The Li Bei crown princess, Lu Yizhi, and Xiao Jiming had been childhood friends, and their marriage had been harmonious, earning her a reputation for virtue within Li Bei. When the Li Bei princess consort passed away, Xiao Chiye was still too young to understand much, and often said that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother; for Xiao Chiye, Lu Yizhi held that very place. She was not only Lu Guangbai’s sister but also a friend of Qi Zhuyin.
The carriage stopped outside Cizhou city, flanked on both sides by Li Bei iron cavalry. Lu Yizhi sat within, listening as footsteps sounded outside the curtain and someone called, “Tongzhi.”
Tongzhi.
Lu Yizhi gently pressed her palms together, joyfully thinking:
It’s him!
Zhou Gui stood outside the carriage, saluting from a distance. “Greetings to the crown princess. You’ve had a long journey; please enter the city without delay.”
Lu Yizhi had never met Zhou Gui and had never heard his voice. Having heard someone call “Tongzhi,” she naturally assumed Zhou Gui was Shen Zechuan. As the carriage moved toward the city gate, she quietly lifted a corner of the curtain and caught a glimpse of Zhou Gui’s back.
Zhou Gui stood facing away, so Lu Yizhi could not see his face and thought to herself that this Shen Zechuan looked somewhat different from how Xiao Chiye had described him in letters. She lowered the curtain silently, waited a moment, and lifted it again for another look.
This time Zhou Gui turned to show his face. He appeared significantly older than Xiao Jiming, of medium build, with a handsome, slightly rounded face and a well-kept beard. Lu Yizhi was stunned, though she retained her composure, remembering that Shen Zechuan was two years younger than Xiao Chiye.
At that moment, Zhou Gui slightly bowed to make way, and a pale figure emerged. The figure was tall and, though seen in profile, Lu Yizhi could make out some of his features. She studied him carefully, thinking that Xiao Chiye had not exaggerated—he was indeed handsome and surely resembled his mother more than his father.
Unaware that Lu Yizhi was observing him, Shen Zechuan spoke quietly to Zhou Gui: “Today, please have the officials draft the new documents first. Other matters can be postponed for another day.”
Even a slow-witted Zhou Gui understood that Lu Yizhi’s visit was for someone in particular. He followed Shen Zechuan closely and said, “I’ll immediately call officials from the government office.”
Shen Zechuan was taken aback. “For what?”
Zhou Gui’s palms sweated as he replied, “To protect the Tongzhi!”
Shen Zechuan had no response. With around five hundred Li Bei cavalry accompanying, if she truly meant to take him, Zhou Gui wouldn’t be able to stop it. As no letters from Xiao Chiye had arrived since August, he could only rely on conjecture. He casually reassured, “Perhaps the crown princess is just passing through. From Cizhou, she can reach Chazhou directly, then onward to Qidong more conveniently. There’s no need for alarm; we are not enemies of Li Bei.”
As it turned out, Shen Zechuan’s guess was correct.
Lu Yizhi was indeed heading south to Qidong.
Lu Guangbai had defected, and Lu Pingyan was implicated, ordered by the court to be escorted to Qu Du for trial. Qi Zhuyin, however, had detained the border commander eunuch Yingxi, citing his repeated interference in border military affairs and grain supplies, demanding the Ministry of War provide an explanation before transferring Lu Pingyan to her care. In June, Qi Zhuyin had already written to Li Bei, urging Xiao Jiming to retrieve Lu Pingyan promptly.
This was a significant case. After Lu Guangbai’s defection, whether he would ally with the twelve border divisions was critical. The Zhou court had no information from the border garrisons, and based on Lu Guangbai’s movements deep into the desert, the likelihood of him joining the twelve border divisions was high. The court sought to hold Lu Pingyan as a hostage in Qu Du to negotiate with Lu Guangbai. Documents from the Ministry of War faced obstacles in Qidong, and Qi Zhuyin refused to comply. Normally, this would have required the intervention of the Jin Yi Wei (Embroidered Uniform Guards).
But the Jin Yi Wei had failed.
Six years earlier, during Zhong Bo’s military defeat, the arrest of Shen Zechuan led by Ji Lei was handled by the Jin Yi Wei. The force required official warrants, imperial edicts, and orders bearing the emperor’s signature. After Li Jianheng’s death, the Empress Dowager acted on the emperor’s behalf and originally intended to co-sign documents with the cabinet to substitute for the emperor’s signature, but Qi Zhuyin refused to accept it, insisting only on the emperor’s personal edict. Without it, the Jin Yi Wei in Qidong would not release the prisoner.
During Hua Qi’s grand wedding, Han Cheng personally led the honor guard and attempted negotiations with Qi Zhuyin. The Empress Dowager offered generous compensation, but the talks failed. Qi Zhuyin, relying on Qu Du’s military strength, could not be forced to surrender Lu Pingyan. Xiao Jiming, under the pretext of sending gifts, had previously sent agents to gather intelligence. Qi Zhuyin gave explicit instructions: Lu Yizhi’s trip was to bring Lu Pingyan to Li Bei.
On the way, she would also visit Shen Zechuan to see for herself what kind of person he was.
