Wu Jiuling held a wolf-hair brush, concentrating on the assignment his teacher had given him.
The tip of the brush hovered above the rice paper. Suddenly, his hand paused, and a drop of thick ink silently fell from the tip, blooming across the paper like a fallen plum blossom. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly.
A moment later, Ai Qin’s footsteps sounded outside. They were somewhat faster and heavier than usual, particularly clear in the silence of the courtyard.
The study door was gently pushed open.
“Young Master!” Ai Qin stepped inside, unable to conceal the smile on his face.
“What has made you so happy?” Wu Jiuling withdrew his brush. His tone was calm and revealed no particular emotion.
Ai Qin approached him mysteriously, quietly studying Wu Jiuling’s expression as he lowered his voice. “His Highness has sent word!”
Over the past few days, Wu Jiuling had appeared no different from usual. He continued reading, practicing calligraphy, and following the physician’s instructions to recuperate.
But Ai Qin had seen clearly that his young master would occasionally stare blankly out the window for a moment, or unconsciously let out a soft sigh, as though quietly waiting for news from someone.
Upon hearing this, Wu Jiuling’s expression barely changed. However, the brush tip pressed down on the paper once more, and another small ink plum blossomed beside the first.
“What… did His Highness say?” Wu Jiuling raised his eyes. His tone remained as calm as ever.
Ai Qin gave a light cough, suppressing his smile as he imitated the tone of the servant who had delivered the message. “His Highness said: ‘…This Prince wishes to see you.’”
“…”
Wu Jiuling’s expression froze for a moment.
It wasn’t a cold summons, nor was it an official instruction. It was… that he wished to see him.
Wu Jiuling immediately set down the wolf-hair brush in his hand.
He lowered his head and glanced at the assignment, which he had nearly finished writing but which now bore two ink plum blossoms. He knew the sheet of rice paper was ruined and that he would have to rewrite the entire piece. But at this moment, he no longer had the slightest inclination to remain at his desk.
He stood up and turned his head. “Take me to see His Highness.”
As he followed Ai Qin toward Qionghua Pavilion, Wu Jiuling could see that the guards patrolling in the distance were several times more numerous than usual. An atmosphere of grim tension seemed to emanate from them. Even around Wangchen Cove, where he lived, the number of guards secretly stationed there had doubled.
From the bits and pieces Ai Qin had managed to learn recently, he had already pieced together a general picture of the storm raging outside. He also understood just how dangerous the predicament Xiao Ying had fallen into was. The prince who had originally only wanted to preserve his peaceful daily life was now pushing himself, step by step, into an increasingly perilous situation…
Whenever Wu Jiuling thought of this, his chest would tighten with another pang of pain.
When they arrived at the entrance to Qionghua Pavilion’s main hall, Lan Ningcheng was already waiting there.
This was also the first time Wu Jiuling had been permitted to enter Xiao Ying’s bedchamber.
Lan Ningcheng turned and calmly instructed Ai Qin, “Wait outside.”
With that, he reached out and lifted the door curtain, leading Wu Jiuling into Sleeping Cloud Residence.
The two removed their outdoor shoes at the entrance and changed into soft indoor slippers. As they stepped onto the ebony floorboards covered by a thick wool carpet, their footsteps became almost completely inaudible.
The light inside Sleeping Cloud Residence was dim. Layer upon layer of lotus-root-colored, smoky-purple, and dark-crimson gauze curtains blocked out all the light from the outside world.
After passing through several layers of gauze screens, Lan Ningcheng raised a hand and gently lifted the curtain of interconnected purple crystal beads. The beads produced a faint, clear tinkling sound beneath his fingers.
Lan Ningcheng turned his palm upward and gestured for Wu Jiuling to enter alone. He himself remained outside to stand guard.
Wu Jiuling took a deep breath and stepped quietly into the inner chamber. At last, he saw the person lying on the bed.
Xiao Ying’s face was as pale as snow. There wasn’t even a trace of color on his lips. Only his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, and his entire person looked so haggard that he seemed as though he might shatter at the slightest touch.
His eyes were tightly shut, his brows drawn together. Damp strands of hair clung to the sides of his chin, while his luxurious black hair, dark as a crow’s feathers, lay scattered across the lotus-root-colored soft pillow, making his face appear even thinner.
