When they left the imperial study, the two walked out of the palace one after the other.
He Zhong had the carriage waiting at the palace gates. From afar, he smiled when he saw his lord returning—but the moment he spotted Qiu Xinran behind him, the smile froze on his face. Now that he knew exactly who she was, he looked at her with open hostility, letting out a short, sharp snort.
Qiu Xinran found the deputy general rather amusing. At the very least, he was far more straightforward than someone who could hold a grudge for ten years and still greet you calmly with a “long time no see.” By comparison, He Zhong’s bluntness felt almost endearing. Instead of taking offense, she even smiled at him kindly.
That smile seemed to completely throw He Zhong off. His expression stiffened, shifting awkwardly between disdain, confusion, irritation—and even a trace of embarrassment.
Xia Xiuyan paused before getting into the carriage when he saw He Zhong’s face, then turned to glance back at the Daoist woman behind him. She stood there calmly, looking as though she were respectfully seeing him off.
After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you need a ride?”
At this, He Zhong looked as though the sky had just fallen.
Qiu Xinran nearly burst out laughing but quickly stepped back, lowering her head to hide it. “Thank you for your kindness, Marquis, but I can return on my own.”
Xia Xiuyan clearly hadn’t meant it seriously. He nodded perfunctorily and got into the carriage.
Then Qiu Xinran suddenly called after him, “Your outer robe… is still with me.”
“Throw it away,” he replied indifferently as the curtain fell.
He Zhong signaled the driver, and the carriage began to roll forward.
Qiu Xinran stood there watching it go for a few steps—then it suddenly stopped.
A pale hand reached out from the window and tapped lightly against the carriage wall.
She paused, then walked forward. As expected, Xia Xiuyan lifted the curtain, looking down at her from above.
“Cut it up before you throw it away,” he said coolly. “If I ever see it in a clothing shop one day—”
He deliberately dragged out the last words.
Qiu Xinran’s eyes widened. “Perhaps the Marquis doesn’t know how much I charge for a single divination in the marketplace!”
He let out a soft scoff and dropped the curtain again.
This time, the carriage left for good.
…
Xia Xiuyan, however, believed that Qiu Xinran was not short of money. Some people were simply born knowing how to win others over.
When she first entered the palace, it had already been Xia Xiuyan’s third year in Chang’an. Life in the capital had been calm and unchanging.
That day, when he arrived at the academy, the teacher had not yet come. Several students were gathered in small groups chatting.
The Sixth Prince, Li Hanfeng, turned around from his desk, looking concerned. “You’re finally here. The teacher said you’ve been ill again these past few days?”
Xia Xiuyan coughed lightly, lowering his eyes. “It’s hard to sleep in the summer. I haven’t rested well.”
Li Hanfeng still looked worried, but Xia Xiuyan deftly changed the subject. “What’s everyone talking about so lively?”
At once, Li Hanfeng perked up. “You’ve been gone a few days, so you don’t know—there’s a little prodigy in the palace now.”
Xia Xiuyan raised an eyebrow.
“She came down from the Nine Sects—only thirteen or fourteen. Bai Jingming brought her to meet His Majesty, saying that Daoist Baoyu entrusted her to him for training. He planned to keep her at the Bureau of Astronomy as a student. You know His Majesty likes these mystical things—so he asked her a few questions. The girl did some calculations and made several predictions… and every single one came true!”
“His Majesty was delighted—not only did he allow her to stay, he even granted her the position of Sicheng. It’s caused quite a bit of jealousy.”
Xia Xiuyan remained noncommittal.
Li Hanfeng sighed. “You think it’s ridiculous, don’t you?”
“I’m simply not interested in such fortune-telling.”
Li Hanfeng smiled. “In any case, she’s made quite a stir. Many people want to seek her out for divinations, but she rarely leaves the Bureau. Otherwise, I’d like to see if she’s really as remarkable as they say.”
At that moment, the Second Prince, Li Hanyi, suddenly scoffed, “Sounds like nothing more than a charlatan with a few cheap tricks, trying to make a name in the palace. Only fools would be deceived by her.”
