The night in the Side Courtyard was even deeper than the music and revelry in the Front Courtyard.
After several days of gloomy skies, the clouds had finally burst into a torrential downpour. Raindrops as large as beans pounded the broken roof tiles with relentless force, gathering into muddy streams that spilled from the eaves like strings of broken pearls before splashing against the stone steps outside.
The cold seeped into everything.
It slipped through the cracks in the walls, burrowed into the thin bedding, and settled deep inside Qin Shu’s bones.
She curled up on the icy wooden bed, pulling the stiff, moldy old quilt tightly around herself.
Even so, she could not stop trembling.
The scenes from the Front Hall replayed endlessly before her eyes.
The bustling banquet.
The contemptuous stares.
Xu Feng’s cold dismissal.
The drunken merchant’s shove.
Qin Yan’s hypocritical smile.
Each memory brought fresh humiliation, leaving her heart colder and more numb than before.
The red marks left in her palm by the edges of her book still ached faintly.
Almost unconsciously, her fingers brushed across the rough cover of Supplement to Materia Medica.
Her fingertips came to rest upon the words Arsenic.
Her gaze remained perfectly calm.
Not a ripple disturbed it.
Only that tiny, ghostly flame buried deep within continued to burn stubbornly amid the endless darkness and cold.
Knock… knock-knock-knock…
The sound was incredibly faint.
A series of light taps, following a deliberate rhythm, blended into the roar of the rain so completely that they were almost impossible to hear.
Floating Cloud, curled up on the small couch at the foot of the bed, jolted awake.
Her ears immediately pricked up.
“Young Miss? Someone…”
Qin Shu froze.
That knocking…
It was coming from the window.
Not the rough pounding of servants from the Front Courtyard.
Nor Steward Li’s rigid summons.
This sound…
It felt distant.
Yet strangely familiar.
As though it had traveled through layers upon layers of dust.
Without warning, her heart skipped a beat.
A blurred figure—one she had buried beneath five years of imprisonment—suddenly forced its way into her mind.
Impossible.
Floating Cloud had already slipped quietly from the couch and pressed herself against the worn wooden door, listening carefully.
The tapping sounded again.
Three knocks.
Clearer this time.
Urgent.
“It’s… it’s the back window!”
Floating Cloud lowered her voice to a whisper.
She turned toward Qin Shu, disbelief flickering in her eyes.
Qin Shu threw aside the quilt and stepped barefoot onto the freezing stone floor.
The piercing cold shot upward from the soles of her feet, instantly clearing the haze clouding her mind.
She walked to the back window.
It was even smaller and more dilapidated than the front one.
Most of the paper covering it had long since been torn away by wind and rain, leaving behind only a skeletal wooden frame that groaned beneath the storm.
Beyond it lay the most desolate corner of the Governor’s Mansion.
Just outside stood the towering perimeter wall, covered with moss and embedded with broken shards of porcelain.
Rain poured from the heavens.
The world beyond was nothing but a blur of blackness.
Only the distant glow of lanterns carried by patrolling guards swayed through the curtain of rain.
A dark figure stood pressed tightly against the soaked wall.
He blended almost perfectly into the darkness.
Rainwater streamed from the brim of his hat, tracing the firm line of his tightly pressed lips and well-defined jaw.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Through the endless rain, his eyes found Qin Shu’s pale figure standing behind the window with flawless precision.
Those eyes…
Clear.
Steadfast.
They had once carried a gentle warmth capable of dispelling every shadow.
Now they overflowed with unbearable anxiety…
And heart-wrenching pain.
Jiang Chen.
Qin Shu clapped a hand over her mouth, barely stopping herself from crying out.
Blood rushed to her head before freezing an instant later.
It really was him.
How had he gotten inside?
The Governor’s Mansion was heavily guarded.
Even this forgotten Side Courtyard had patrols outside its walls.
Had he lost his mind?
“A-Shu!”
His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Broken apart by the rain, yet every word struck Qin Shu’s ears with startling clarity.
“Open the window! Hurry!”
Floating Cloud hurried over and fumbled with the broken wooden frame, trying to pry open the rusted window.
Qin Shu rushed forward as well.
Her icy fingers gripped the frame as she pushed with all her strength beside Floating Cloud.
The swollen wood groaned painfully.
Finally…
The window gave way just enough to allow a single person to squeeze through.
A blast of freezing wind and icy rain rushed into the room.
Jiang Chen slipped through the opening with the agility of a fish.
He landed without making a sound.
Immediately turning around, he shut the window again, blocking out most of the storm.
The cramped, damp room was suddenly filled with another person’s presence.
The scent of rain.
Fresh grass.
And clean medicinal soap.
