Scorching—like a fire ignited in the dead of winter, thawing limbs frozen stiff.Soft—like a brocade quilt spun from drifting clouds.Sweet—like the taste of sugar figurines he once cherished, savoring them again and again.
Ye Jiao flung herself into Li Ce's arms. Instinctively, he raised his hands to catch her, but she had already leapt to her feet with agile grace.
"Ah!" she gasped, glancing up, her expression a blend of surprise, shyness, and deep concern."You... you're not crushed, are you?"
Li Ce shook his head with a muffled grunt, the tips of his ears burning red as if they might ignite at any moment. His body wasn't so frail that it would be undone by the weight of such a soft and delicate woman.
Yet Ye Jiao became unusually cautious, her back slightly arched like a stealthy kitten tiptoeing away. As she spoke, she tilted her head, lips nearly brushing his chin. Her warm, fragrant breath enveloped him, making his heart threaten to burst from his chest.
Li Ce fought to steady his voice, forcing his tongue to cooperate.
"Ye Jiao... could you please get off me?"
"Alright."She struggled to climb off him, thoughtfully handing him a pillow. Their fingers brushed—a touch of ice meeting fire, skin to skin, trading warmth, and igniting a silent, swelling tension.
It seemed that only in this moment, something between them shifted irreversibly.
Ye Jiao's gaze darted away in a panic. Just as Li Ce opened his mouth to speak, she hastily adjusted her clothes.
"I... haven't been home in days. See you tomorrow!"
Before Li Ce could utter a word, she turned and bolted—like a rabbit pursued by a hawk. No, more like the rabbit from that fable of waiting by the tree—because she collided with a screen, knocking over the embroidered landscape divider as she fled, leaving behind a cacophony of "thud," "clang," and "crash." Who knew how many things she had run into on her way out.
"Miss, please slow down!"Li Ce heard a servant shout from the courtyard, "I'm carrying your medicine—"
Smack.
"It's alright!" the servant called out again, "I'll prepare another bowl."
The gate creaked open. She was gone—and the door left ajar.
Li Ce leaned against the pillow with a wry smile.So… he had frightened her?
The woman who had led bailiffs through the inferno of Mount Li, fighting bandits with sword in hand—startled by him?
Dark clouds pressed low over the undulating mountains, and in an instant, rolled overhead, unleashing a torrent of cold rain. The further northwest they traveled, the colder the air, the sharper the rain.
Ye Changgen rummaged through his pack and threw on a raincloak. Ye Jiao had prepared it—more convenient than a straw cape, more portable than an umbrella. The convoy didn't stop; neither could his horse.
Candlelight flickered in the carriage ahead. Unless he guessed wrong, the taciturn second prince, Prince Jin, was reading.
After being appointed Commandant by the Emperor, Ye Changgen had originally been assigned to follow Prince Su, Li Long, westward. But after Li Long was stripped of rank and banished to his fief, his army fell under Prince Jin's command.
They had now been marching nearly a month, resting only to sleep. Even meals were eaten on horseback. The wind howled, the rain poured—once, during an earthquake, buildings collapsed, yet they did not stop to aid the people.
Prince Jin said, natural disasters were the responsibility of local governors. Their duty was to take over Prince Su's forces and devise a strategy against the Tibetan troops.
Ye Changgen disagreed but remembered his mother's teachings: think carefully before acting, never act on impulse.
If all went well, they would reach Prince Su's old stronghold, Shazhou, by dusk.
Shortly after noon, a courier arrived with an urgent dispatch and immediately rode ahead toward Shazhou.
Ye Changgen couldn't help wondering: what did the letter say?
"It's done in the capital!" a subordinate exclaimed once the courier had gone, sharing a carriage with Li Zhang.
"Mm."Li Zhang nodded briefly, set aside his scroll, and lifted the curtain to peer out.
The rain was thinning and would soon cease.
The dispatch brought imperial orders: Prince Su, Li Long, in an attempt to cover up his murder of Sima Cheng'en and framing of the late Prince Chen twelve years ago, had attacked the magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture on Mount Li. For this, the Emperor stripped him of his title and sentenced him to lifelong confinement.
The decree did not mention Li Ce, but Li Zhang knew—if Li Long had been cornered into such desperation, Li Ce surely played a part. Weak in body though he was, this brother proved more capable than any of the others.
Just then, a scout rode in from the direction of Shazhou, dismounted, and whispered a report.
"Your Highness, we cannot proceed further."
Li Zhang's expression darkened. "Speak."
"There's something amiss in Shazhou," the scout said. "The troop movements don't look like they're preparing to welcome Your Highness—they seem to be avoiding us. I've also learned that bandits have been increasingly active in the desert nearby, harassing civilians. I fear someone plans to exploit this chaos."
Stirring trouble, in other words. Likely an ambush disguised as a bandit attack—an ominous gift from Prince Su. After all, Shazhou was still his territory, its soldiers loyal, cultivated over a decade.
The scout waited outside the carriage. One of Li Zhang's attendants lifted the curtain, concern etched on his face. The rain-drenched plains blurred into mist, visibility low, the heart uneasy.
"Your Highness," the attendant ventured, "perhaps we should take shelter at a nearby post station?"
With nightfall and poor visibility, an ambush could be deadly.
"No need," Li Zhang replied. "The courier is already in Shazhou."
He said little, but the attendant understood his meaning: the imperial decree had already been delivered. Those with any sense would know siding with a disgraced prince was suicide.
"Let's go."Li Zhang picked up his book again, returning to where he left off, wholly focused.
Ye Changgen, riding at the rear, noticed scouts reporting frequently to Prince Jin. The main force didn't slow—marching steadily toward Shazhou. A strange unease made his hand drift to his sword hilt.
Roughly thirty miles from Shazhou, a signal arrow pierced the air. Moments later, a cavalry unit approached, led by a general of Shazhou. Broad-shouldered and burly, he dismounted and knelt before the carriage.
"Your servant, Cheng Tianjin, comes to welcome Prince Jin."
Prince Jin's carriage halted. Soon, an order was issued: Ye Changgen and his men were to fall back into the woods, leaving only twenty guards. The prince had important matters to discuss with Shazhou's commander.
Ye Changgen obeyed and withdrew. Just a quarter of an hour later, a second order came: Cheng Tianjin had attempted to assassinate the prince and had been executed on the spot.
Ye Changgen rushed to the carriage, only to see Cheng Tianjin and his men lying dead, their corpses riddled with arrows. One of the prince's guards was dead, two others severely wounded.
He inhaled sharply and asked those nearby, "What happened?"
No one answered.
The army pressed forward, trampling over Cheng Tianjin's corpse as if it were no more than a crushed ant.
Even Prince Jin's attendants were baffled. It was they who had ambushed and slain the supposed defectors. But why? Cheng Tianjin had clearly recognized the tide had turned and was ready to pledge loyalty.
"I have no use for traitors," Li Zhang said coldly. "His value lies in serving as an example—one that will save me from executing every officer in Shazhou."
His attendants shivered, but dared not object.
"Your Highness will sweep through Shazhou like a blade through silk," one whispered, "and claim it as your own."
Li Zhang smiled faintly.
"Only Shazhou?"How limited your vision...