After a spring rain, the peach blossoms in the temple bloomed, and the Peach Blossom Festival in the town below officially began.
Yin Wuzhi received a command from the Great Empress Dowager to take Jiang Wu down the mountain for a stroll and to relax.
When Jiang Wu was pushed out the door, the ground was still damp, and several peach trees in the courtyard were already covered with pink buds. A few had blossomed perfectly.
The Great Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Wen were both very concerned about his condition, visiting him frequently over the past few days to talk. Jiang Wu could see their concern, but he didn’t feel much.
He wasn’t the original Jiang Wu and had no intention of pleasing the people around him.
Jiang Wu always reminded himself that he was merely a wandering soul from beyond, drifting through the world from the moment he had memory. He could pass through mountains with ease or float effortlessly to the clouds.
He could play the part of a ghost, acting in a human drama only he knew, or he could empty his mind and detach from everything, mourning as long as he wanted.
That was his true life.
Yao Ji had been imprisoned, and Yin Wuzhi had frequently met with the Hidden Dragon Guards over the past few days. According to his plan, a message would be sent to Zhao, and they would decide what to do based on the response.
As they left the courtyard, King Dingnan kindly greeted them like a senior family member. “Your Majesty, heading out?”
“Mm.”
“Good, wear something warm, don’t catch a cold.”
Marquis Zuowu added, “Make sure Yin Shu buys you something good to eat, have fun.”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Not only did the old ministers not hold any resentment toward him for the recent events, but they treated him even better. Minister Chen and Grand Preceptor Wen had taken full responsibility for dealing with Yao Ji’s case, and they weren’t even planning to disturb Jiang Wu unless he inquired about it.
To them, as long as Jiang Wu was the late emperor’s legitimate heir, his mother’s existence didn’t seem to affect much.
At first, Jiang Wu thought that if one of these old ministers wanted to stir trouble by leaking the incident, it might lead to a different outcome. But he realized that the ministers of Great Xia were far more loyal than he had imagined. Even the Dingnan family, who historically overthrew Jiang Wu, showed no signs of planning a coup.
History had deceived Jiang Wu, and even now, he still didn’t understand how the original Jiang Wu had been killed by Yin Wuzhi.
Based on the information he had, it seemed that Yin Wuzhi might have had feelings for the original Jiang Wu.
Sunlight broke through the clouds, casting warmth on the small town at the foot of the mountain. Jiang Wu passed through the crowds, listening to the vendors’ shouts and the shop assistants welcoming customers at their doors.
“Your Majesty, is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“…”
“Anything fun?”
“…” Do you even need to ask?
“Would you like to go to the tavern to hear a story? Or perhaps watch a play? There’s a theater nearby that’s said to be quite good.”
Jiang Wu didn’t bother to respond.
The town wasn’t large. If they didn’t stop to buy anything, it wouldn’t take an hour to walk through the entire place. Yin Wuzhi led him from one end to the other and then onto another street, saying, “It’s not as lively as the capital. When we return, I’ll be sure to ask the Great Empress Dowager to let me take you out more often.”
Jiang Wu neither confirmed nor denied it.
After a brief moment of thought, he said to Yin Wuzhi, “The world thousands of years from now will be quite lively.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t like hearing him talk about this. He stopped in front of a stall selling rice cakes and said, “How about some glutinous rice cakes? Let’s try some?”
“Freshly made glutinous rice cakes, fragrant and soft, with all kinds of fillings. Gentlemen, why not try them all?”
“One of each,” Yin Wuzhi said, lowering his gaze as he paid. The shopkeeper quickly wrapped the cakes in kraft paper and handed them over. Yin Wuzhi squatted down beside Jiang Wu, took one out, and brought it to Jiang Wu’s mouth. “Try it. You haven’t had these before. There are several flavors—red bean, sesame, sweet potato. Hmm?”
Jiang Wu wanted to refuse.
Yin Wuzhi’s voice softened, “Just a bite, okay?”
“…”
Jiang Wu opened his mouth and took a small bite. It was too small, only tasting the soft, sticky outer layer without reaching the filling, so there wasn’t much flavor. He didn’t feel like eating more.
Yin Wuzhi broke it in half and brought the part with filling to his mouth. “Try each one. I’ll eat the rest.”
Jiang Wu took another small bite. The taste was good, and the texture was pleasant, though a bit sticky, but not unpleasant.
Yin Wuzhi broke open another one, and Jiang Wu took a bite of each. Then he heard Yin Wuzhi ask, “Any flavor you want to eat more of?”
He could eat more, but he didn’t have to.
Jiang Wu glanced at the sesame one, and Yin Wuzhi, satisfied, squatted by the roadside, feeding him half of it.
