“The Beile looks to be in good spirits lately.”“The temple is quiet and secluded, free from the mundane distractions of the world. My state of mind is indeed quite different from before.”In the rear mountains of Sanqing Temple, beneath the dappled shade of apricot trees, Fourth Prince and Master Liao Kong sat facing each other over a game of Go. Their moves clashed back and forth on the board, yet outwardly, the two appeared far too calm.“Though lately, the Beile seems to have grown a bit thinner.” Master Liao Kong raised his hand to place a stone, then glanced at Fourth Prince across from him.The weather was growing hotter by the day. Though it was not yet midsummer, the noonday sun blazed fiercely overhead. Master Liao Kong wore a coarse monk’s robe, carrying an air of untroubled detachment from worldly affairs.Compared to him, Fourth Prince seemed far more burdened.Though dressed in casual attire, his bearing remained dignified, and the formalities of worldly etiquette were carved deep into his bones.The sun was brutal today, yet Fourth Prince wore a robe of rain-washed sky blue silk. The buttons at his collar and cuffs were fastened tightly, adding a touch of stifling warmth.“Oh? What does the Master mean by that?”Fourth Prince let out a low chuckle, placing his black stone before Master Liao Kong. Though he dreaded the heat, not a trace of it showed on his face. Add to that his naturally cold disposition, and even those close to him were unaware of this weakness.“This humble monk knows little else.” Faced with his probing, Master Liao Kong remained unruffled, even responding with a smile: “It’s just that when I first arrived, the junior apprentice who delivered the meals complained that this honored guest ate very little each day.”“And now, observing the weather, I made a guess or two.”The stones on the board shifted dramatically—in the blink of an eye, the black stones that had seemed poised for victory began to show cracks. Master Liao Kong’s white stone landed on the board as he added: “However, peace of mind lies not only in how one treats others and handles affairs. Since the Beile has distanced himself from the court, he might as well allow himself some ease.”“The Master speaks wisely.” Fourth Prince said.His earlier calculations had been correct. When he requested to resign, the Crown Prince not only failed to stop him but was in fact quite pleased.In the days he had spent at Sanqing Temple, his spies in the capital had reported more than once that the Crown Prince had been shuttling between the homes of various high officials, and frequently held secret late-night discussions with Soctu.Ever since the Emperor left the capital, the Crown Prince’s reach had grown far too long.Now that he had come to Sanqing Temple, he had managed to avoid a great deal of trouble.As Fourth Prince pondered this, he recalled the original purpose of his visit to Sanqing Temple: “I hear there is a Spirit Fox in this temple. Has the Master ever seen it?”“I didn’t expect the Beile to believe such things.”Master Liao Kong raised his teacup to moisten his throat, then smiled: “This humble monk, like the Beile, has only heard of it, never seen it.”“I see.” Fourth Prince shook his head, a flicker of disappointment passing through his eyes. It was merely a rumor circulating among the common folk, yet he had gone and believed it.Fourth Prince shook his head with a faint smile. Just as his words faded, Su Peisheng came rushing over in a panic: “My lord, my lord—it’s out!”Su Peisheng ran up, breathless, eyes shining with excitement as he shouted: “The Spirit Fox has come out! We’re trying to catch it by any means!”“Truly?” Fourth Prince rose to his feet in surprise, abandoning all thought of the game. He clasped his hands in a brief salute to take his leave of Master Liao Kong.“Take me to have a look.”
Fourth Prince was thrown from his horse and tumbled into the trap. He lay there dazed for a long while before he managed to collect his senses.That little fox was indeed remarkably intelligent. He had led an entire squad and still couldn’t catch it. The guards were bound by orders not to harm the fox, and without the use of blades, they were naturally hampered.But that fox was truly cunning—not only did it lead them in circles, it even brought them to a wolf’s den.Wolves are ferocious creatures. After a fierce battle, half of his guards were wounded. Yinzhen rode his horse chasing after the fox and barely managed to escape—only to fall into this trap the very next moment.The trap was clearly meant for capturing wild beasts, its bottom lined with sharpened iron spikes.Fortunately, he regularly trained at the martial grounds and was quick enough in his reflexes to avoid being pierced through with holes.But when he fell, he still injured his leg. The moment he hit the ground, his ankle let out a sharp crack, and the next instant, cold sweat broke out all over his body.His leg bone was likely broken.With a muffled groan, Fourth Prince sucked in a cold breath through his throat. Agony surged over him, and gradually, he lost consciousness.