Shen Zechuan naturally could not allow her to lodge at an inn. He arranged his household courtyard in order and invited Lu Yizhi to stay in Xiao Chiye’s name. Seeing the flying eaves of the residence in Xiao Chiye’s favored style, neatly maintained inside and out, Lu Yizhi recalled the letter Xiao Chiye had sent before departure, in which three pages were dedicated to praising Shen Zechuan.
Lu Yizhi alighted from the carriage, and Ding Tao came joyfully to greet her. She was delighted to see him, holding him by the shoulders to examine his head. “Peachy, why didn’t you return home with the second young master?”
Ding Tao said, “Master asked me to stay and guard him.”
Lu Yizhi had a maid offer Ding Tao some candy. Sitting on a chair, sleeves draped over her arms, she asked gently, “Does the second young master usually stay here?”
Having been reprimanded by Qiao Tianya earlier, Ding Tao stammered, unwilling to lie to the crown princess.
Lu Yizhi smiled more softly. “When we were at home, you often came to keep me company. The young master has always remembered Peachy, hoping you’d come home to play with him.” She slightly turned, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Six years without seeing our little Peachy… we’ve grown distant.”
Ding Tao hurried to reassure her, “Not distant at all! The crown princess treated me well, and before leaving Qu Du, instructed Jin Ge to care for me. I remember everything.”
Lu Yizhi turned back, saying, “You are young. Naturally, your elder brothers should care for you well. I was worried when I heard that Ah Ye was bullied in Qu Du; I couldn’t eat, tossing and turning all night.”
Ding Tao said immediately, “The master wasn’t harmed when leaving Qu Du. The Eight Camps couldn’t catch up with us. That Han Jin is still imprisoned; crown princess need not worry. Master is very capable now.”
“Since Ah Ye is so capable,” Lu Yizhi worried, “why did it take you so long to travel?”
“He was injured,” Ding Tao recalled. “Master was besieged in the city by Han Cheng. Young master helped a great deal. But Han Cheng used our teacher to threaten him. Master couldn’t save the teacher and fell seriously ill. Doctors on the road couldn’t cure him, so we couldn’t travel quickly.”
Lu Yizhi didn’t know who Shen Zechuan’s teacher was, but hearing this was alarming. She asked, “Did he recover afterward?”
Ding Tao didn’t know how to explain. “I think he has, but both master and grandpa said not fully. On the last trip to Chazhou, he fell ill again. Master was very angry upon return.”
Lu Yizhi realized Xiao Chiye must have visited often. “I’ve never seen Ah Ye angry before.”
“But master was in a hurry and only stayed one night,” Ding Tao added softly, “He even climbed over walls to get in.”
Lu Yizhi understood. “Do you enjoy staying here? If you want to come with me, I will take you back.”
Ding Tao hesitated. He wanted to return to Li Bei but couldn’t leave Cizhou. He had promised to fish in the outskirts in winter and learn a set of boxing moves before the New Year, and most importantly, Shen Zechuan never restricted his allowance. He kept his frogs in Shen Zechuan’s courtyard without reprimand.
Seeing this, Lu Yizhi gently patted Ding Tao’s head, letting the matter drop. His hesitation indicated that Shen Zechuan treated him well, showing patience and care toward a half-grown boy.
Lu Yizhi thought to herself:
Handsome, manages the household, patient, loyal. Capable in both domestic affairs and governance. Can handle Ah Ye without being overbearing. Though not very healthy—likely lingering from past illness in Qu Du—he was kind and approachable.
Such a wonderful young man!
Clapping her hands in excitement, she said, “Quick, prepare ink and paper. I will write a letter to be sent overnight to the Grand Realm, so that once the crown prince reads it, it can reach the battlefield and be delivered to the prince.”
Shen Zechuan, being an outsider, could not meet Lu Yizhi directly. Screens were set up in the courtyard to separate them. Knowing she was just passing through, they prepared a small banquet to welcome her, attended by Zhou Gui’s wife.
Madam Zhou, ever tactful, praised Shen Zechuan to Lu Yizhi in private, recounting several of his deeds. Lu Yizhi’s previous impressions of the Shen household had been limited to Shen Wei, but Xiao Chiye’s overnight letters had detailed Shen Zechuan’s virtues across three pages. He subtly mentioned being beaten by his father at the battlefield, demoted, and injured, leaving Lu Yizhi concerned and unwilling to reproach him further.
Lu Yizhi stayed only one night, continuing south to Chazhou the next day. Before dispersing, she specifically called Shen Zechuan into the hall. The more she looked at him, the more pleased she was, recalling Xiao Chiye’s account of his background and Ding Tao’s stories, growing especially fond of him.
Shen Zechuan felt the crown princess looked at him like a gentle rabbit—soft and tender, as if any sudden movement might startle him.
“Tongzhi Shen,” Lu Yizhi said softly, “Thank you for your efforts in this matter. As a token of gratitude, please accept this gift.”
Without waiting for his reply, she had her maid present a box of silk. The gift was not valuable; after polite refusal, Shen Zechuan took it and immediately felt its weight.
Returning to the courtyard, he opened the box to find gold and jade bracelets at the bottom, intricately inlaid and finely crafted family heirlooms.
Fei Sheng, watching from behind, thought: This is clearly meant for the future daughter-in-law! But he dared not comment, silently averting his gaze and leaving Shen Zechuan to ponder alone.