Just then, a pair of embroidered shoes approached, and a woman’s voice called out, “Your Maj—” Realizing they were in a marketplace, she corrected herself, “Young Master.”
Jiang Wu slowly chewed and swallowed, then looked up.
It was Little Xi, the maid of Qiu Wuchen, holding a vegetable basket. She cheerfully said, “I didn’t expect to run into you here, young master. Our young lady just moved to a new house nearby. Would you like to visit? I’m steaming peach blossom cakes at home.”
They turned into a secluded alley, arriving at a courtyard even more run-down than the last one. The walls were still lined with flags, and an old locust tree stood in the yard, though it had not yet been decorated.
As soon as they entered, Little Xi rushed into the kitchen, saying happily, “Your Majesty, please wait. The peach blossom cakes will be ready soon.”
Yin Wuzhi glanced around. Qiu Wuchen was sitting by the window, putting on her makeup in front of a bronze mirror.
Carefully, she wove a red thread into her hair and twisted it into a matron’s bun, then applied rouge to her face. Finally, she dipped a fine brush into vermillion and dotted it beneath her right eye.
When she emerged, the red dot beneath her eye seemed to enhance her entire appearance.
Seeing Jiang Wu, she bowed slightly. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Yin Wuzhi frowned at the blood-like red beneath her eye. Qiu Wuchen smiled gently and asked, “Why are you staring at me like that, my lord?”
Yin Wuzhi replied bluntly, “You seem crazier than last time.”
Qiu Wuchen laughed as if hearing something amusing, covering her mouth. “My lord shizi, don’t be in such a rush. Who knows, one day you might be crazier than me.”
Yin Wuzhi sat coldly at the table, poured half a cup of tea for Jiang Wu, and then realized the pot was empty.
Placing the teapot back, he heard Jiang Wu ask, “What is that?”
Qiu Wuchen’s red mark under her eye reminded him of the mark by Yin Wuzhi’s eye. Both looked like drops of blood, just a little larger than the head of a needle, and striking against pale skin framed by dark lashes.
“This?” Qiu Wuchen lightly touched the mark under her eye. “It’s something I recently discovered. If I keep this mark under my eye for my whole life, in my next life, I might grow a real mole and avoid the sorrow of parting.”
Yin Wuzhi instinctively looked at her.
Qiu Wuchen picked up the empty teapot. “I’ll go brew more tea. Please, have a seat.”
Yin Wuzhi’s face shifted several times. His mind echoed with the words Qiu Wuchen had said when they first met: “A poor, pitiful person.”
His breathing tightened, and after sitting in a daze for a moment, he said to Jiang Wu, “I’ll go help her.”
Jiang Wu glanced up and watched as Yin Wuzhi quickly followed her inside.
The light inside was dimmer than outside. As Qiu Wuchen placed tea leaves in the pot, she glanced over and saw his shadow. “My lord, what’s wrong?”
Outside, Jiang Wu leaned back lazily, basking in the sunlight. His skin glowed like jade in the light. Inside, Yin Wuzhi’s eyes darkened. “What did you mean by that?”
“Nothing at all.”
“You looked at me just now. Before, you said I was as pitiful as you.”
“Does the young lord still believe such things?”
“Of course not.” The words escaped his mouth. But then he recalled Jiang Wu’s recent condition, and his voice lowered. “When you said I was as pitiful as you, did you mean that in this life, I will also…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, his throat tightening. He didn’t believe in such things, but at that moment, a strange fear filled his chest.
The kettle on the stove began to whistle. Qiu Wuchen went to pour the hot water into the teapot and sighed softly. “So, the young lord has already fallen for someone?”
Yin Wuzhi followed behind her and asked, “How can I avoid… what happened to you?”
Qiu Wuchen chuckled as the sound of water filled the teapot. She sighed softly, “If I knew, I wouldn’t have to endure being called crazy.”
Yin Wuzhi’s mind went blank for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, Qiu Wuchen had already covered the teapot. He suddenly stepped in front of her. “What should I do?”
“How would I know?” Qiu Wuchen replied innocently. “But, young lord, you could try what I did.” She studied his face and thoughtfully said, “If you want to change your pitiful fate, you could try marking a mole here.”
Her pale fingers lightly touched the corner of Yin Wuzhi’s left eye. “Use the finest vermillion. They say if you use blood, the chances of success are even higher.”
She finished speaking with a mischievous grin and walked past Yin Wuzhi, heading out.
Yin Wuzhi’s face darkened at her smile, realizing she was still holding a grudge about being called mad. Ridiculous. Did she really think he was that foolish? Using blood to dot a mole—who would torment themselves like that for some uncertain future life?
As expected, you had to filter through the mad woman’s words before listening to them.