Without the luxurious, elaborate clothing he usually wore, Xiao Ying was dressed only in a thin, soft sleeping robe.
The Xiao Ying Wu Jiuling had seen in the past had mostly been elegant, graceful, and effortlessly composed. Even when he had fallen into the water and suffered a serious illness last time, the dignity and pride of his imperial bloodline had remained unshaken, sustained by sheer force of will.
But the person lying here now had shed all his disguises and defenses. What remained was someone completely defeated by illness, no longer possessing the strength to hold himself upright.
“Your Highness…”
The moment those words left his mouth, the slight resentment Wu Jiuling had felt toward Xiao Ying for concealing his illness vanished completely. In its place came a sharp pain, as though a blade had cut through his heart.
He had thought he would no longer be deeply shaken by anything. But when he actually saw Xiao Ying like this, he was still profoundly shocked.
Xiao Ying’s condition was far more serious than he had imagined.
Hearing the sound, Xiao Ying’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. He struggled to open his eyes.
His gaze was hazy with a low fever, and even turning his eyes toward Wu Jiuling seemed to take considerable effort.
He parted his dry, thin lips, but his throat was so hoarse that no sound came out. He could only laboriously raise his trembling arm and beckon faintly, signaling Wu Jiuling to come closer.
Wu Jiuling strode over and crouched beside the bed, taking Xiao Ying’s offered hand in both of his. That hand, which had once always carried a trace of warmth, was now frighteningly cold to the touch.
When he had reunited with his younger sister after their long separation, he had not even let his tears fall. Yet at this very moment, every word he had prepared became lodged deep in his throat, and his eyelashes were instantly damp with tears.
Seeing him like this, Xiao Ying’s lips struggled to form a bitter smile. In a weak, hoarse voice, he said, “…Why… that expression? Do I… look as though I’m about to die?”
But after speaking only half a sentence, he slightly furrowed his brows, and another layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
The moment Wu Jiuling heard the word “die,” his brows drew tightly together, and his voice trembled slightly. “Your Highness, please don’t joke about such things!”
In that instant, memories of his father, elder brothers, and family members who had met their tragic deaths surged unexpectedly through his mind. His eyes could no longer bear the weight of those memories. A single tear slipped silently and uncontrollably from his eye, ran down his cheek, and fell onto the brocade quilt.
Xiao Ying was slightly taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected him to actually shed tears.
He tried to free one hand. His fingers trembled faintly as he struggled to raise it into the air, somewhat flustered as he wiped the tear from Wu Jiuling’s cheek.
“This Prince… This Prince was only saying it casually… This Prince still wants to live to a hundred!”
Wu Jiuling quickly raised his sleeve and wiped away his tears himself. Then he lifted his head and stared at Xiao Ying with a mixture of reproach and grievance.
Under his gaze, Xiao Ying inexplicably felt a little guilty. He turned his head slightly and whispered between breaths, “…This Prince was just afraid of seeing you with that expression… I didn’t want you to see… me looking so haggard either, so…”
“…I know what Your Highness is thinking. I can understand all of it.”
Wu Jiuling’s voice tightened. His long eyelashes lowered, and his fingertips dug deeply into his palms. “I just… I’m afraid that one day, I won’t even know that Your Highness is gone. I won’t even have the chance to see you one last time…”
Xiao Ying’s hand froze in midair.
The two words “is gone” struck his heart like a heavy hammer.
He immediately thought of Wu Jiuling’s past.
The Wu family had been confiscated and exterminated. Wu Jiuling had been forced into the entertainers’ register and eventually ended up at Shuyu Pavilion after being passed from one place to another. Back then, he had not only been unable to see his father, elder brothers, and family members one last time, but had not even been allowed to collect the bodies of his loved ones.
That was the deepest and most painful wound buried in his heart.
And Xiao Ying’s concealment and instructions to keep Wu Jiuling away this time had inadvertently stepped right on that wound.
A trace of apology appeared in Xiao Ying’s eyes. He tightened his grip on Wu Jiuling’s hand and said earnestly, “This Prince promises… I won’t hide things from you again. Whenever you want to come and visit… just come directly.”
