Qin Buwen’s thoughts were in complete disarray.
Back then, she had deliberately sent the two of them away because she wanted them to escape the political turmoil of the imperial court, change their names, and begin new lives.
But now…
Yan Tang had stepped back onto the board.
She frowned slightly, forcing down the countless emotions churning inside her and making herself remain calm.
After reading the letter, she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
Yan Tang…
He was still frighteningly clever.
The contents of his letter were exactly the same as the one she had written.
Both were secret messages informing Ji Junjiao of the same thing:
Li Yunmu was in contact with spies from Northern Desert.
Running her fingers over the fine Qianjin paper, Qin Buwen sighed with a bitter smile.
Yan Tang had always been a master strategist, someone who planned three moves ahead.
If she found him and revealed her identity, avenging herself would become much easier.
But…
After a long silence…
A shadow passed through Qin Buwen’s eyes.
In the end, she held the letter over the candle and slowly set it alight.
She watched as the paper curled and blackened, gradually turning to ash in the dancing flames.
The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across her face.
The road ahead would be difficult.
She had already died once.
There was nothing left for her to fear.
But they were different.
She wanted them to live.
Having made up her mind, Qin Buwen took a deep breath, restored the room to exactly how it had been before, then lay back down on the bed.
After all…
Her performance wasn’t over yet.
…
By the time Ji Junjiao returned to Wenyuan Pavilion, it was already the Hour of the Tiger.
Qingyue was carrying several thick garments from the rear courtyard toward Qin Buwen’s residence.
“My Lord, you’re back.”
She bowed respectfully.
Ji Junjiao glanced at the clothes in her arms.
“These are for the young lady,” Qingyue quickly explained after noticing his gaze. “She seems to have caught a cold, so I thought I’d bring her some warmer clothes.”
Ji Junjiao frowned.
“A cold? Has an Imperial Physician been called?”
Qingyue shook her head.
“The young lady said she only wanted to sleep and wouldn’t let me summon one.”
Ji Junjiao pressed his lips together, his tone growing slightly stern.
“Nonsense.”
She hadn’t even fully recovered from her previous injuries.
How could she neglect treatment after catching a cold?
Seeing Qingyue’s troubled expression, he didn’t continue scolding her.
“I’ll go see her myself.”
With that, he turned and headed toward Qin Buwen’s courtyard.
Changqing immediately bowed upon seeing his master.
Ji Junjiao shot him an inquiring glance.
Changqing shook his head.
The meaning was obvious.
The person inside had never come out.
Ji Junjiao walked to the door and knocked gently.
“Miss?”
No response came from inside.
His brows knitted together.
“Miss, are you in there?”
He raised his voice slightly.
Still nothing.
Ji Junjiao’s gaze darkened.
Without turning his head, he quietly instructed Changqing,
“Guard the back entrance.”
“Yes.”
Changqing sprang away in a few swift steps.
Only then did Ji Junjiao square his shoulders.
No longer hesitating, he pushed the door open.
He strode quickly to the bed, his eyes narrowing, his lips pressed into a thin line.
The bed curtains were drawn.
Moving quietly, Ji Junjiao reached forward and suddenly pulled them aside.
What met his eyes was a shocking splash of crimson.
His ears buzzed.
Qin Buwen was wearing nothing but a scarlet dudou that barely covered her body.
She looked utterly flustered.
“My Lord!”
Her voice was slightly hoarse, filled with panic.
She hurriedly covered herself with both hands.
Her almond-shaped eyes resembled those of a startled deer, glistening with moisture as they looked toward him.
Before Ji Junjiao’s mind could even process what he had seen, he instantly dropped the curtain again and spun around.
The room was lightly scented with incense.
Mixed within it was the faint fragrance of a young woman’s cosmetics.
It was unmistakably…
…the scent of a lady’s chamber.
The gauzy curtain fell once more between them.
Through the translucent fabric, Qin Buwen could make out the man’s tall silhouette.
