Morning arrived in Willow Tree Village, the lingering mist not yet dispersed.
By the time Xiao Guiwan woke, the space beside her was already empty.
She reached over and touched the quilt. It was cold. He had been up for quite some time.
Rolling over, she buried her face in the pillow, breathing in the faint scent of soapberry lingering on the coarse cotton pillowcase. She lazed in bed for another quarter of an hour before finally dragging herself up.
When she pushed open the bedroom door, the main room was empty.
The stove, however, had already been lit. Porridge bubbled gently in the pot, the lid left slightly ajar. The firewood in the hearth had long since burned down to glowing embers, leaving only a few dull-red coals. Judging by the fire, it had been at least an hour since someone had gotten up.
Xiao Guiwan lifted the lid to check the porridge.
The brown rice had been cooked until thick and creamy, with a glossy layer of rice oil floating on top.
She ladled herself a bowl and sat down to eat slowly.
After a couple of mouthfuls, she glanced toward the courtyard.
Mu Hanhe was nowhere to be seen.
Normally, he’d either be chopping firewood or squatting beside the vegetable patch pulling weeds.
The axe leaned against the wall. The vegetable bed was only half turned over, and the hoe lay abandoned on one of the ridges.
But the man himself was gone.
Setting down her bowl, Xiao Guiwan walked to the gate and looked outside.
The dirt road stretched toward the village entrance, lined with low earthen houses. A few chickens scratched at the ground in the middle of the road, while Village Chief Wang’s yellow dog lounged lazily on the doorstep, soaking up the morning sun.
The village was quiet.
There wasn’t a trace of Mu Hanhe.
Frowning slightly, she returned inside, finished her porridge, washed her bowl, and changed into clothes suitable for going out.
She was heading to town today to buy medicinal herbs.
She still needed to stock up on bupleurum and isatis root. Although the Spirit Spring water could cure illnesses, it wasn’t a replacement for keeping medicine on hand. If someone came down with a fever or headache, herbs would still be necessary.
After locking the courtyard gate, she followed the dirt road toward the village entrance.
Village Chief Wang was squatting outside his home, puffing on a dry tobacco pipe. Seeing her, he grinned.
“Daniu’s wife, where are you off to?”
“Uncle Wang, I’m going into town to buy a few things. Have you seen Daniu?”
The old village chief tapped the bowl of his pipe thoughtfully.
“I think I saw him heading behind the village early this morning. Said he was going to check on some fields, though I’m not too sure.”
Xiao Guiwan nodded.
“Thank you.”
She didn’t ask further and continued toward town.
The walk from Willow Tree Village to town was about seven or eight li, taking over half an hour on foot.
She wasn’t in a hurry.
As she walked, she kept thinking.
She had been married to Ye Daniu for nearly a month now, and the more time she spent with him, the more something felt… wrong.
At first, she hadn’t thought much of it.
A handsome village youth with a bit more strength than average wasn’t exactly unusual.
But after living with him these past weeks, she’d noticed far too many inconsistencies.
First of all—
He was literate.
And not merely able to recognize a handful of characters.
Once, she’d casually recited part of a prescription aloud, and he’d immediately responded, “The dosage of Sichuan lovage shouldn’t exceed three qian.”
How would an ordinary farmer know the proper dosage of medicinal herbs?
Second—
He ate an enormous amount.
Three large bowls of rice at every meal.
Yet every movement—the way he held his chopsticks, the pace at which he chewed, the way he set down his bowl—displayed impeccable manners.
Those habits could only have been cultivated by someone raised in a refined household.
Then there was his bearing.
He never hunched while working.
His shoulders never swayed when he walked.
Whenever he sat, his back remained perfectly straight.
Most people wouldn’t notice details like those.
But Xiao Guiwan had spent years in the imperial palace in her previous life. She had seen countless people bound by strict etiquette.
She knew that posture all too well.
It wasn’t something farming could teach.
Suppressing her thoughts, she quickened her pace.
The town wasn’t large.
Stalls crowded both sides of the main street, vendors shouting over one another.
Xiao Guiwan stopped by the apothecary first.
She bought five jin each of bupleurum, isatis root, and mugwort, along with two packets of wound medicine.
The shopkeeper recognized her.
“Mrs. Ye, buying herbs again? Already used up the ones from last time?”
“I’m just keeping a reserve.”
She smiled, paid the money, and tucked the wrapped herbs into her basket.
Leaving the pharmacy, she felt thirsty and sat down at a tea stall near the street corner, ordering a bowl of herbal tea.
The stall was simple.
A few rough wooden tables nailed together, with benches polished smooth from years of use.
The owner was a woman in her fifties, brisk and efficient as she poured the tea.
Xiao Guiwan took a sip, her gaze casually sweeping across the street.
Then she froze.
Across the road, three men dressed in black emerged from an alley.
The one in front was tall, with a ramrod-straight back.
His arms swung evenly.
His stride was perfectly measured, each step nearly identical in length.
Military marching.
She quietly set down her bowl, lowering her gaze instead of staring directly at them.
She watched only from the corner of her eye.
None of the three looked like merchants or farmers.
Although dressed in ordinary black homespun clothing, their garments were immaculate.
Their waists bulged slightly beneath their robes.
Something was hidden there.
Their knuckles were thick, and heavy calluses covered the web between thumb and forefinger—the unmistakable marks of men accustomed to wielding swords.
The three stopped beside the tea stall without sitting.
They exchanged a few brief words.
Too far away to hear.
She only saw one of them remove something from his sleeve and hand it to the leader.
The man accepted it, nodded once, and the three immediately turned to leave town.
They were heading toward Willow Tree Village.
Xiao Guiwan placed a few copper coins on the table, hoisted her basket onto her back, and followed at an unhurried pace.