Jiang Wu’s tea was replaced with fresh tea, and Qiu Wuchen looked at him for a moment before asking, “Your Majesty, has anything good happened recently?”
“No.”
Qiu Wuchen paused in surprise, then said, “The last time I saw Your Majesty, it seemed you were about to face a great calamity, but now it appears that threat is gone.”
Yin Wuzhi’s voice came from behind, “Does that mean everything is fine now?”
“I’m not sure,” Qiu Wuchen replied. “My abilities are too shallow to see that far.”
Yin Wuzhi sat down beside Jiang Wu, his eyes unintentionally drifting toward Qiu Wuchen’s dressing table by the window, still pondering how much of her words could be trusted.
The peach blossom cakes that Little Xi had steamed were quite good. Yin Wuzhi fed Jiang Wu two pieces. As Qiu Wuchen ate while resting her chin in her hand, she remarked, “With the Shizi by your side, Your Majesty must be flourishing like a fish in water.”
In reality, it was the complete opposite, Jiang Wu thought. If not for Yin Wuzhi, he would have happily embraced death by now.
But under Yin Wuzhi’s intense gaze, Jiang Wu merely said, “Mm.”
If he could love being alive, perhaps flourishing like a fish in water wouldn’t be far from the truth.
Yin Wuzhi’s lips curled slightly, but there was no real smile in his eyes.
After eating a bit more and taking some cakes with them to go, just before leaving, Qiu Wuchen suddenly turned to Yin Wuzhi and said, “I have something for you.”
Yin Wuzhi frowned as he watched her remove a wooden hairpin from her hair and hand it over. The design was simple, and it clearly didn’t suit his identity as a military man, especially since it had just been taken from a woman’s hair. Yin Wuzhi immediately declined, “I don’t want it.”
“This is a Three-Lives Pin, and it has spiritual energy.”
“Then why are you giving it to me?”
“I got it from a Daoist who was charging an exorbitant price for it. They say spiritual items should go to their fated owners, and since he charged so much, clearly he wasn’t the right one for it, so I didn’t buy it.”
“If you didn’t buy it, how is it in your hands?”
“I hired a master thief to steal it.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…” He couldn’t fathom why Qiu Wuchen went to such lengths.
Qiu Wuchen didn’t think it strange at all. “But maybe because it was stolen, it hasn’t worked for me. You seem quite pitiable, so I’m giving it to you.”
Yin Wuzhi still didn’t want it. He was used to wearing a crown, always looking sharp and dignified. This plain object would make him look unkempt and out of character, not suiting his rugged, blade-bearing image.
“Just take it,” Jiang Wu said, and after a moment’s hesitation, Yin Wuzhi begrudgingly took it. “Will wearing it grant me eternal life?”
“No,” Qiu Wuchen replied. “It’s just a symbol of hope. I feel like you’ll need it someday, just as I, after losing the one I loved, clung to things like soul-calling charms, three-lives tokens, and red threads…”
Yin Wuzhi, scowling, hurried Jiang Wu out the door, still cursing, “Crazy woman.”
How dare she curse him.
He even suspected that Qiu Wuchen had no use for the pin and was just trying to dump it on him.
In truth, he wasn’t far off. After sending Jiang Wu and Yin Wuzhi away, Little Xi said, “Didn’t you say that thing was useless, and that lousy Daoist even dared to charge so much? Why lie to the Shizi?”
“To teach him a lesson. He’ll be deceived plenty in the future.”
Little Xi didn’t understand, but Qiu Wuchen, back in her room, suddenly stopped and asked, “Where’s my balm?”
“Oh, the Shizi asked for it earlier. Since you still had a box left, I gave him the rest of the old one.”
“That Yin Wuzhi…” Qiu Wuchen laughed lightly, then after a moment, shook her head and muttered, “What a shame.”
Meanwhile, as Yin Wuzhi pushed Jiang Wu out of the alley, the crowd on the street had grown thicker. Jiang Wu thought for a moment and asked, “Yin Wuzhi, do you believe what she said?”
“Which part?”
“The mole.”
“Doting a mole in this life to grow a real one in the next.” Yin Wuzhi said stiffly, “There’s no such thing as a next life. I don’t believe it.”
That made sense. Talk of reincarnation might seem plausible in books, but when it came to real life, thinking about the next life was just fooling oneself.
Suddenly, Jiang Wu said, “Stop.”
Yin Wuzhi looked up to see a cosmetics shop. His face darkened. “Who are you buying for?”
“You.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
“I saw you staring at Qiu Wuchen’s dressing table earlier.”
“…”
He was only looking at the cinnabar.
Seeing Yin Wuzhi unmoving, Jiang Wu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Since this was the first time Jiang Wu wanted to buy something for him, Yin Wuzhi frowned and let himself be led through the door.
