When there’s someone you miss, even a long journey feels unbearable. Wenge felt as though a lump of cotton was stuck in his chest—neither able to cough it up nor swallow it down. Every day, all he could do was push himself to ride harder, desperately trying to shave off a little more time, and then a little more.
He was like a torch burning fiercely into the wind. But not everyone was as resilient. After three days of relentless travel, the others finally couldn’t take it anymore and started to protest.
“Boss, if we keep going like this, we might fall apart before we even reach the capital!”
“Please, just one proper night of rest. I feel like my body’s been shaken to pieces on this saddle.”
“I’m not going. I’m done. Kill me if you must, I’m not going another step…”
Wenge frowned at the complaints, ready to scold them, when Brother Yu stepped forward to mediate. “Boss, why don’t we stop at an inn for one night? With a good rest, we’ll travel faster anyway, right?”
Brother Yu was the oldest among them. Wenge usually listened to him. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded in agreement. The others let out a collective sigh of relief and, upon arriving at the inn, collapsed into sleep like dead dogs—none of them even wanted dinner.
Their journey was one of stops and starts. A route that would take ordinary people more than a month, or even a royal courier half a month of day-and-night riding, took them only about twenty days. When they finally caught sight of the towering walls of the capital, Wenge let out a heavy breath of relief and turned to the others.
“Brother Yu, go inform the palace that we’ve returned. The rest of you, head home to wash and change. Come to my residence in an hour—we’ll enter the palace together to report.”
They used to live in the palace. But as they grew older, it became inappropriate for young men to remain in a place filled with only women and eunuchs. The late emperor had arranged for residences at the foot of the palace walls. Wenge’s house was the closest to the palace.
Everyone agreed and went their separate ways. Wenge returned to his home alone.
His residence wasn’t small, but there wasn’t a single servant in it—no one to keep it clean. He’d been away in Yingguan for more than half a year, and the place was thick with dust. He gave it a quick cleaning before bathing and changing. By the time he was done, his companions had all arrived.
After glancing at them, he led the way into the palace.
Since they had sent word ahead, a palace eunuch was already waiting at the gates. He led them inside.
Having grown up in the palace and only moved out in their teens, they were more familiar with the place than most courtiers. But after walking a short way, they noticed the route was wrong.
“The imperial study is to the south,” Wenge reminded.
The eunuch replied respectfully, “His Majesty is currently meeting with officials from the Ministry of Justice and can’t spare a moment. He instructed me to take you all to Longxi Hall to report to Chief Steward Li.”
The “Chief Steward Li” he spoke of was Li Tong. Though Li Tong had gradually fallen out of favor due to past mistakes, he remained the only one besides the emperor who knew of the existence of these secret guards. When the emperor was busy, it was still Li Tong who handled communication with them.
This arrangement had happened before, so no one questioned it. Only Wenge felt something was off—
For something as serious as the assassination of the Eldest Princess, would the emperor really not personally hear their report?
He didn’t dwell on it for long and followed the others into Longxi Hall.
As usual, the hall had been cleared of all others. Only Li Tong stood waiting inside. The eunuch who brought them in quietly excused himself and left.
“Chief Steward Li.”
Everyone cupped their fists in greeting.
Li Tong had endured no small amount of torment from Fu Zhixian over the years. He was no longer the spirited man he once was. He gave a wry smile and said, “I’m hardly anyone’s chief steward anymore. Please, don’t mock me.”
“Don’t lose heart, Chief Steward,” Brother Yu replied with customary politeness. “Ups and downs are part of life. A setback today doesn’t mean you can’t rise again tomorrow.”
Li Tong chuckled, exchanged a few pleasantries, then got to the point. “The Eldest Princess…?”
“Mission accomplished,” Wenge answered this time.
Li Tong’s smile didn’t change, but his eyes became more scrutinizing. “Truly? But over in Yingguan, there hasn’t been the slightest stir.”
“Whatever they do is none of my concern,” Wenge said bluntly. “All I know is—I completed the task assigned to me.”
Wenge, the youngest of the group, had never been good with diplomatic speech.
And yet Li Tong, a man of many twists and turns, had always found this bluntness oddly reassuring. He didn’t get angry—instead he said, “Perhaps they’re trying to maintain stability and don’t dare let the news spread. Still, your trip took quite some time. Was something amiss along the way?”