Hearing this, Wu Jiuling did not look happy at all. Instead, he stared deeply at Xiao Ying and slowly asked in return, “…Again?”
Xiao Ying suddenly felt a chill run down his neck. He realized that whatever he said seemed to be wrong, and hurriedly tried to make amends. “I-I… This Prince will do his best to prevent something like this from happening again… Illness can strike without warning, and with this body of mine… I can’t control it in the short term…”
Wu Jiuling sighed softly.
At least Xiao Ying was now willing to be honest with him and no longer shut him out.
“Your Highness, you always silently shoulder everything by yourself.”
Wu Jiuling composed his emotions, and his tone regained some of its usual seriousness. “Your body was already damaged at its foundation by strong liquor in the past. This is merely the debt coming due now. From this day forward, you must give up alcohol no matter what and take proper care of your health.”
He looked intently into Xiao Ying’s eyes.
“Your Highness wants me to live a healthy, happy life, and I want the same for you. I sincerely hope Your Highness will remain safe and healthy.”
Every word Xiao Ying had said to him in the past remained engraved in his heart.
Xiao Ying had hoped he would escape Yue Xijun’s shadow and wanted him to be healthy. He had eventually done everything Xiao Ying had asked. Now, his body was gradually recovering its vitality and growing stronger. And today, he had finally come to understand fully the concern and affection Xiao Ying had felt for him back then.
Wu Jiuling reached into his robes and took out a delicate, small, deep-purple brocade talisman pouch. A tiny character, “Peace,” had been carefully embroidered on it with silver thread as fine as a strand of hair. A small good-luck knot was woven into its cord, and a smooth little agate bead hung from the end.
Wu Jiuling gently placed the brocade pouch in Xiao Ying’s palm.
Xiao Ying was slightly taken aback. His fingertips touched the cool, smooth brocade. When he moved it slightly, a faint, crisp, melodious silver-bell sound came from inside.
“What is this…?” Xiao Ying raised his brows and looked at him.
Wu Jiuling’s voice was gentle. “This is a peace talisman I made myself. Inside is a little silver bell… that I used to wear around my ankle. Back then, it was the shackle that imprisoned me. Now, I’ve cleaned and polished it and placed it inside this blessing pouch. There’s also a small piece of paper inscribed with a peace sutra tucked inside. I hope that from now on, it can ward off evil and misfortune for Your Highness and protect your health and safety.”
Xiao Ying caressed the small, understated peace talisman. Listening to the faint yet familiar sound of the bell inside, a slight smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
“…This Prince accepts your heartfelt gift.”
Wu Jiuling’s eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a thin shadow beneath his eyes. His fingertips tightened faintly around Xiao Ying’s cool hand, and he spoke in a slow, gentle voice.
“In the past, Your Highness once asked me what meaning there would be in clearing the Wu family’s name if I were dead. My answer back then was not entirely correct… Now, I would like to give Your Highness a new answer.”
As he spoke, he slowly raised his head.
Deep within those eyes, once drowned in hatred and despair and as lifeless as stagnant water, there was still the pain of someone who had endured countless hardships. But they were no longer filled with nothing but desolation. At the bottom of their deep, ink-dark depths, a flame of defiance had broken through heavy shackles, tempered into a brilliant, glittering starlight.
He looked straight into Xiao Ying’s slightly weary eyes and spoke each word with unwavering conviction.
“I hope that one day, no injustice in this world will ever again be buried beneath the snow and ice. Those who have suffered injustice and humiliation will have the chance to stand once more beneath the sunlight, free from discrimination and oppression, no longer trampled upon or crushed by those in power. And those who break the law will ultimately receive the punishment they deserve. This is the path I wish to take.”
Xiao Ying’s half-closed eyes involuntarily widened.
He stared fixedly at the young man before him.
The answer Wu Jiuling had given was far beyond his expectations.
When he spoke these words, there was none of the bone-deep hatred that had once filled his eyes whenever he mentioned his enemies. There was only an openness and nobility born from breaking free of a cocoon. This had long since transcended the private grievances and blood feud of one family or clan. Instead, he had transformed the suffering he himself had endured into an aspiration to become a faint light illuminating the lives of others.
At last, Xiao Ying’s pale lips formed the first genuine smile he had shown in days, one tinged with pride and relief.