Unfamiliar.
Yet deeply familiar.
It swept away the moldy decay Qin Shu had grown accustomed to over the past five years.
Jiang Chen removed his soaked wool hat.
Rain had washed his face until it seemed almost unnaturally clean.
Five years had left surprisingly few traces upon his gentle features.
Only the youthful innocence had disappeared, replaced by quiet maturity and hardship.
Without even wiping the rain from his face, his gaze immediately locked onto Qin Shu.
The moment he saw her—
Pale enough to be almost transparent.
Wrapped in ragged clothing.
Shivering uncontrollably—
His pupils contracted sharply.
A terrifying storm surged within his warm eyes.
Pain.
And unmistakable murderous intent.
“A-Shu…”
His throat tightened.
His voice came out painfully hoarse.
Taking one long stride toward her, he instinctively reached out.
Yet halfway there, his hand stopped abruptly.
As though he feared the cold clinging to his body might freeze her.
“They… they’ve treated you like this?”
His eyes swept over the faded grayish-blue jacket she wore.
The greasy fingerprint still stained one sleeve.
Then they moved across the barren, freezing room before finally settling upon her bloodless face.
Every word seemed ground out through clenched teeth.
Qin Shu instinctively stepped backward until her back pressed against the icy wall.
The shock of seeing him again overwhelmed her.
The humiliation she had suffered earlier that day still lingered vividly in her mind.
Now, standing before the face she had known since childhood…
She suddenly felt dizzy.
The immense grievance and vulnerability she had worked so hard to suppress nearly shattered the walls around her heart.
She bit down hard on her lower lip.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Only then did she manage to steady herself.
“Jiang Chen…”
Her voice was painfully dry.
“How… how did you get here? This place is too dangerous. Xu Feng…”
“Forget about him!”
Jiang Chen interrupted immediately.
His eyes blazed with determination.
“A-Shu, come with me.”
“Right now.”
“While the weather is like this, I’ll get you out of here.”
He spoke rapidly, every word filled with unwavering conviction.
“The carriage is waiting outside the locust grove west of the city. I’ve already arranged a boat as well. We’ll leave Linjiang City. Leave these wolves and tigers behind. We’ll go south… somewhere no one knows us.”
“I can take care of you.”
“I can protect you.”
He stretched out his hand.
Palm upward.
Still wet from the rain.
Still warm.
Like salvation itself.
Come with him.
Those three words crashed into Qin Shu’s frozen heart like thunder.
The southern sunshine…
Unknown streets…
A place without Xu Feng…
Without Qin Yan…
Without the humiliation that had haunted her for five years…
The temptation engulfed her like a wave of warmth.
She stared at Jiang Chen’s outstretched hand.
His fingers were slender yet strong.
Warm.
Reliable.
That hand had once offered her sweet malt candy during countless lonely afternoons in childhood.
It had once held steady as he inserted acupuncture needles beside her mother’s sickbed.
If she simply reached out…
She could seize the only light left in her darkness.
Her fingertips trembled.
Almost beyond her control, they began to lift.
“No…”
The word emerged from deep within her throat.
Barely audible.
She was not refusing Jiang Chen.
She was refusing the beautiful illusion.
The hope in Jiang Chen’s eyes froze.
“A-Shu?”
“I can’t go.”
Qin Shu closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
The freezing air flooded her lungs, forcing her chaotic thoughts back into order.
When she opened them again, the brief moment of weakness had vanished.
Only ruthless clarity remained.
“Do you know what kind of man Xu Feng is?”
“He’s the emperor of Linjiang City.”
“He never forgives.”
“If I disappear, the first people he’ll suspect will be the Qin Family. What do you think will happen to my father? My stepmother? My wonderful younger sister?”
“He’ll vent his anger on them.”
“He’ll retaliate.”
“The Qin Family will be wiped out.”
Every word was like an icicle.
Piercing Jiang Chen.
Piercing herself.
She hated the Qin Family.
Hated them for throwing her into this living hell.
But…
It was still the family that had raised her.
And there was still…
She forced herself not to continue that thought.
After a pause, she spoke even more quietly.
Filled with hopeless resignation.
“Besides…”
“What future does someone like me have?”
“A discarded wife despised by the Governor.”
“My wanted posters would cover every street.”
“With a single order from Xu Feng, both the underworld and the authorities would hunt us down like mad dogs.”
“Jiang Chen…”
“If I leave with you, it won’t be a road to life.”
“It’ll be a road to death.”
“And it’ll drag you down with me.”
She watched the light slowly fade from his gentle eyes.
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart so tightly that she could scarcely breathe.
“I don’t care!”
Jiang Chen growled.