“Miss, miss—caught it, caught it!”Banxia came rushing in, all excitement: “Nanny Zhou just told me the trap collapsed—maybe a wild boar or deer fell in!”She burst in brimming with enthusiasm, only to find Ye Nanyuan sitting at her desk, staring blankly at a letter.“Miss?”Banxia lowered her voice and crept over quietly.She glanced at the paper, then it dawned on her: “I thought it was some great secret written there.” Banxia’s round eyes darted about: “So it’s your birthday, miss?”Ye Nanyuan lowered her head, gazing at the words “third day, eighth month” written on the letter, lost in thought."Yes, it is my birthday."But it was not only her birthday… Ye Nanyuan's fingers resting on the table suddenly clenched tight. The eighth day of the third lunar month was also the day her elder sister had died.The servants of the Jiang household looked down on her, the impostor, and equally scorned the eldest young lady who had shamed the family's name. They said she had been caught in the act of illicit relations, and only then did she take her own life with a white silk sash, too ashamed to live on.Ye Nanyuan did not believe a single word.Ever since arriving in the capital, she had spent money to send people out to investigate from every angle. But after all, it was an imperial prince's residence—everything above and below was sealed tight. She had thrown who knew how much silver at it, only to unearth this single date.The eighth day of the third lunar month—Lady Jiang hanged herself.When Ye Nanyuan saw those words, the blood in her veins ran cold. How foolish must she have been to believe such a tale?Jiang Zhiwei would not even step on an ant in her daily life.For ten years, she had made the journey from the capital to Jiangnan ten times, each round trip taking over a month, all just to celebrate her birthday with her.A person who had gentleness and kindness carved into her very bones.How could anyone make her believe that her elder sister would choose her own birthday to hang herself?Ye Nanyuan closed her eyes, brought the letter in her hand to the candle flame, and set it alight. The fire devoured the paper the moment it touched it, leaving nothing behind. Ye Nanyuan released her grip, letting the ashes scatter to nothing before she turned around."What did you say?"Banxia was stunned, and only after a long moment did she answer woodenly: "This servant… this servant said, that trap has collapsed—perhaps something fell into it.""I see." Ye Nanyuan's tone was indifferent.Why does the young lady show not the slightest surprise? Banxia muttered inwardly, then heard Ye Nanyuan speak again: "Go fetch a plate of peanut crisps.""Young lady." Banxia felt as though she had misheard: "Young lady, aren't you allergic to peanut crisps?" The young lady had never been able to eat peanuts since childhood—after eating them, she would break out in red welts all over her body.Before she could finish, she saw Ye Nanyuan turn around, her tone firm and unyielding: "Go fetch them."Having said this, she stopped looking at Banxia and closed her eyes.She stood before the lattice window, framed by the pear blossoms outside, her slender fingers like peeled scallions tapping lightly against the windowsill.To investigate Jiang Zhiwei's cause of death, there was only one path—entering the Fourth Prince's household.But men born into the imperial family were born nobles of heaven, having seen countless women in their time. And the Fourth Prince was by nature so suspicious a man.If she wanted to achieve her goal, she would need to strike true and seize that man's heart firmly.To do so, she must first make that man curious about her.When a man begins to ponder you, to guess at you, to be curious about you—then that means his gaze is now fixed upon you.