“The Eldest Princess’s estate was heavily guarded. We had to be extremely cautious, which caused some delays,” Wenge replied. He had gone over these explanations countless times on the road here, so when the moment came, he delivered them flawlessly.
Li Tong stared at him for a long time before finally sighing and picking up a teapot from the table. With downcast eyes, he poured cup after cup of tea.
“His Majesty has feared the Eldest Princess for many years. Now that it’s over, he can finally sleep soundly. You’ve all performed a great service. I offer a toast to you with tea in place of wine.”
As he spoke, he emptied the last of the tea into cups and took one himself, raising it in a gesture before downing it.
Every time they returned from a mission and Li Tong was around, this tea-toast had always been customary. No one suspected anything and all raised their cups—except Wenge, who suddenly remembered the warnings Feng Lezhen had given him before he left Yue City.
He cleared his throat. The others, cups halfway to their lips, turned to look at him.
They saw his fingers gently tapping the rim of his cup.
The motion was small, subtle—only those who had long fought at his side would recognize it. For a moment, their expressions all subtly shifted.
“What’s the matter?” Li Tong sensed something was wrong and immediately asked in a calm tone.
Wenge raised his eyes, showing a faint smile. “Nothing.”
Right in front of Li Tong, he downed the tea in one gulp, then casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve. The others followed his lead and drank theirs as well.
Seeing this, Li Tong’s smile deepened. “Over the years, you’ve done much for His Majesty. He’s always grateful for your loyalty, and often says that if not for you clearing obstacles from his path, many things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. So he asked this old servant to personally thank you.”
“To support the new emperor was the command of the late emperor. Naturally, we have no complaints. His Majesty need not be so courteous, let alone…” Wenge had only spoken halfway when he suddenly furrowed his brow. The others also changed expressions, and one of them even crouched down in pain, groaning, “There’s something wrong with the tea…”
“Chief Steward Li,” Wenge abruptly raised his head, “what is the meaning of this?”
The smile vanished from Li Tong’s face. After a long silence, he finally said quietly, “I’m just an old eunuch with no power. What meaning could I possibly have?”
“It was His Majesty…” Wenge said in a daze, “Why? What did we ever do to betray him?”
“You’ve been loyal, truly. Over these years, you’ve done many things for His Majesty, and he is indeed grateful to you. It’s just…” Li Tong paused, then continued, “Assassinating one’s blood kin is ultimately an unsavory matter. As long as you live, His Majesty cannot rest easy. Only once you’re gone can he sit securely on that throne.”
As he spoke, a trace of pity appeared on his face. “You, and us old servants too, were all left to him by the late emperor. To die for His Majesty—it could be said we’re dying in the line of duty.”
Everyone’s faces turned grim. For a moment, the great hall was deathly silent.
After a long pause, Wenge slowly spoke. “Fail the mission, we die. Succeed in the mission, we still die. Either way, we’re dead. So His Majesty never intended for us to live, even when he gave us the task.”
Li Tong tried to console them: “You’ve removed a great threat for His Majesty. He’ll make proper arrangements for your deaths.”
“So we should be grateful for that?” A mocking glint flashed in Wenge’s eyes. “We were free men. Out of gratitude to the late emperor, we stayed behind to serve. And after all the years of walking through fire and blade, this is how it ends?”
Li Tong sighed. “That’s our fate. And fate… is unchangeable.”
“What if I refuse to accept that fate?” Wenge said slowly.
Li Tong frowned, just about to say, “You’ve already been poisoned; within a quarter hour you’ll surely die,” but then he noticed something off.
Wenge lifted his hand and revealed his soaked sleeve cuff. “If I refuse to accept my fate—what then, Chief Steward Li?”
Li Tong’s face changed. “Don’t—!”
Before he could finish, Wenge struck him in the neck with a palm. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the floor.
“…Leader, what do we do now?” With Li Tong unconscious, the others dropped the act and immediately turned to Wenge for instruction.
“We go. Now.” Wenge turned on his heel and strode toward the exit.
The reason he dared walk out so openly was because he was certain Feng Ji didn’t even have the guts to execute them in person—much less lay a heavy ambush outside. The others were stunned to see him leave so boldly, but after a beat of confusion, they followed him with unwavering trust.