He had been spoiled since childhood and was known for his arrogance.
Li Hanfeng looked uneasy and lowered his voice. “Second Brother…”
Before he could finish, the Fourth Prince, Li Hanxing, sneered from the corner. “What’s so strange about us being fooled? She’s been officially appointed by Father. Are you saying Father was fooled too?”
The room fell silent.
Li Hanyi’s face darkened. “You want to report me? Go ahead! I’d say the same thing in front of Father!”
The Third Prince quickly stepped in to mediate, and the matter ended there when the teacher arrived.
…
A few days later, after accompanying the Empress Dowager for lunch, Xia Xiuyan left Fukang Palace. The sun was scorching, so he sent a eunuch back to fetch an umbrella and stepped into a pavilion in the imperial garden to wait.
As he approached, he heard voices behind a rock formation—two young people talking.
At first, he thought they were servants hiding from work and intended to leave, but then he heard the name “General Xia.”
He stopped—and changed direction, heading toward the pavilion above.
Below, by the pond, sat two youths in official robes, no more than fourteen or fifteen. They were playing some sort of game drawn on the ground, using sticks.
One sat properly dressed; the other had rolled up their sleeves, exposing slender pale arms in a rather improper manner.
From the pavilion above, Xia Xiuyan could hear every word clearly.
One voice was lively, the other steady.
The lively one sighed. “The palace isn’t what I imagined. I should have gone northwest with my senior uncle. Zhuo Yan wrote that the grasslands are lush now—she even rode out beyond the border with General Xia.”
The other replied, “Senior Sister Zhuo didn’t go there for leisure. The frontier’s been unstable—General Xia has been holding things together alone.”
“I heard his son is here in the palace. Why isn’t he at the frontier?”
“The heir is frail. The Empress Dowager brought him here to recuperate.”
“So he didn’t inherit anything from his father?” The speaker sounded disappointed. “Then who will lead the Changwu Army in the future?”
Xia Xiuyan gave a faint smile. He had heard such remarks many times before—this one stirred no emotion.
The other laughed. “You worry more than the court officials. General Xia is in his prime—why talk about succession? Besides, I’ve heard the heir learned martial skills in childhood. If he recovers, he may yet make a name in the army.”
“But when will that be?” the first sighed. “You study divination—you know how unpredictable life is.”
The other hesitated. “Why bring this up all of a sudden? Could it be…”
After a pause, the first voice lowered. “A few days ago, I—”
The rest was too quiet to hear.
Then came a startled response: “Don’t say that in front of Master!”
“I know… there are many things in this palace that can’t be said.”
“Don’t say them outside either,” the other corrected.
After a long pause, the first voice whispered hesitantly, “I feel it’s not a good omen… I’m afraid General Xia might one day die defending the city—”
The words were cut off abruptly.
Xia Xiuyan’s expression darkened.
Silence fell.
After a long while, one voice said quietly, “Never repeat that.”
“…Alright,” came the subdued reply.
At that moment, footsteps approached—the eunuch had returned.
Xia Xiuyan stepped forward deliberately.
Below, the two youths sprang up like startled birds.
Qiu Xinran’s first instinct was to hurriedly pull down her rolled sleeves—not out of modesty, but because she had once been fined for improper dress.
Before she finished, the other person bowed nervously. “Greetings, Xia Shizi.”
She froze briefly, then followed suit.
After a long silence, Xia Xiuyan’s cool voice came from above:
“What is your name?”
The youth hesitated, then answered, “I am Yuan Zhou, Sicheng of the Bureau of Astronomy.”
Xia Xiuyan narrowed his eyes. “So you’re that young Daoist?”
“…Yes.”
“Good.”
Something about the way he said it made one’s heart tighten.
His gaze then fell briefly on Qiu Xinran—before he turned and left without another word.
…
After he was gone, Qiu Xinran lowered her hands and turned to Yuan Zhou.
“So,” she said sincerely, “you’re quite famous in the palace?”
Yuan Zhou still looked pale, equally bewildered. “Perhaps… he’s seen me at the academy before?”