Wu Jiuling paused briefly. Seeing the smile at the corners of Xiao Ying’s lips, a trace of warmth appeared in his eyes as he continued softly:
“So Your Highness must stay well and see it for yourself. Without Your Highness, these things would still have meaning, but that future would mean something entirely different to me. I hope that when that future arrives, Your Highness will be there, my younger sister will be there, and… Lord Lan will be there too.”
Outside the crystal bead curtain, Lan Ningcheng, who had been standing guard motionlessly like a statue, stiffened slightly at those words.
He seemed to have never expected that this young man would include him among the people in his “future.” A bitter smile passed almost imperceptibly across the usually stern and cold face, and the hardness in his brows and eyes quietly softened by a fraction.
A long-forgotten warmth surged through Xiao Ying’s chest. His eyes filled with unwavering determination.
“Good.” Xiao Ying made a quiet promise. “This Prince will do his best to stay alive, to watch you, and to walk with you toward that future.”
Wu Jiuling smiled faintly. “Your Highness has made that promise with your own lips. Then it’s settled. Neither of us is allowed to break it.”
“This Prince has always kept his word.”
A genuine, pure smile appeared on Wu Jiuling’s face. “I believe Your Highness will certainly keep your promise.”
That smile was faint, yet like a glimmer of light streaking across the night sky, it made those unusually clear eyes shine as brightly as the stars.
As Xiao Ying looked at the smile before him, his gaze fell upon those star-lit eyes. Suddenly, a long-sealed corner deep within his memories was illuminated by a faint light, bringing back an old incident he had long since forgotten.
…At last, he remembered where he had seen those eyes before.
It was at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet on the night of his fourteenth year.
Back then, amid the luxurious and noisy palace banquet, he had played the konghou alone. No one cared what melody he played, and he himself did not care whether anyone was listening.
After the music ended, he stopped playing and silently rose to return to his seat alone. Suddenly, he vaguely sensed a gaze falling upon him.
He glanced back almost unconsciously and happened to meet the eyes of a child.
That moment lasted no longer than the blink of an eye. When the child saw him looking over, he immediately lowered his head in a panic, no longer daring to look directly upon the imperial countenance.
But those eyes, so clear and pure, without the slightest judgment or malice, filled instead with curiosity and admiration, were like a little starlight quietly falling into the cold, filthy darkness of the imperial palace.
At the time, he had thought: So even in this place that devours people, not everyone is filled with bone-chilling malice.
At least… that child wasn’t.
Considering that Wu Jiuling had mentioned earlier that he had once attended that birthday banquet with his father and elder brothers… So the child back then had been…
Xiao Ying looked at the handsome young man before him. His eyes suddenly curved slightly, and he couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh.
Seeing him suddenly laugh, Wu Jiuling tilted his head slightly in confusion, looking at him with a trace of bewilderment in his eyes. “Your Highness?”
“…Nothing.” Xiao Ying’s eyes held a touch of gentleness. “I merely… suddenly remembered something from long ago.”
He put those thoughts aside and changed the subject. “How have your studies been going recently? Are you adapting to what your teacher is teaching?”
At the mention of his studies, Wu Jiuling fell silent for a moment before lowering his head slightly and answering honestly. “It’s much harder than I expected. In the past, when I studied the classics at home, I read the words of the sages and learned about literary achievement and official honors. Now, when I read them again, I often feel that the things I once thought I understood have become things I barely comprehend. My teacher says that my ‘manners remain, but my heart is unsettled.’”
His fingertips unconsciously brushed the edge of his clothing. His voice was soft, yet carried a stubborn resilience.
“But my teacher also said that after three years of living in the dust and turmoil, the integrity and knowledge I can recover are still there. Whatever I cannot recover, I can slowly make up for.”
Compared with when they had first met, the young man’s features had lost some of their youthful immaturity and sharpness, gaining instead a quiet composure and calmness. But when he spoke the words “recover,” the corners of his lips tightened slightly, still revealing that stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
“Then take your time and work at it… There’s no need to rush.” Xiao Ying’s heavy eyelids could no longer resist his exhaustion. He closed them again, his voice carrying a hint of weariness. “Whatever belongs to you… just take it back, step by step…”
Seeing the fatigue appear between Xiao Ying’s brows, Wu Jiuling knew that his body was weak and had not yet recovered. He needed quiet rest, and Wu Jiuling should not disturb him further. However, two matters weighed on his heart. If he did not explain them, he would find it difficult to feel at ease.
