying in Fox Hu for a while.
Gao Yuexing moved as quietly as possible when she returned to the hall. However, as soon as she pushed the door open, she saw that Li Fuxiang was already awake, sitting up and gazing in the direction of the door.
Even though he said nothing, Gao Yuexing somehow knew he had been waiting for her.
A medicine pot was simmering on the stove in the side hall. It was a formula Gao Yuexing had adjusted according to his condition.
Seeing that he was awake, Gao Yuexing went to fetch the medicine herself.
Li Fuxiang silently took it from her and drank it all in one go.
He had never feared bitter medicine.
When Li Fuxiang had just left the Xiaonan Pavilion, tonics were sent to him like a constant stream. No matter how bitter the medicine, he would drink it all in one breath without batting an eye.
Gao Yuexing suddenly brought up the past. “Children are naturally afraid of bitterness, yet back then you never needed anyone to coax you into taking medicine. The emperor often praised you for being obedient. I asked you in private why you weren’t afraid of the bitterness, and you told me: ‘Medicine can cure illness. If someone is sick, they might die, and I don’t want to die.’”
The rhythm of the water clock was steady.
Gao Yuexing’s voice was soft and unhurried, warm and gentle, making it particularly soothing to hear.
Li Fuxiang set down the bowl and said, “When I was a child, I thought death was the worst thing imaginable. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized death is the most insignificant thing.”
Gao Yuexing took the bowl from him.
His fingertips seemed to have gained some warmth.
Gao Yuexing shifted her gaze and noticed the eyebrow-shaped sword resting at the head of his bed. She remarked, “The blade is beautiful.”
Li Fuxiang replied, “It’s called Shenwu.”
Gao Yuexing: “The name sounds nice too.” She paused, then asked, “Have you used this sword to kill anyone?”
Before Li Fuxiang could answer, Gao Yuexing immediately realized her question was pointless.
How could he not have?
Li Fuxiang gazed at her and responded with a question of his own: “Have you seen a battlefield strewn with corpses?”
How could she not have?
The past six months, that’s exactly how they had fought their way through.
Gao Yuexing could have remained comfortably within the depths of her boudoir, living her life as a carefully nurtured and delicate flower. Instead, she chose to step into the storm, wielding a sword to protect the people around her.
Li Fuxiang didn’t have to wade through mountains of corpses and seas of blood either, staining himself with the burden of countless lives. But he came, because he too had someone he wanted to protect.
From the moment she walked toward him, they became entwined vines growing in the darkness, destined never to be separated.
Suddenly, a defeated thought crossed Gao Yuexing’s mind: Why make things difficult for him? Perhaps I won’t even live to see old age.
But such defeat was only fleeting.
People like them could recklessly throw themselves into the trap of danger, yet still strive to offer the most beautiful things to the other.
Gao Yuexing called for Langdu.
When Langdu took Li Fuxiang’s pulse, his gaze accidentally landed on a small, palm-sized box of agarwood placed beside the pillow. The edges of the box were worn, likely from years of frequent handling. At first glance, it struck him as strangely familiar. After a moment of pondering, Langdu suddenly realized what it was, and his heart was filled with complex emotions.
After finishing the pulse diagnosis, Langdu glanced at Gao Yuexing but said nothing, silently leaving the room.
Gao Yuexing followed him outside. “Senior brother?”
Langdu asked, “Have you been staying by his side these past few days?”
Not understanding why he asked, Gao Yuexing still answered, “Yes.”
Langdu: “Three hours ago, he took some medicine. Right now, the effects are just beginning to kick in—didn’t you notice?”
He had taken the medicine right under her nose, yet she truly hadn’t noticed.
Langdu sat at the table and picked up a brush. “I’ll write a prescription. Use it for now. Once we return to the capital, we’ll need Senior Sister to examine him.”
Gao Yuexing followed the prescription and prepared the medicine.
Under the medicine’s effects, Li Fuxiang’s spirit wasn’t as drained as it had been in recent days. He even took the initiative to suggest taking Gao Yuexing outside to explore, to see if there was anything worthwhile left in the royal city of Fox Hu.
Holding her hand, Li Fuxiang wore a rare, slightly joyful expression, tinged with an almost boyish eagerness to please.
Gao Yuexing pulled her hand away and suddenly said, “I had a dream.”
Li Fuxiang: “A dream?”
Gao Yuexing: “I dreamt that I grew up peacefully in the Gao family, like a fragile porcelain doll. I married you, and you cherished me with utmost care, granting me a life of luxury and honor.”
Li Fuxiang smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
Gao Yuexing’s eyes became hollow as she spoke coldly: “But in the end, I died. I died in the fourth year after our wedding.”
Who doesn’t wish to live a good life, not seeking great wealth or high status, not chasing fame or fortune, but simply longing for peace, joy, and the comfort of having enough food and clothing?
But in this world where people devour one another, where can true peace and joy be found?
Every ounce of innocence and romance is built upon the shelter of power and influence.
Every bit of dignity and glory exists because someone stands outside, shielding against the storms.
Without power, influence, or protection, everything is but an empty dream.
Li Fuxiang stopped smiling.
Gao Yuexing said, “I know it’s hard for you, and it’s not easy for me either. One day, I’ll have to marry you. Let’s just live as far as we can manage.”
With that, she shook off his hand and walked away.
Li Fuxiang panicked and quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
Gao Yuexing turned her back to him.
Li Fuxiang pulled her into an embrace from behind.
“What are you doing?” Gao Yuexing asked.
