Night receded and daylight emerged, ushering in a new day. News of the fire at Fan Jianglin’s home arrived at Qingyuan Station in the afternoon.
Ban Qin and Su Xin wore worried expressions, and even Duke Jin’an frowned.
“Let’s just return to the capital,” he said. “We’ll face any grievances or grudges as they come. The Gao family has gone mad, and as you’ve said, one cannot gamble with a madman. If something truly happens…”
The tragedy of Cheng Si-lang must not be repeated.
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“No, we cannot go back yet,” she said.
“Cheng Fang, do not worry about me,” Duke Jin’an insisted. “Even if we return to the capital, it won’t be easy for anyone to harm me.”
“It’s not about you,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a faint smile. “It’s just not the right time. They are safe – my brother and his wife have moved with the children to the Imperial Armory. No matter how mad the Gao family is, they wouldn’t dare set fire or kill within its walls.”
“But they cannot hide forever,” Duke Jin’an said, his brow furrowing. “They should leave the capital first.”
“That won’t be easy either,” Cheng Jiao-niang remarked.
If leaving were so simple, Duke Jin’an would not have waited until now. Though they were not members of the imperial family like him, they were Cheng Jiao-niang’s family. As long as she remained in the capital, they could not come and go freely.
Duke Jin’an felt a tinge of melancholy.
“The farther we go, the safer they will be. Don’t worry,” said Cheng Jiao-niang.
Duke Jin’an looked at her, smiled, and nodded.
“Your Highness, the fireworks you requested have arrived,” a eunuch announced from outside the door.
Duke Jin’an beamed instantly.
“Come, let’s go watch the fireworks,” he said, reaching out his hand to Cheng Jiao-niang.
“What are the fireworks for?” she asked.
“The day after tomorrow is the Crown Prince’s wedding day,” he replied. “Though I cannot be in the capital to witness his marriage myself, we are not too far away. I prepared some fireworks to share in the joy.”
Cheng Jiao-niang placed her hand in his, and Duke Jin’an, smiling warmly, helped her to her feet.
…
The door was pushed open as a group of soldiers swarmed in.
“Who are you? What are you doing here? How dare you barge in like this…” several servants shouted in protest.
The leading officer shook the official waist token in his hand.
“Imperial Armory,” he declared coldly.
The servants immediately fell silent, stunned.
“We are under orders to investigate stolen military equipment. No household is exempt,” the officer continued sternly. “Inspector Fan is aware of this as well.”
With that, the servants said nothing more and stepped aside to make way.
“Search carefully. Do not slack off just because this is one of our own,” the officer ordered, hands on his hips. “In fact, precisely because it is one of our own, we must be thorough – to ensure Inspector Fan’s reputation remains untarnished.”
The soldiers responded in unison, spreading across the courtyard like wolves and tigers.
“What happened here?”
Seeing the backyard in ruins, with collapsed walls and debris scattered everywhere, the military officer’s brows shot up as he shouted.
Could this be an attempt to destroy evidence…
“My lord,” one of the servants stepped forward timidly. “Our household caught fire last night…”
“Fire?” the officer cut him off sharply. “Why such a coincidence? Just last night?”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Speak! Did you start it on purpose?”
The servants immediately protested their innocence.
“Investigate thoroughly! We must get to the bottom of this!” the officer barked. “This fire is far too suspicious!”
The servants stared at him in surprise.
“My lord, do you truly think so too?” one of them asked eagerly, a hint of excitement in his voice. “We also found it strange. It had just rained heavily – not dry or hot at all. How could a fire just break out like that?”
The servant bowed repeatedly to the officer.
“…We beg you to investigate carefully… We lost two whole rooms in the fire… They were storerooms, filled with so many valuable goods…”
…
“Investigate your mother’s ass!”
A crisp slap rang out as a man struck the military officer across the face.
In front of everyone else in the room, the officer’s face flushed instantly crimson.
“Get out!”
Not daring to raise his head, the officer covered his face and hurried out of the room.
Inside, the man’s expression was dark.
“So, nothing was found at all?” he asked coldly.
“No, no traces of any ammunition or weaponry,” one person replied.
“Sir, nothing is missing from the military inspectorate either. I suspect this was all orchestrated by that Cheng Jiao-niang herself,” another added. “After all, both Fan Jianglin and Li Mao have benefited from her guidance.”
“I am aware of that,” the man replied grimly. “I know Fan Jianglin and Li Mao cannot be of much help to her now. What I want to find out is what exactly she has in her hands, and how much of it remains.”
