Soon, night fell.
Yin Wuzhi had said he would handle everything for her, so Yao Ji prepared nothing. She did not go to see Zhao Cheng. Though she had given birth to him, she hadn’t raised him. The way he treated her now had already broken her heart.
Only Jiang Wu truly cared about her. Only a child she had raised herself would understand her.
She left the reception estate through the back door, where a carriage was already waiting. Inside, it was comfortable and well-prepared, even including a familiar maidservant. Jiang Wu, as ever, had taken care of every detail.
The carriage moved off, leaving the walls of the reception estate behind. Behind the wall screen, the national teacher quietly stepped out, his gaze indifferent.
Inside the carriage, Yao Ji journeyed smoothly out of Guanjing. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her mother. So many years had passed—what would she be like now?
She couldn’t help but think of Jiang Wu, the gentlest child she had ever known. If only he had been born in Zhao. If only she were still the Lady of the He family, she wouldn’t have had to push him like this. Her family would have been able to protect her.
But…
She lifted the curtain, gazing out at the moon that followed alongside her, calming her gradually.
Days later, during negotiations, the Zhao envoys proposed executing Yao Ji to appease Great Xia’s public. But when they sent people to the reception estate to find her, she was nowhere to be found.
The Zhao envoys were baffled.
Zuo Haoqing sneered, “Is this Zhao’s sincerity? Offering her while secretly sending her away.”
“There must be some misunderstanding.” The envoys, wiping their brows, said, “We’d like to meet the Crown Prince.”
Yin Wuzhi agreed.
Zhao Cheng hadn’t seen Yao Ji in days, but he’d never imagined she would abandon him and leave Guanjing on her own.
Ku Yin remarked, “We could send people to pursue her.”
“If she is brought back, then we can discuss it further.”
Yao Ji had a head start, and with escorts and Zhao’s unfamiliarity with Great Xia, catching up with her was near impossible.
The Zhao envoys were detained, and in his chamber, Zhao Cheng paced back and forth while Ku Yin sat quietly.
Suddenly, Zhao Cheng slammed a hand down on the table. “She abandoned me. She left me to escape on her own. How could there be such a woman in this world!”
Ku Yin asked, “What do you intend to do?”
Eyes red with fury, Zhao Cheng replied, “National Teacher, where do you think she’ll go?”
“Nowhere in Great Xia will shelter her. But the He family remains influential in Zhao.”
“She’ll return to Zhao,” Zhao Cheng spat. “She abandoned me and went back on her own… That woman! How could there be such a woman!”
With that, he kicked over his chair.
In Zhao’s capital, Zhao Ying’s expression was grave upon receiving the news. He summoned He Xiang, the current head of the He family and He Wei’s other son, and showed him the message from the envoys.
After reading, He Xiang said calmly, “The safety of the Crown Prince takes priority.”
Zhao Ying nodded and put the message away.
Zhao Ying said, “What about the Old Madam…”
“She is now so ill that she is unconscious. No one will gossip.”
Zhao Ying nodded and put the letter away.
Yao Ji was escorted back to her country by Xia emissaries. However, due to the tense relations between the two nations, the group only escorted her as far as the border. Her striking appearance made her stand out too much, so she had to blacken her face and feel her way forward on her own. It took her a full half-month to reach the hillside before Zhao’s capital, where she finally saw the towering city walls.
Her clothes were in tatters, and she was utterly disheveled. Tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes.
Autumn had arrived again, the sky high and the clouds light. The sunlight was no longer as scorching as before.
Today, Yin Wuzhi seemed to be in a good mood. After court, he had fine wine and delicacies laid out in the hall. Jiang Wu, though usually reluctant to move, was still willing to eat as long as someone fed him.
He slumped over the table, watching Yin Wuzhi adjust the zither strings.
“You can play the zither?”
“Just a little.”
“Even the demon concubine is this modest.”
Yin Wuzhi glanced at him, his pale fingers falling away from the strings. “I am the demon concubine.”
Jiang Wu’s lifeless body remained sprawled on the table, but he lifted his head, and a spark of liveliness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Yin Wuzhi.
“This shizi’s robe suits you.”
“Is it the robe that looks good, or the person?”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Yin Wuzhi set the zither down on the table and said, “Hurry up and say it.”
“You look good.”
Jiang Wu thought Yin Wuzhi suited red well. Last autumn, Yin Wuzhi had worn this same robe when he walked through the jade steps with an umbrella, arriving at the Taiji Hall.
Back then, Yin Wuzhi had worn a dignified crown and attire, looking sharp and clean-cut, exuding the aura of a newly forged blade.
Now, though, with his hair casually tied back, and a bright red beauty mark near his eye, he had an almost bewitching charm.
Yin Wuzhi’s pink tongue ran over his lips as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Wu, who obediently returned the stare.
“Your Majesty…” Yin Wuzhi’s expression was peculiar. “Are you hungry?”
Jiang Wu squirmed slightly, adjusting his position to lay more comfortably on the table. “What song will you play?”
Yin Wuzhi sat upright and strummed a single note on the zither.
“March of the Setting Sun,” he said.
Jiang Wu: “.”
He had wanted to hear a gentler tune.
Meanwhile, Yao Ji hurried down the hillside, her excitement turning to misfortune as she twisted her ankle and tumbled down. Dizzy and out of breath, she forced herself up, massaging her sore foot as she took step after step toward the city gate.