She stayed well behind them, using roadside trees and bushes as cover to avoid detection.
Her years in the imperial palace had taught her how to trail someone unnoticed.
It wasn’t a skill she’d deliberately learned.
It had simply become instinct.
After spending enough time beside Prince Ning, one naturally learned when to be seen…
…and when to disappear.
The three men followed the official road before turning onto a narrow side path.
Xiao Guiwan paused briefly.
That path led toward the forest behind Willow Tree Village.
She remembered the place well.
The woods stretched from the hills behind the village all the way toward the main road, with a barely visible dirt trail hidden inside.
Few people ever went there.
Mu Hanhe occasionally wandered in that direction.
Once she’d asked him why.
He’d simply replied that he was checking the fields.
Without hesitation, she followed.
The forest was much darker than outside.
Towering locust and elm trees blocked most of the sunlight.
The ground was carpeted with thick layers of fallen leaves, making footsteps nearly silent.
Using the trunks as cover, she kept the three men just within sight while remaining hidden herself.
They walked quietly.
Every step landed without a sound.
Xiao Guiwan slowed her breathing and carefully chose each foothold, avoiding dry branches.
After roughly fifteen minutes, they stopped.
She slipped behind a thick locust tree and cautiously peeked around its trunk.
Deep within the forest lay a small clearing, enclosed by dense shrubs.
Nearly impossible to spot from outside.
Someone was already standing there.
Ye Daniu.
He wore the same gray-blue coarse work clothes as always.
His trouser legs were rolled above his ankles, his black cloth shoes stained with mud.
He looked exactly as he did while chopping firewood in the courtyard.
Yet standing in that clearing…
He seemed like an entirely different person.
His hands were clasped behind his back.
His spine stood straight as a pine tree.
His chin was slightly raised, his steady gaze fixed upon the approaching men.
The three black-clothed men reached him.
Then, in perfect unison, they dropped to one knee.
Their movements were crisp and disciplined.
“Master.”
Xiao Guiwan’s fingers tightened unconsciously, digging into the bark of the locust tree.
The leader spoke.
“Master, the three thousand mu of fertile farmland in Lingnan has been purchased. As instructed, we’ve divided it among three separate locations instead of keeping it together. The deeds are all here.”
He removed a cloth bundle from inside his robe and respectfully presented it with both hands.
Mu Hanhe accepted it without opening it, slipping it directly into his sleeve.
“The properties?”
“We’ve acquired three residences. One near the mountains in Qingyuan County, one by the water in Foshan Town, and one in the busy market district near the town docks. All three have been fully renovated and are ready for occupancy at any time.”
“The supplies?”
“We’ve stockpiled enough for five years. Two thousand shi each of rice, wheat, and beans, distributed among six warehouses near different hidden outposts in separate counties. The medicinal herbs listed on your inventory have all been prepared as well. Thirty chests each of wound medicine, fever remedies, and trauma salves have been stored in the cellar of the mountain residence.”
Five years.
Behind the tree, Xiao Guiwan silently repeated those words again and again.
Five years’ worth of food and medicine.
That wasn’t preparation for ordinary life.
It wasn’t even preparation for war.
No army stockpiled provisions for five whole years.
This was preparation to become completely self-sufficient.
To survive cut off from the world.
Who needed supplies for five years?
Mu Hanhe continued speaking with the men.
Forcing herself to remain calm, Xiao Guiwan listened on.
“The hidden outposts?”
“One every thirty li. From the capital all the way to Lingnan, every section of the route has personnel ready to provide assistance. Every outpost is equipped with carrier pigeons and fast horses. Should anything happen, news can travel from Lingnan to the capital within three days.”
One outpost every thirty li.
This wasn’t merely an escape route.
It was a complete intelligence network.
The spacing had been meticulously calculated.
Thirty li was about as far as a person could travel in a day, while a carrier pigeon could cover the distance in less than half an hour.
This was military-grade deployment.
Mu Hanhe nodded as calmly as though discussing household chores.
“Keep watching the situation in Lingnan. If there’s the slightest movement from the imperial court, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Master.”
“There’s one more matter.”
The black-clothed man hesitated.
“Prince Ning has reportedly begun coughing up blood again. The Imperial Medical Bureau says that unless his prescription is changed soon, he likely won’t survive this coming winter.”
Mu Hanhe remained silent.
The man continued.
“Princess Consort Ning has been confined within the estate. It’s said she administered medicine to Prince Ning without permission and nearly killed him. Prince Ning slapped her and has kept her locked inside her own courtyard ever since.”
Hearing that, the corners of Xiao Guiwan’s lips lifted ever so slightly before she quickly suppressed the smile.
Xiao Shuwan.
Serves her right.
Mu Hanhe frowned.
“Continue monitoring Prince Ning.”
“Understood.”
After reporting everything else, the man produced a slender bamboo tube from his sleeve and respectfully presented it.
“This is an urgent dispatch from Lingnan.”
Mu Hanhe accepted it, crushed the wax seal, and withdrew the rolled note inside.
He unfolded it.
After one glance, his brows knitted even tighter.
Xiao Guiwan couldn’t see what was written.
But she noticed his fingers tighten around the slip of paper until his knuckles turned white.
“I understand.”
He folded the note and tucked it into his sleeve.
“You may return. Continue as planned.”
“Yes, Master.”
The three men rose to leave.
Just then—
Mu Hanhe suddenly raised a hand.
They froze instantly, not daring to move.
Silence settled over the clearing.
Then Mu Hanhe slowly turned around.
His sharp gaze landed with perfect accuracy on the very locust tree behind which Xiao Guiwan was hiding.
He spoke.
“Come out.”