“Don’t. I’m sorry. I was wrong,” Li Fuxiang said, hurriedly burying his face in her neck. He remembered that in the past, no matter what he did to upset her, as long as he nuzzled her affectionately, she would forgive him. But this time, it didn’t work.
With her back still to him, Gao Yuexing said, “Schemes, wars—they’re not insurmountable. None of it can bring me down. The only one who can truly take my life is you, Li Fuxiang.”
Li Fuxiang suddenly felt his arms empty as Gao Yuexing pushed open the door and left.
Gao Yuexing had always been indulgent toward him, but when she turned cold, it was lethal. It had been like this when she left the capital years ago, and it was the same now.
She had been traveling tirelessly for days and hadn’t slept well in a long time. She knew she needed rest, but even lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her mind was restless, unable to calm down.
To make things worse, it was raining outside.
The pattering sound of the rain against the window echoed in her ears for a long time, eventually soothing her troubled thoughts.
Forget it, she thought as she sat up. Why bother caring so much? This life was borrowed to begin with. Just like she had said, they’d live as far as they could manage.
Having figured it out, she got up.
Just then, the door to her room creaked open a crack.
It could only be Li Fuxiang.
Gao Yuexing turned over, pulled the blanket over her head, and lay back down facing away from him.
Li Fuxiang approached and watched her for a moment before lying down awkwardly beside her.
From under the blanket, her muffled voice said, “A woman should not sit with a man, should not share chains, should not share a comb, and should not pass things directly…”
Li Fuxiang interrupted, “Come back to the capital and marry me.”
“I haven’t even reached the age of fifteen yet,” Gao Yuexing replied.
“That’s fine,” Li Fuxiang said. “Let’s make a promise now. I’ll wait for you for two years.”
In this foreign land far from the capital, without parental approval or the mediation of a matchmaker, they still made a solemn promise for a lifetime, as if it were a natural course of action, destined by fate.
It was as if this was how their lives were destined to unfold.
Li Fuxiang murmured, “I truly know I was wrong. I want to live well with you. I’ve saved so, so much money for you…”
That was the money for the betrothal gifts.
When Gao Yuexing was a child living in the palace, she loved flowers. She would adorn her hair with all kinds of beautiful blossoms. But when she left, she didn’t take a single beaded flower ornament from that box with her.
Li Fuxiang had clutched that box of beaded flowers and chased her out of the city, but he never got the chance to deliver them to her.
Gao Yuexing had left her beloved flowers behind with him, left them in the palace.
Li Fuxiang continued, “When a prince grows up, he’ll be granted a title and his own manor. Once I marry you, we won’t stay in the capital. We’ll take the money and go somewhere else, and I’ll ensure you live a carefree life.”
Gao Yuexing opened her eyes, feeling stifled under the blanket. She poked her head out and said, “The emperor won’t be willing to let you go.”
Li Fuxiang replied, “I’ve destroyed Fox Hu. He’ll be pleased. When he’s pleased, he’ll agree to anything I ask.”
Gao Yuexing couldn’t help but laugh. His naïveté was indeed a product of the emperor’s indulgence.
When they returned to the capital…
Gao Yuexing finally began to feel nostalgic.
The report of Li Fuxiang leading three thousand cavalry to conquer Fox Hu’s royal city shocked the entire court upon its arrival in the capital.
The emperor’s voice trembled as he asked if it was true.
The Vice Minister of War replied, of course it was true—who would dare deceive the emperor?
Before Li Fuxiang even returned to court, the decree conferring him the title of prince had already been issued and spread throughout the land.
The emperor personally planned the location of the prince’s manor on Huayang Street, the area closest to the imperial palace.
The winds of the capital were about to change.
Gao Residence.
On Gao Jing’s desk lay a few letters, all written by Gao Yuexing and sent back home.
The eldest son of the Gao family, Gao Mingxia, picked up the letters and asked, “Second Sister’s letters? Why does Father look so troubled?”
While Gao Jing might keep secrets from his wife, he never hid anything from his capable eldest son. Gao Mingxia, who had placed third in the imperial examination the previous year and was now serving in the Censorate, was a rising star in the court.
Gao Jing replied, “Take a look. This is the letter your sister sent last month.”
Gao Mingxia, puzzled, unfolded the letter and skimmed through it. “Second Sister is writing to assure our parents of her well-being. She mentions her studies in Medicine Valley are progressing well, that she misses Mother deeply, and even notes how the hibiscus flowers in Medicine Valley are blooming particularly vibrantly this year.”
In consecutive letters, Gao Yuexing had mentioned the hibiscus flowers in Medicine Valley.
Gao Jing asked, “Do you see anything unusual?”
Gao Mingxia admitted, “Your son is dull-witted.”
Gao Jing, clearly in a foul mood, didn’t mince his words. “You are dull-witted. At the beginning of the year, the weather was abnormal across the land, with spring snows even in late March. Medicine Valley also suffered from this natural disaster. The climate only started warming two months ago. Hibiscus flowers do bloom in summer, but this year is different. As far as I know, the hibiscus near the outskirts of the capital only began budding yesterday. How could the flowers in Medicine Valley have bloomed over two months earlier than in the capital?”
Gao Mingxia asked hesitantly, “Then Father means to say…”
Having spent his early years away at an academy, Gao Mingxia was unaware of his younger sister’s past relationship with the newly conferred Prince Xiang. Thus, he couldn’t make sense of the situation.
Gao Jing threw the letter down with a sigh. “This child, truly…”