“It seems we won’t uncover anything here in the capital. Keep a close watch on Qingyuan Station.”
The others in the room acknowledged the order.
“My lord, shall we temporarily suspend the investigation into the young gentleman’s matter?” one of them asked, recalling something.
“Only for now,” the man said. “The Crown Prince’s wedding is the day after tomorrow -that is our top priority for now.”
…
“With this, Master Gao now has ample reason to remain in the capital.”
At the Chen residence, an advisor remarked.
“First, Old Madam Gao fell ill, and now he himself is sick. He truly has no way to leave.”
Chen Shao’s face was expressionless, his mind seeming elsewhere.
Ever since the palace officials visited this afternoon to make final preparations for the wedding two days from now, he had been in this state.
Regardless of how this marriage began or what it might entail, it was, after all, his daughter’s wedding – a significant event.
“My lord, it is getting late. We shall take our leave for now,” the advisors said.
Chen Shao nodded. Watching the advisors withdraw, he stood up and walked toward the inner courtyard.
The courtyard was already being prepared with festive decorations – ribbons and floral arrangements. As dusk settled, everything looked hazy yet beautiful in the fading light.
Seeing Chen Shao, the servants quickly bowed and stepped aside to make way. Eventually, he paused outside the door to the inner quarters, hesitating before entering.
Lights had been lit inside and out, illuminating the space brightly.
Since deciding to agree to Chen Dan-niang’s marriage, Madam Chen had not allowed him to enter the inner courtyard again.
“…Mother… Mother… how does this look on me?”
The clear, bright voice of Chen Dan-niang carried from inside.
Chen Shao immediately looked toward the sound. In the brightly lit hall, a small figure was turning under the lantern light, dressed in vibrant red wedding attire.
“…It doesn’t look as good on me as it did on Lady Cheng…”
“Oh, Shi’jiu-niang, you must be joking,” a maidservant in the hall chuckled. “Your attire is that of a Crown Princess, while Lady Cheng’s was only for a commandery princess consort…”
Chen Shao couldn’t help but turn away, lifting his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“Mother, why are you crying?”
“It’s tears of joy, my child.”
The voices continued behind him, but Chen Shao could bear no more. Covering his face, he quickly walked away.
…
In the imperial palace, the halls were ablaze with light, and the Empress Dowager’s residence was especially lively.
“Liu Ge’er, Liu Ge’er,” the Empress Dowager called out repeatedly.
“Please sit down, sit down.”
In the hall, the Crown Prince was laughing and shouting as he ran around a pillar, completely ignoring her words.
“Your Majesty, there’s no use calling out. His Highness cannot understand,” a eunuch by her side remarked, stepping forward and raising a hand. “You there – hurry and hold His Highness steady, let him rest a while. He’s been running all evening.”
The eunuchs promptly responded and swarmed around the Crown Prince, guiding him to sit down.
The hall echoed with the Crown Prince’s frustrated cries.
The Empress Dowager pressed a hand to her forehead.
“No matter what, he must appear for the wedding ceremony,” she said wearily. “Look at him – can he even be restrained like this?”
The eunuch sighed.
“His Highness has been restless day and night lately,” he replied.
Listening to the Crown Prince’s alternating loud and frantic cries, the Empress Dowager felt increasingly agitated and unsettled.
“Weren’t calming tonics used for him before? Give him some now,” she instructed.
The eunuch hesitated briefly.
“The imperial doctors advised against frequent use of sedative decoctions,” he said cautiously.
The Empress Dowager shot him an impatient glare.
“It’s only for these few days,” she retorted. “After all, this is a royal wedding. We must at least maintain some decorum.”
The eunuch immediately fell silent, nodding in compliance.
“Shall… shall he still attend to his marital duties tonight?” he asked tentatively after a moment.
The Empress Dowager glanced at the Crown Prince, who was being restrained by three or four eunuchs.
“He seems energetic enough – no point wasting it,” she said flatly.
Understanding her meaning, the eunuch acknowledged the order.
“Go on then, let him rest early. He’s been like this all day,” the Empress Dowager added, waving a dismissive hand.
The attendants in the hall acknowledged and led the Crown Prince away.
As night fell, a soft, muffled moan echoed from the Crown Prince’s quarters, then silence returned.
Outside, a eunuch let out a yawn.
“That lasted longer than usual today,” he remarked.
The eunuch across from him nodded with a knowing smile.
Just as they were speaking, the door to the inner chamber opened. A woman emerged, her robes loosely draped, a lingering flush of warmth still visible on her face.