Only…
His perfectly straight posture had become noticeably rigid.
“M-Miss… I was out of line…”
Ji Junjiao had always been the very image of propriety.
How could he ever have encountered a situation like this?
Even his voice had become disordered.
Qin Buwen curled her lips into a faint smile.
“My Lord… I had just fallen asleep…”
She was explaining why she hadn’t answered the door.
Yet under these circumstances, the more considerate and understanding she appeared, the more flustered Ji Junjiao became.
“I-I see… I was… too presumptuous…”
“It’s all right…”
Qin Buwen deliberately kept her voice weak and raspy, barely louder than a whisper.
“My Lord came in such a hurry. Was there something urgent?”
Ji Junjiao’s thoughts were hopelessly tangled.
Even his voice sounded stiff.
“I heard you had caught a cold. Would… would you like me to summon an Imperial Physician?”
Qin Buwen coughed twice theatrically.
“There’s no need, My Lord. I’ll be fine after one night’s rest.”
After speaking, as though afraid of displeasing him, she timidly added,
“…May I?”
At this point, Ji Junjiao had no mind left to think about such things.
He nodded hastily.
“Please… get some proper rest.”
Then he fled in near panic.
Watching his retreating figure through the gauzy curtains, Qin Buwen smiled.
Just as she thought.
He truly was an upright gentleman through and through.
Had it been some shameless rogue instead…
Escaping the situation would never have been this easy.
Letting out a long breath, Qin Buwen comfortably lay back down.
It seemed…
She would finally get a good night’s sleep.
…
Outside the room, Ji Junjiao had only just stepped through the doorway when Changqing hurried over.
“My Lord! No one has left through the back entrance tonight!”
Ji Junjiao didn’t even look at him.
“She’s still inside. Stand guard here tonight. If anything happens, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
Changqing answered respectfully.
But when he looked up at his master, confusion filled his face.
“My Lord… why is your face so red?”
Ji Junjiao glanced at him.
Changqing wisely shut his mouth.
Strange…
Was His Lordship… angry?
…
That night, Qin Buwen dreamed.
In her dream, she saw the first time she had ever met Yan Tang.
Among countless refugees and slaves conscripted as laborers, Qin Buwen sat high upon her ceremonial carriage, dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold.
She looked down upon the young man kneeling before her on the cracked, barren earth.
“What is your name?”
Her voice was calm and emotionless.
The young man, dressed in coarse linen, knelt with his back perfectly straight.
“Yan Tang.”
“Can you read?”
“Yes.”
Qin Buwen gave a faint, amused laugh.
Her thumb slowly rubbed the jade thumb ring on her left hand.
“You should think carefully.”
She spoke lazily, almost carelessly.
“If you follow me, your path will be one where death is all but certain. You’ll be cursed by the entire world. You may not even be able to show your face openly.”
At the time, Qin Buwen was only fourteen years old.
Yet the pressure she radiated was overwhelming.
No one dared meet her eyes.
Her voice remained unhurried, her expression languid.
“They say scholars love a good wager.”
“Yan Tang…”
“Do you dare to gamble?”
The young man slowly raised his eyes.
His gaze met hers directly.
Those eyes were filled with killing intent.
Yet he straightened his back like an unbending bamboo stalk.
“I wager…”
“…that Your Highness will have all your wishes fulfilled and everything will go your way.”
He lowered his head and kowtowed deeply upon the barren ground.
In doing so, he pledged his unwavering loyalty to the person seated above him.
…
The next morning.
At the Situ Residence.
The moment Yan Tang saw the letter Ji Junjiao handed him, he forcefully suppressed the violent tremor in his heart.
The rims of his eyes had already turned red.
“Grand Secretary…”
“Where did this letter come from?”
His voice shook violently, as though the next instant he would be swallowed by an endless tide.
He stared fixedly at Ji Junjiao, who sat across from him as a guest.
His grip tightened so hard that the letter nearly crumpled in his hand.
“My Lord…”
“Where… did you obtain this letter?”