By the time the Fourth Prince woke, it was nearly dark.So much time had passed that his strength was fading, and the blood on his wounded leg had dried. Dragging the leg that could not bear his weight, he surveyed his surroundings.The opening above was too large, and the bottom was lined with iron spikes. Apart from a short dagger for self-defense at his side, he had nothing—a single man could not climb out on his own.The horse, startled by the wolf pack, had bolted in fright to who knew where. Though the rear mountain of Sanqing Temple was vast, the guards should be able to track the horse's hoofprints and find him soon enough.But… Yinzhen looked up. The sun was setting beyond the western hills; night would soon fall.If darkness came, finding a person in the vast forest would be no easy task. Yinzhen leaned back, his mind racing. Just as he was frowning in frustration, the sound of footsteps suddenly drifted over from nearby.The footsteps drew closer, light and cheerful—like a woman's.The Fourth Prince furrowed his brow and looked up. The footsteps came to a stop near him."Hungry, aren't you, little thing?""Eat up—look how thin you've gotten without your mother around."The girl's voice was lively and soft, not with a capital accent, but rather like the gentle water towns of the south—shy, tender, and full of spirit.The Fourth Prince's dark eyes sank low. The voice was not far away. This trap was large; it would not be long before he was discovered.Dragging his broken leg, he shifted back a step, and at the same time reached out to withdraw the cold, gleaming dagger from its sheath.In the deepening dusk, the footsteps gradually drew nearer."Hm?" A soft sound came from above. The Fourth Prince hid the hand holding the dagger behind his back and looked up.Without any warning, he met a pair of phoenix eyes.Radiant and brilliant, shimmering with light.That was the Fourth Prince's first impression upon meeting those eyes. Reflecting the sunset behind her, they seemed to hold light within them, dazzling to behold.So much so that he was stunned for a long moment before he managed to collect himself."No beast caught—instead I've caught a person." The young girl above looked him over from head to toe, then gave a slight shake of her head.A veil covered her face, obscuring her features, but the regret and amusement in her eyes were plain for him to see."Did you make this trap?"Yinzhen reacted immediately, frowning in displeasure: "The trap is dug this deep, and the bottom is lined with sharpened iron spikes. You're trying to take a life.""I have never wished to take anyone's life."The girl was young, and being spoken to like that, she grew angry: "This place is sparsely populated—on ordinary days, not to mention people, even wild beasts rarely come." She then looked him up and down with those eyes."Judging by your appearance…"Yinzhen felt uncomfortable under her gaze.He saw the girl sneer coldly: "You must have heard about the Spirit Fox from somewhere and chased all the way here." She gave him a mocking glance and, to his surprise, turned and walked away."Hey—" The Fourth Prince had never met a woman like this. He hurriedly tried to rise, forgetting his injured leg. The movement instantly brought on a cold sweat of pain.His lips trembling, he said, "Nightfall is almost upon us—surely you wouldn't leave a man to die?" Never mind how cold it would get on the mountain at night; with his injured leg alone, any wild beast that came along could tear him apart.The figure ahead paused. Before he could even catch his breath, the veiled girl spat viciously:"A black-hearted thing like you—better off dead."Young as she was, her heart was truly venomous. The Fourth Prince listened as her footsteps grew farther and farther away, and let out a helpless sigh.The sky grew darker. After the sunset, the moon and stars gradually rose.Yinzhen lay on the ground, feeling cold and hungry. That movement just now had torn his wound open, and it was still bleeding.He gripped the dagger in his hand tightly. This time of night was the most dangerous on the mountain—the smell of blood would attract wild beasts.The Fourth Prince closed his eyes to conserve his strength. He didn't know how long passed before footsteps sounded above him again.He slowly opened his eyes.Above him stood the girl who had turned and left during the day. She carried a lotus lantern in her hand, and a black cloak was draped over her pale yellow gauze dress.Under the hazy moonlight, she still wore her veil, her features unclear—only her eyes, luminous, seemed brighter than the stars above.When she met his unblinking gaze, it was she who looked away first.The pearl on her hairpin swayed, tapping against her reddened ear tip, and a soft, muffled growl came from her: "Don't look at me like that."She said.As she moved, the lotus lantern in her hand, the stars in her eyes, the pearl hairpin tucked at her temple—And his gradually despairing heart—all of them swayed along."I only came to see if you were dead yet."Above him, the sharp, biting words continued. The Fourth Prince's dry lips curved slightly—and he smiled.