“Lady Yu, it seems you may well become the mother of the future Crown Prince,” they greeted her with lighthearted bows.
A hint of delight and pride flickered in the woman’s eyes.
“I wouldn’t dare claim such an honor. The mother of the Crown Prince would be the Empress,” she replied with a modest laugh.
“Lady Yu, you must be tired. Why not rest here instead of making the trip back?” the eunuchs suggested.
A trace of contempt flashed in the woman’s gaze.
Who would want to share a bed with a fool? The smell alone…
“No, thank you. How could a humble servant like me dare share the Crown Prince’s bed?” she said sweetly, then swayed gracefully as she walked out.
The eunuchs were about to retire for the night when they heard the Crown Prince’s cries starting up again from inside.
“Oh no, not again,” one muttered.
“Let’s just give him the calming draught,” another suggested.
A bowl of the sedative decoction was administered, and sure enough, the Crown Prince soon quieted down. The eunuchs breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Seeing the messy state of the bed, one eunuch moved to tidy it up but was stopped by another.
“Leave it,” the other advised. “If we disturb him and he wakes again, it’ll only cause more trouble. Let it stay as it is – who would notice or care? We can clean it all up together in the morning.”
The first eunuch stopped, and after lighting some calming incense and lowering the bed curtains, the group withdrew.
Leaving only the eunuch on night duty, the others stepped out of the hall. One of them looked up at the autumn night sky.
“Looks like clear skies tomorrow,” one remarked.
…
The autumn night was deep, and the post station had settled into silence. Standing beneath the corridor, Duke Jin’an gazed up at the sky.
“The weather has been good these past two days,” he remarked, turning to Cheng Jiao-niang. “It seems the Astronomical Bureau isn’t entirely useless after all – at least they didn’t forecast rain or gloom.”
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled.
“The world isn’t filled with incompetents,” she said.
“I thought that in the eyes of a genius like you, everyone else was ordinary,” Duke Jin’an replied with a laugh.
“Then I, too, must be ordinary,” she said, still smiling.
Under the glow of starlight and lanterns, her smile shone brightly.
“Oh, wait for a moment,” Duke Jin’an suddenly remembered something. He spoke to her before turning and heading downstairs.
“Where are you going so late at night?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Without answering, Duke Jin’an went downstairs and exchanged a few quiet words with several eunuchs, who promptly hurried away.
“Madam, the wind is growing chilly,” Ban Qin stepped out, holding out a cloak.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned to let her drape it over her shoulders. When she turned back, she saw Duke Jin’an standing in the courtyard below, waving up at her with a smile.
“Look,” he said.
As soon as he spoke, two young eunuchs lit a pair of fireworks.
The fireworks burst into the sky, blooming into two brilliant clouds of light that illuminated the post station.
A stir of excitement rose from the front courtyard, followed by cheers and applause.
Master Gu withdrew his gaze from the window, curling his lips slightly.
“Always putting effort into these little displays,” he muttered, then lowered his head to continue reviewing the reports sent from the capital.
Ban Qin covered her mouth with a light laugh.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? How does it compare to the ones we had back then?” Duke Jin’an called up from below with a grin.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked up at the night sky, but her expression suddenly changed. She stepped forward, gripping the railing tightly.
Sensing something was wrong, Ban Qin quickly moved to support her.
“Madam, what is it?” she asked.
Downstairs, Duke Jin’an also noticed her unusual reaction and hurriedly began climbing the stairs toward her.
As the firework faded in the sky, its glow reflected Cheng Jiao-niang’s startled, grave expression.
“The five stars gather near the Dipper and Ox,” she murmured, almost to herself. “The five stars have gathered at the Dipper and Ox.”
“Cheng Fang?”
Duke Jin’an had just reached the top of the stairs when Cheng Jiao-niang rushed toward him.
Instinctively, he reached out to steady her.
But she grabbed his arm instead, her grip firm.
“Fang Bocong,” she said, urgency sharp in her voice. “We must return to the capital. Now. Immediately.”
Now? Immediately?
Duke Jin’an stared at her, shock slowly hardening into seriousness.
…
A sharp crack pierced the quiet of the late-night chamber.
A young eunuch, who had just lifted the bed curtain, stumbled backward and fell to the floor, knocking over a small table nearby. He ignored the pain, his eyes fixed in terror on the Crown Prince lying on the bed – eyes wide and bulging, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.
“Help! Someone, come quickly! Help!”