Stepping forward, he gripped her thin shoulders with both hands.
His strength made her wince.
“A-Shu!”
“Look at me!”
“If I dared to come here tonight, then I’ve already prepared everything!”
“I have a way.”
“Someone…”
“Someone doesn’t want you to die.”
“Trust me.”
His eyes overflowed with fierce emotion.
Protection.
Love.
And something deeper…
Something Qin Shu could not understand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Violent knocking suddenly exploded through the rainy night like thunder.
A rigid, emotionless voice sounded through the wooden door.
“Madam?”
“Please open the door.”
“The Governor requests your presence.”
Uncle Li.
The air inside the room froze instantly.
Jiang Chen’s grip tightened around Qin Shu’s shoulders.
His eyes sharpened like blades as they locked onto the old wooden door.
His entire body tensed like a leopard ready to pounce.
Floating Cloud’s face turned deathly pale.
She nearly collapsed where she stood.
Qin Shu swayed almost imperceptibly.
The tiny bit of warmth Jiang Chen had brought with him shattered instantly beneath the cold summons.
Xu Feng?
In the middle of the night?
During a torrential storm?
He was requesting her presence?
Had humiliating her earlier not been enough?
What new game had he thought up this time?
An icy chill shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Far colder than the storm outside.
“Madam?”
“Please hurry.”
“The Governor is waiting.”
Uncle Li spoke again.
This time, a trace of urgency lingered beneath his otherwise emotionless voice.
Qin Shu slowly drew a deep breath.
The icy air seemed to freeze her very organs.
Then…
One finger at a time…
She slowly but resolutely pried Jiang Chen’s hands from her shoulders.
His fingers were cold.
Still carrying the chill of rain.
And despair.
She did not look at the color draining from his face.
Nor did she acknowledge Floating Cloud’s terrified expression.
She walked to the bedside.
Picking up the same grayish-blue jacket she had worn while enduring her humiliation earlier that day, she calmly slipped it over her thin nightclothes.
Every movement was careful.
Methodical.
As though she were preparing to attend an ordinary banquet…
Rather than an unknown summons in the dead of night.
After fastening the final frog button, she walked to the door.
Her hand rested upon the cold wooden latch.
Jiang Chen stepped in front of her.
His sharp eyes pleaded silently.
He shook his head.
His lips moved soundlessly.
Don’t go.
For the first time since his arrival, Qin Shu truly looked into his face.
Her gaze was impossibly complicated.
Gratitude.
Farewell.
Bottomless despair.
Finally…
Everything settled into the stillness of stagnant water.
She gave the faintest shake of her head.
Her lips moved silently as well.
Go.
Then she looked away.
Her hand pressed firmly against the latch.
Creak—
The old wooden door groaned as it opened.
Outside, beneath the dim yellow glow of a lantern, Uncle Li stood beneath an oilcloth umbrella.
Heavy rain poured from its edges in shimmering curtains.
His bent back looked even smaller beneath the relentless storm.
His face remained completely expressionless.
His cloudy eyes rested upon the muddy water flowing across the ground.
It was as though he noticed nothing unusual inside the room.
“Uncle Li.”
Qin Shu’s voice was perfectly calm.
Only then did the old steward raise his eyelids.
His gaze briefly swept over her shabby old jacket without the slightest change in expression.
Stepping aside, he said,
“First Madam, please follow this old servant.”
“The Governor is waiting in the study.”
Qin Shu stepped outside.
Freezing rain immediately soaked through her cloth shoes and the hems of her trousers.
The cold bit deep into her flesh.
She straightened the back that refused to bend.
Then she walked into the endless curtain of icy rain.
Floating Cloud tried to follow.
A single silent glance from Uncle Li stopped her at the doorway.
The door closed behind them.
The faint warmth and light inside vanished instantly.
Qin Shu silently followed Uncle Li’s stooped figure.
One careful step after another across the slippery stone path.
Toward the brightly lit main residence.
Rain blurred her vision.
Cold water clung to her face and neck.
Uncle Li’s hunched silhouette led the way ahead, his oilcloth umbrella concealing most of his figure.
Only his silent outline remained visible.
As they rounded a covered corridor, the lantern’s light briefly slipped between the pillars.
For just a moment, it illuminated the hand gripping the umbrella handle.
On the back of that weathered, calloused hand—
Near the inside of his wrist—
Was a fresh scrape.
Dark red.
Raw.
It stood out sharply beneath the dim yellow light.
Qin Shu’s gaze lingered upon the wound for only an instant.
Then she looked away.
Ahead lay the brilliantly illuminated main residence.
It shone as brightly as daylight—
Yet somehow felt even colder than the rain-soaked night surrounding it.