The year was already nearing its end, yet the cold remained piercingly bitter.
Qi Yuan ran along a narrow path. The guards stationed there had already been instructed by Lai Chenglong, so they pretended not to see her. But after a short distance to the mountain base, she could ride no further.
She released the horse, knowing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s horses were top-quality military steeds—once freed, the horse would be able to find its way back to its master and wouldn’t cause any complications.
Only after doing all this did she raise her head to look at the sky.
The bright moon hung high in the sky. From a distance, the cliff face had looked like just a gentle slope—but now that she stood before it, she could feel how small she truly was.
There was a reason this area was the least guarded.
In weather like this, even a monkey would risk falling into the ravine if it tried to climb up.
As if to warn her, a loose rock suddenly tumbled down and crashed into the ravine, smashing through a thin layer of ice and opening a hole, revealing the rushing waters below.
If this weren’t deep in the mountains, the ice wouldn’t have formed even that thin layer.
Climbing along the cliff face, at the very top sat a wooden Zen courtyard built against the mountainside.
At this moment, the courtyard was brightly lit. Inside, palace maids were hurriedly attending to Princess Baorong after her bath.
Buddhist temples had always been wealthy, and as a royal temple, Huangjue Temple strove to cover every statue in gold. Though the New Year had already passed, the underfloor heating was still burning.
Perhaps because of that dry heat, her throat felt parched and her mind agitated. As one of the maids helped dry her hair, her motions were slightly rough—Princess Baorong immediately slapped her across the face.
The maid dropped to her knees, trembling and begging for forgiveness.
Everyone who served her knew—the princess had been in a terrible mood lately.
And when the princess was in a bad mood, it was always those who served closest who suffered the most.
Princess Baorong stared coldly at her for a moment, then snapped in a low voice, “Get out and kneel outside!”
The maid dared not disobey. She kowtowed a few times, then fled out the door to kneel.
Princess Baorong closed her aching eyes.
Ever since her Royal Mother died, she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep.
She couldn’t sleep—and she couldn’t figure it out.
Why had she lost?
With such a strong hand to play—why had they lost to someone like Qi Yuan?!
But luckily, she wouldn’t have to worry about that for much longer.
That useless Qi Wang always spoke with such certainty, yet when the moment came, he always held back out of sentiment, which allowed Qi Yuan to become so arrogant.
But Huailiang Qin Wang wasn’t some soft-hearted saint—he didn’t carry lingering feelings for Qi Yuan like Qi Wang did.
By her calculations, Qi Yuan should have already encountered Huailiang Qin Wang by now.
She walked over to the window, pushed it open, and looked up at the moon.
Heaven had granted her this chance—surely it would also bless her?
As long as Qi Yuan died tonight, she would finally be able to breathe easy and go on living.
The other maids stood nearby, unsure whether they should continue drying her hair or stay still and wait.
Fortunately, Princess Baorong seemed distracted. After standing at the window for a while, she gave a low command: “Go summon Eunuch Luo for me!”
Eunuch Luo had originally served Noble Consort Xiao Liu. Later, when Princess Baorong was older and had her own palace quarters, Noble Consort Xiao Liu, still concerned for her, sent Luo to serve as her chief eunuch.
After Noble Consort Xiao Liu’s death, the staff in Baorong’s palace had grown disorganized, but Eunuch Luo had always remained loyally by her side.
She sat by the window, letting the wind blow against her. Her head throbbed, and a wave of anxiety rose within her.
Why hasn’t there been any news yet?
Could Huailiang Qin Wang really be unable to deal with just one woman?
While her thoughts spiraled, Eunuch Luo finally arrived. As soon as he entered, he let out a startled “Aiyo!” and immediately scolded the palace maids: “Are you all dead?! Her Highness is sitting here with her hair down, letting the cold wind blow on her, and none of you thought to say anything?!”
The palace maids dropped to their knees in a flurry.
Princess Baorong waved them off impatiently. “Get out, all of you!”
The maids, as if receiving a royal pardon, scrambled out of the room, leaving her alone with Eunuch Luo.
Eunuch Luo grabbed a dry cloth and gently began wiping her hair.
In a low voice, Princess Baorong asked, “Still no word?”
Knowing exactly what she meant, Eunuch Luo softly reassured her, “Your Highness, there are women everywhere around here, and the foot of the mountain is heavily watched. Even if they’re going to kill Qi Yuan, it’ll be after she leaves the mountain gate and descends. Getting the news back up here will take time.”
At this, Princess Baorong felt slightly more at ease.
Her throat was still dry and sore, but her mood had clearly improved.
Eunuch Luo noticed and knelt before her, coaxing her gently, “Your Highness, don’t worry. With people like Huailiang Qin Wang involved, even the most fearsome demons wouldn’t survive. You’ve stayed up all night keeping vigil and are starting to look worn down. Rest—get some proper sleep.”
Whether it was because of his words or simply exhaustion, Princess Baorong really did feel tired. She gave a low hum of acknowledgment, though she still emphasized: “If there’s any news at all, I must be informed immediately!”
Eunuch Luo smiled and promised her he would.
Only then did Princess Baorong allow him to shut the window, and she returned to bed.
He lowered the bed curtains for her, then turned to go scold the palace maids outside.
From the bed, Princess Baorong tugged her lips into a faint smile as she listened to his voice.
She didn’t care at all whether those maids lived or died. Once she returned to the palace, if any of them refused to follow her to the East—there would be no reason to let them live.
Thinking this, she began to feel sleepy and yawned, lying down.
Just as she did, she heard what sounded like the window being opened. A sudden gust of wind swept in, billowing the bed curtains into the air.
Startled, she threw back the curtain—yet the window was clearly shut tight. No one had entered. It hadn’t been opened at all.
Her drowsiness evaporated, blown away by that burst of cold wind. Annoyed, she sat up and pushed aside the curtain, turning toward the incense lamp still burning in the room. She reached for the bell to summon a maid.
But before her fingers even touched the bell, she felt a sharp pain in her neck—then everything went black.
When she came to, her neck was throbbing in agony. She shot up in shock.
Something’s wrong!
Where was she?!
Back in her room—it hadn’t been a hallucination. Someone had really knocked her out and brought her to this unfamiliar place!
She looked up in panic—and saw the serene face of a Bodhisattva gazing down at her.
She was still at Huangjue Temple!
Princess Baorong recognized this place. There was a side hall at Huangjue Temple built against a stone cliff, with a Buddha statue enshrined right against the rock face.
And she was inside that very side hall now.
How had she ended up here?!