Just as Wenge had predicted, the palace grounds were empty—no guards in sight, just like any ordinary day they came to report. They walked straight out of the palace and, without even bothering to gather their belongings, mounted their horses and fled the capital at full speed.
Their escape had been decisive and timely. Not long after they cleared the capital, the imperial guards sealed the city gates under heavy watch.
The group had all seen countless battles. After the initial panic, they quickly made a feint toward the south to mislead their pursuers, then turned and headed north.
Since the emperor had made up his mind to kill them, there was no chance he would give up easily. But fortunately, they were faster. Always managing to stay a step ahead of their pursuers, their journey was relatively smooth.
After three days and two nights of fleeing, exhaustion finally caught up with them. They found shelter in a mountain forest to rest.
In the dark, they shared a piece of flatbread and a jug of water in silence.
After a long while, someone asked softly, “What do we do now?”
If their hunters were ordinary enemies, they could have just hidden for a while. But this time, the one hunting them was the emperor himself. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king—where in this world could they possibly hide?
Thinking of the years of devotion they had given, their hearts turned cold. Brother Yu, the oldest of them, spoke to comfort the others. “The emperor may want us dead, but he can’t make too big a scene. He knows a cornered dog will bite. If we lie low for a while and let things settle, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Where should we hide?” someone asked.
Another spoke: “Better to go somewhere bustling. Hide in plain sight. Even if we’re discovered, the emperor will hesitate to act and we’ll have a better chance to escape.”
“I think we should find somewhere remote. If it really comes to it, we could disappear into the mountains. He won’t search every wilderness.”
“Busy city is better.”
“Wilderness is safer.”
As they bickered, Brother Yu suddenly turned to Wenge. “Where do you want to go?”
Everyone quieted down, waiting for their leader’s answer.
In the silence, Wenge said calmly, “I’m going back to Yue City—to get her.”
The others were momentarily stunned, only then remembering he had someone waiting. But…
They exchanged looks, hesitating to speak, until Brother Yu voiced it directly: “Every official in Yue City is a Hua family man. And the Hua family is the emperor’s maternal clan—the most loyal people he has. If we enter Yue City, how is that any different from staying in the capital?”
“So you all don’t need to come with me. I’ll go get her myself, and we’ll regroup after,” Wenge decided.
“Nonsense,” Brother Yu frowned deeply. “It’s dangerous everywhere now, and no one knows what could happen. If we split up, there’s a high chance we’ll lose each other. How are you going to find us then? You’d be better off leaving her in Yue City for now. Once we’re past this wave, then go get her—it’ll save her from unnecessary risk.”
“Someone of her identity is in just as much danger staying in Yue City. If she hadn’t fallen ill back then, I wouldn’t have left her there alone. Now that there’s a chance to get her out, of course I must take it.” Wenge’s tone was firm.
Brother Yu looked even more troubled and was about to argue again when someone hesitantly spoke up, “I mean… under heaven, isn’t there no safer place than Yingguan?”
The group blinked—then suddenly it all made sense.
That’s right! No matter how far the emperor’s reach extended, it couldn’t touch Yingguan. They had tried to assassinate Feng Lezhen, sure, but in the end, they didn’t succeed. And now that she and their leader seemed to be together, maybe… she’d be willing to shelter them?
Everyone turned to look at Wenge. His expression darkened.
“She doesn’t even want to go back to Yingguan herself. How would she take care of you guys?”
“She didn’t want to stay in Yingguan because you weren’t there. But if you go back…”
“She’s lost her memory,” Wenge interrupted coldly. “How could she handle Yingguan’s affairs now? Besides, I already promised her we’d live in seclusion. I won’t go back on that.”
The others fell silent, the air suddenly stiff. Brother Yu quickly tried to smooth things over. “Let’s worry about the future later. For now, we should rest—just rest…”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when the sound of a snapping branch came from nearby. The men who had been sprawled lazily on the ground sprang to their feet in an instant, eyes alert and fixed on the direction of the sound.
“Who’s there?” Wenge asked in a low voice.
In the dim moonlight, Ah Ye stepped out from between the trees. Upon seeing them, she smiled slightly. “Lords, it’s been a long time.”
Wenge’s gaze darkened at the sight of her.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 10+ chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
