Xun Changqing covered her cheek, frowning slightly. Recalling how Wei Lingci had poked her cheek the night before, she felt a twinge of guilt and let the matter drop. She turned to head back to her room, but Wei Lingci caught her hand and led her to the study.
“I’ll not beat around the bush. Since Yuan Qingming is here, His Majesty clearly wants you back in the capital. There’s something I must tell you—your mother consort has been missing for days, her whereabouts unknown. There’s no sign of her in all the Great Qi borderlands.”
The soft words scattered like leaves in a gale, crashing into her ears and freezing her thoughts. Xun Changqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. Gripped tightly by Wei Lingci’s hands on her shoulders, she stared at her in a daze, tears welling in her eyes. “You’re joking with me. How could Mother Consort be missing? I wrote her a letter just days ago.”
Wei Lingci’s earnest gaze fell on her peach-blossom eyes, filled with undisguised anxiety. “Changqing, you’re thirteen now. You carry the blood of both Great Qi and the borderlands. His Majesty is a wise ruler, but that doesn’t mean others are decent folk. You understand the rest without my explanation. You mustn’t go looking for her.”
“Why not? She’s my mother. You want me to return safely to the Imperial Capital and turn a blind eye? I can’t do that…” Xun Changqing shoved Wei Lingci away fiercely and turned to leave. She couldn’t trust Wei Lingci—this was her greatest regret after rebirth in this life.
Her steps were quick, but Wei Lingci was faster, blocking the doorway and sliding the bolt shut. Her eyes grew sorrowful and lost as Xun Changqing’s tears fell. “Even your father dares not intervene now, letting His Majesty handle it. What ability do you have to investigate? It would move the whole body by pulling a hair—one wrong move, and your life is in their hands. How can you do as you wish? Changqing, things are unclear now. You must hold steady. The court is more terrifying than the battlefield.”
It felt as if she had stepped into desperation once more.
Xun Changqing bowed her head in silence, her fine brows knitted. Though prepared, she still didn’t want to accept it. In her previous life, her mother consort had likely faced the same; she had her own path and couldn’t interfere, only offering silent blessings. She nodded in agreement with Wei Lingci.
With her assent, Wei Lingci’s furrowed brow eased. Her fingertip brushed the teardrops like crystal beads on her cheek, and she whispered, “I already said it earlier—I’ll go back to the Imperial Capital with you!”
Xun Changqing was the surprised one. Wei Lingci had only mentioned traveling together tomorrow to Shangrao, not returning to the capital together. “Why go? You have no need to wade into this muddy water.”
In her previous life, it hadn’t been like this. Wei Lingci wouldn’t help; she’d stand idly by. Why the change now? Was it because in this life, she hadn’t harbored those irreverent feelings toward her, so Wei Lingci showed her mercy?
“Muddy water… Lingyun Mountain is no different—we can no longer stay here, you or I. It’s time to leave.” She gripped Xun Changqing’s still-trembling hand tightly and glanced at the bleak autumn scene outside. Her eyes were resolute. “Changqing, trust this master. I will surely deliver you safely to your father’s side.”
………………………………………………………………………..
The silver moon shone on the pitch-black grassland, casting a faint, cold glow. The grassland stretched endlessly like a boundless desert; amid it, nothing but green grass could be seen.
A woman in red armor darted swiftly around the tents in the moonlight, her figure slender and shadowy. She stopped before the main tent, coughed lightly, and slipped inside.
It was deep into the night, dew condensing, the wind piercingly cold.
Xun Yisu’s tent still glowed with lamplight. The grassland nights were frigid, and though it was merely deep autumn, she couldn’t resist ordering a brazier lit.
When Yuan Man entered, Xun Yisu sat under the lamp reading a book. Beneath the light, the beauty was like jade, her bright eyes captivating, her slender fingers turning the pages with elegant grace. But those eyes, shimmering with brilliance, left Yuan Man unable to resist.
She stepped forward slowly and gently pushed aside the book in her hands, leaning close with a smile. “Asu, look at me. Look at me—I’m so handsome. How can these dull, boring books compare to my unparalleled beauty?”
“Truly shameless,” Xun Yisu said, though her eyes fixed on Yuan Man’s face. Her complexion had darkened, no longer as delicate as in the Imperial Capital. Xun Yisu smiled faintly, her heart aching as she caressed Yuan Man’s cheek. “A’Man, I want to leave this place.”
The object of her constant longing stood before her—how could Yuan Man not rejoice? She boldly declared, “Good! Let’s leave for the Border City. I’ll provide for you.”
Xun Yisu’s smile faded slightly. “But with the Princess Consort missing, the borderlands are in turmoil. If I leave abruptly now, it might spark war between Great Qi and the borderlands. I’d be the sinner of the ages.”
Yuan Man’s face shifted from joy to gloom, and she fell silent. Matters between nations indeed allowed no recklessness from the two of them. Being able to see her often and know her situation was satisfaction enough. She shed her armor and boots, collapsing into Xun Yisu’s gentle, fragrant embrace, and turned to business. “Has the Princess Consort returned to the borderlands?”
“No. I’ve kept watch on Ana Xuan’s side—no news. With exchanges between the two nations, the matter hasn’t surfaced. Great Qi stays silent, and the borderlands play dumb. But alchemists from the National Capital have arrived, their skills superb. Their pills bring wild exhilaration, and the ruler is gradually becoming addicted. I fear he won’t last long.”
Those addicted to pills abounded in Great Qi, but they shortened lives, hollowing out the body.
Yuan Man gazed at her intently and smiled. “Asu, you should help Ana Xuan seize the throne, then announce to the world that she’s a woman. The borderlands will descend into chaos, haha…”
“Enough with your nonsense,” Xun Yisu tapped her nose tip, growing serious. “If Ana Xuan ascends as emperor, even if the people know she’s a woman, they couldn’t shake her position. It would be throwing eggs at rocks.”