“Your Highness, before I leave today, there are two matters for which I must ask your permission.”
Wu Jiuling leaned forward slightly and spoke in a low voice.
Hearing this, Xiao Ying slowly opened his eyes again and turned his head slightly to look at him. “…What is it?”
Wu Jiuling’s expression grew serious. He said earnestly, “The first matter is that I need to return to Shuyu Pavilion.”
Xiao Ying slightly furrowed his brows. “…Why? If there is information or old belongings you wish to retrieve, This Prince can send the hidden guards to collect them for you at any time. There’s no need for you to put yourself in danger.”
Wu Jiuling, however, decisively shook his head. “I don’t feel comfortable entrusting this to someone else. Details and clues are always lost to some extent when information is passed from one person to another. Besides… there is a child at Shuyu Pavilion whom I’ve been somewhat concerned about. I need to go back and personally check on how he is doing.”
“…A child?” Xiao Ying was somewhat surprised.
“It’s a child of about fourteen who found his own way to Shuyu Pavilion around two months ago and asked the pavilion master to take him in.” Wu Jiuling recalled. “He claimed that he had suffered some misfortune and lost his memory. His legs were also impaired. With nowhere else to turn, he had no choice but to seek a way to survive at a male brothel.”
After hearing this, Xiao Ying’s gaze narrowed slightly, as though rapidly piecing things together in his mind. “…Fourteen? A child who has lost his memory… and broken his leg?”
He felt somewhat puzzled.
Although Wu Jiuling was deeply loyal and would extend favors to the lower-ranking servants at Shuyu Pavilion to maintain his intelligence network, for him to deliberately use the words “concerned about” to describe someone, it certainly wasn’t as simple as an ordinary act of charity.
“Yes.”
“Since that’s the case… why did you take special notice of him?”
“Because that child doesn’t seem to have been born into an ordinary commoner’s family.”
What first drew Wu Jiuling’s attention to the child was not his appearance.
When the child was brought into Shuyu Pavilion, he was filthy from head to toe. His clothes were so worn that their original color could no longer be made out, and the hems of his trousers were covered in foul-smelling, dried mud. His thin, frail body was curled up inside an old, ill-fitting shirt. If one did not look closely, there was hardly any difference between him and the starving, half-frozen street children.
It was only later, after the pavilion master ordered someone to wash away the dirt covering him and change him into clean clothes, that Wu Jiuling, watching coldly from the side, noticed several strange details that had previously been concealed by the grime.
The child’s fingers were slender and long, yet his palms were unusually clean. There wasn’t even a thin layer of calluses left behind by years of wading through water or doing rough labor. He clearly did not seem to come from a poor family. His ankles and arms were extremely slender and fair. Apart from the leg that had been broken and severely injured, there wasn’t even a single old bruise or scar of the sort that an ordinary boy would have acquired from running around and playing outdoors.
Wu Jiuling pondered briefly. His fingertips unconsciously touched the area over his own left chest, and his brows furrowed as he slowly voiced the suspicion that chilled him the most.
“That child’s hands are as delicate as though he had never done any rough work. His skin is so unnaturally pale, as though it had never seen daylight, and even his hair is so long that it looks as if it has never been cut… But what truly concerns me is that there is a brand burned into his chest.”
Xiao Ying’s expression changed. He became a little more alert, but his gaze turned cold in an instant. “…A brand? The Great Sheng laws have long explicitly prohibited the use of fire to brand and injure people, even those registered as slaves. What does the brand look like?”
Wu Jiuling silently observed Xiao Ying’s face, which had grown faintly pale, and said in a grave voice, “It’s a neat, circular frame, with a string of simple numerals branded inside: ‘048.’”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ying fell completely silent.
Among ordinary people in Great Sheng, Chinese numerals, whether written in their regular or financial forms, were generally used. Simple numerals, on the other hand, were more commonly found in accounting systems or other systems.
To brand a living fourteen-year-old child with a cold serial number using a piece of heated metal… Even the most utterly depraved human trafficker would not go to such unnecessary lengths.