Yin Wuzhi plucked the zither, and Jiang Wu slowly reached for a cushion, placing it under his chin, deciding to indulge in Yin Wuzhi’s rare mood and listen for a while.
The gates of Zhao’s capital city swung open, and a figure on horseback rode through. Yao Ji immediately recognized the armor. “He Family’s soldiers!”
She ran up joyously. “He Family soldier, are you? What’s your name?”
He Xiang gave her a cold look. “Who are you?”
“I am He Qiu, the daughter of the He Family. How is the old madam doing? Xiang Er, Fan Er—they must be all grown up by now.”
“I am He Xiang.”
Yao Ji stared at him, smiling through tears. “You’re Xiang Er? Come down and let your auntie take a look at you. I’ve finally come home and can see you all again…”
The sound of a sword being drawn filled the air.
The zither’s tone suddenly intensified. Jiang Wu could almost envision the clash of thousands of soldiers, the ringing of steel against steel, and the thunderous sound of armor colliding.
Yao Ji felt the cold blade against her neck, and her smile faded. “Xiang Er, what are you doing?”
“My aunt died a long time ago. Who are you to pretend to be He Qiu?”
“I am He Qiu. I just returned from Xia…” Yao Ji paused. “You and Fan Er were still young when I left Zhao. It’s fine if you don’t recognize me, but how is the old madam? Let me see her.”
A familiar voice answered, “Lady He,” and Yao Ji quickly recognized him as an old officer of her brother’s. “Commander Huang!”
“Lady He, the young lord has brought us here today to send you on your way.”
Yao Ji stumbled back, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve brought disgrace to the He Family, falling into enemy hands in Xia, bearing the child of our enemy. That would have been enough, but now that the crown prince is imprisoned and you abandoned him to return here, the entire delegation is held captive by Xia, their lives in danger—all because of you.”
Yao Ji felt dizzy. These weren’t the He Family soldiers she remembered.
“Where is Zhao Ying? I want to see Zhao Ying,” she demanded.
“The emperor has already received a personal letter from the Xia Emperor, and only after an agreement with General He—only your death will bring the crown prince back to Zhao.”
Yao Ji’s pupils shook. Her mind went blank.
The zither trembled under Yin Wuzhi’s fingers, his brows lifted in triumph.
Jiang Wu, listening, shifted restlessly, his face rolling back and forth on the cushion.
Yao Ji’s thoughts whirled. “You’re lying! Wu Er would never harm me. He’s a good child; he loves, respects, and fears me. He would never harm me!”
“Enough talk,” He Xiang ordered, raising his hand.
The soldiers drew their bows.
Yao Ji’s expression twisted. “Wu Er would never harm me! Wu Er cares about me, and Zhao Ying wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me!” She spat, “It’s Zhao Ying, isn’t it? He’s the emperor now, and now he wants to get rid of me. Zhao Ying, come out here!”
The sounds of battle roared in Jiang Wu’s ears. He yawned and, moving lazily, bit into a grape on his plate, but it rolled, clinking onto the plate.
An arrow was released.
Blood splattered through the air.
The zither went silent.
Jiang Wu tried to pull the grape back with his teeth, dragging it slowly, very slowly.
Laughter rang out. Yin Wuzhi pressed his fingers against the strings, looking at Jiang Wu’s face with gentle eyes. “You look like a cat.”
Jiang Wu couldn’t bite down on the grape until Yin Wuzhi came closer, his red robe trailing as he pinched Jiang Wu’s cheeks. “Let go.”
More arrows flew through the air, each one releasing a spray of blood.
Jiang Wu released the grape, which Yin Wuzhi now held between his fingers. He peeled it, then gently fed it back to Jiang Wu’s mouth. “Is it sweet?”
Jiang Wu swallowed, murmuring softly, “Mmm.”
A faint sound hit the ground as she collapsed.
Shifting her gaze, she saw a man in an imperial yellow dragon robe standing atop the city gate—Zhao Ying.
Beside him stood the groom who had accompanied her to the Zhao Kingdom border.
“Guh.” Blood trickled down her throat, unable to be fully swallowed and choking her slightly. She gasped for breath, coughing, as blood splattered before her eyes.
Yin Wuzhi walked around the table, pulling the limp figure into his embrace. Peeling another grape, he fed it to him, saying, “You’ve grown bold, sneaking bites now.”
“It’s not sneaking.”
“Oh, it’s sneaking.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
Jiang Wu tugged his hair, and Yin Wuzhi leaned in to plant a kiss. His gaze was full of tenderness, but Jiang Wu stubbornly insisted, “It’s not sneaking.”
“Alright, then it’s not,” Yin Wuzhi relented, giving up on arguing. He took a bite of the grape himself, chuckling quietly as he held Jiang Wu close.
Days later, the Kingdom of Xia received a personal letter from the Zhao Emperor. Minister Chen stroked his beard, stating, “He Qiu was killed outside Zhao’s capital by her own family’s forces, cleaning up their own mess.”
King Dingnan sighed, “Zhao Ying—he’s surprisingly ruthless.”
“With his son Zhao Cheng held captive in Xia, he’d rather sacrifice his wife than lose his son.”
“A son can be replaced, but his wife…”
Prime Minister Chen cleared his throat, and King Dingnan quickly corrected himself, “Of course, a wife is as important as a son! Zhao Ying, for all his faults, has some spine. We must tread carefully with him.”
Then, he glanced sideways at Yin Wuzhi.