The number “048”… It was practically treating a human being as something other than a person.
But what chilled him even more was the possibility that this number meant there had been other children like this one before him.
Seeing Xiao Ying’s brows tightly knitted, clearly having fallen into the habit of mentally investigating this strange mystery himself, Wu Jiuling hurriedly interrupted his thoughts.
“Your Highness, please don’t strain your mind any further. I’ll go back to Shuyu Pavilion and investigate this matter myself. If it really involves something dangerous, we can discuss it then.”
Xiao Ying had a habit: whenever he heard even the slightest unusual clue, he would instinctively investigate it in depth.
His head was beginning to ache. Only after Wu Jiuling urged him did he sluggishly come back to his senses. Pressing his swollen temples, he gave a bitter smile. “…All right. What is the other matter?”
“The other matter…” Wu Jiuling raised his head and looked at Xiao Ying with an exceptionally determined gaze. “I hope I can help Your Highness in some way. While keeping up with my studies, I would like to help share the burden of handling some of the Prince’s residence’s administrative affairs, even if they’re the most insignificant little tasks.”
Xiao Ying looked at the young man’s eyes, which held an eagerness that would not retreat.
He did not hesitate for long.
He had long since seen Wu Jiuling’s intelligence and abilities for himself. And now, with Prince Yi’s residence caught in the center of the storm, the residence was indeed in desperate need of people who could be trusted completely.
Xiao Ying immediately raised his voice and called to the person waiting outside.
“…Chief Secretary Lan, come in for a moment.”
The crystal bead curtain jingled softly as Lan Ningcheng entered the inner chamber. He bowed and said, “This subordinate is here.”
Xiao Ying leaned against the soft pillow and lazily pointed toward Wu Jiuling. “Jiu Ling wants to help handle the affairs of the residence. This Prince is entrusting you with full authority to assign and manage his duties. As long as they don’t interfere with his original studies or compromise his personal safety, This Prince has no objections. Also, assign two hidden guards to help arrange for his safe journey to and from Shuyu Pavilion.”
Lan Ningcheng raised his brows almost imperceptibly and respectfully accepted the order. “This subordinate understands.”
Hearing this, Wu Jiuling hurriedly stood and bowed to Xiao Ying. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Looking at his earnest expression, Xiao Ying couldn’t help giving a bitter smile.
How could there be someone in this world who received a heavy workload and instead thanked his master with a delighted expression?
Xiao Ying let out a weak, drawn-out sigh. “This Prince should be the one thanking you… The two of you will have a hard time of it for a while.”
Standing to one side, Lan Ningcheng coldly interjected without the slightest courtesy. “Rather than empty words of gratitude, this subordinate would much rather Your Highness suffer fewer illnesses and stop creating such troublesome situations. I would already be profoundly grateful for that.”
Xiao Ying was left speechless for a moment. He glared at him irritably. “…Do you think This Prince wants to be lying here? Why don’t you go outside and see whether those people are willing to leave This Prince alone?”
“It’s all right,” Wu Jiuling quietly interjected from the side.
Xiao Ying had initially thought Wu Jiuling was about to say a few comforting words on his behalf. Unexpectedly, the young man turned around and looked at him with a perfectly serious expression.
“I’ll follow Chief Secretary Lan and learn how to handle the administrative affairs properly. Then… I’ll help Lord Lan keep an eye on Your Highness’s recuperation. So now, Your Highness should close your eyes and rest.”
Looking at the two of them, who were now singing in perfect harmony, Xiao Ying didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.
It had already been enough trouble having one stern Chief Secretary constantly nagging him like an elder.
And now, on top of that, he had Wu Jiuling watching him too.
Xiao Ying let out a helpless, long sigh. In the end, he obediently pulled the brocade quilt over himself, covering half his face.
His muffled voice came from beneath the quilt. “…Fine. This Prince will go to sleep right now, immediately, this very instant. Happy now?”
Amid the sweet, elegant fragrance of pear blossom incense filling the room, Xiao Ying finally settled down and closed his eyes to rest.
Lan Ningcheng and Wu Jiuling also quietly left Sleeping Cloud Residence, allowing peace and quiet to return to the place.