A tightness sat in Shen Zhou’s chest like a stone. Yi Yuan swept an arm aside and stepped forward, his broad frame cutting off Shen Zhou’s view.
“Then we’ll see if you’re capable,” he said.
The words hung between them like a spark that set the air ablaze without sound.
Yi Zhen and Yun Qianying were not fools; they heard the unspoken meaning just as clearly. Yun Qianying caught her sleeve and gave a half-smile of innocent confusion.
“Azhou, let’s go. Don’t argue with him. Your body hasn’t healed—this cold will only make it worse.”
Shen Zhou did not protest. Yi Yuan made no further comment. The two sides split. Yi Zhen shot one long look at Yi Yuan’s ice-cold face and, saying nothing, followed the others away.
Yi Yuan turned once, glanced disdainfully at the pair who were pretending not to notice, and—trying not to stay too close—let fall casually as he passed, “Go home.”
Then he strode toward the palace gate.
Hun Yuan gave Ye Xi a quick shove. “Hurry, go. I told you.”
Ye Xi blinked, baffled. “What about you? You’re not coming?”
She made a pleading motion. “Brother, you can’t just leave me here.”
Feigning ignorance, Hun Yuan grabbed Lianyi—who was standing obediently beside him—and muttered as he hurried off, “Ah, today’s lessons are all messed up. Lianyi, come on, we must make up time. Your mother will be here soon to pick you up…”
Ye Xi could only sigh. She exchanged a quiet look with Saixing through the gauze curtain, then reluctantly slipped out of the palace.
No one noticed the figure standing in the darkness of the artificial rock passage in Jingchun Garden. Emperor Zhao Huan had his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed in the direction Yi Yuan and Ye Xi had taken.
“Shiping,” the emperor said, his finger absently rolling the jade token at his waist. His expression was unreadable. “Reopen the inquiry into that ‘Manping’ woman’s origins. And—look into any ties she might have to Prince Yu’an.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Eunuch Zhang bowed, about to send someone off when the emperor suddenly asked, “Has Hun Yuan been going through the files about the epidemic from fourteen years ago?”
Bending still lower, Zhang answered in a whisper, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor hummed softly and fell silent for a long moment. Just as Zhang was about to suggest the emperor return to the palace to tend his health, Zhao Huan spoke again.
“Now that these people have revealed themselves, follow the trail. Don’t let them slip away. Do what can be done. Anything delicate—report it to Hun Yuan.”
Zhang cast a swift glance toward the shadowed rock and lowered his eyes even further. “Understood, your servant will see to it.”
In Zhihong Garden—
Yi Yuan sat on a low stool, his hands resting on the arms of the chair as if they were anchors. He had Ye Xi tucked into his embrace, her cheek barely two or three inches from his. He tipped his chin up, his handsome features close enough that his cold, star-bright eyes could study the pale depths of her gaze.
“Where did you take so long? What were you doing with Hun Yuan?” he asked.
“Xiaoxi…” He leaned in until his nose nearly brushed hers. Warm breath mingled, leaving her no room to retreat. He dropped his voice deliberately, drawing out the words in a tone that was all charm.
“Don’t lie to me.”
Luckily Ye Xi’s throat was still hoarse and she had little voice; otherwise Yi Yuan’s proximity might have undone her. She pressed against his chest and shoved him outward, cheeks flushing. She gestured wildly, insisting she had only gone to see Lianyi. Hun Yuan was Lianyi’s master; it was only natural they met.
When pressed about the delay, her black eyes darted and she improvised. “Brother wanted to discuss formally taking Lianyi in as a disciple. After all, I’m nominally his junior sister—things like whether he’ll appear or what to present must be arranged ahead of time so nothing goes awry.”
The excuse was thin but plausible. Yi Yuan stared at her a long moment, then, half-punishing, half-indulgent, planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Alright, I believe you.”
The soft press of her mouth was a spark that set them both off. They tangled pleasantly for a while, breathless when they finally paused.
Settling her back into his arms, they turned their attention to the finer points of Yi Yaofeng’s birthday celebration. Ye Xi hesitated over the invitation for the Yun family. Both Liu Jingyue and Yun Qi had once saved her life; she owed them. Yun Qianying, however, was a thorn in her side she would gladly be rid of. But both Liu Jingyue and Yun Qi doted on Yun Qianying—omitting her would be awkward, a slight to Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue.
Ii Yuan, idly twirling a lock of Ye Xi’s hair around his finger, sounded unusually languid. “Don’t overthink it. Send a single card to Lady Yun, but keep the wording vague about guests. Yun Qi isn’t married—there’s no need to send him a separate invite.”
“I’ll speak to Yun Qi privately; he’ll understand. As for Yun Qianying…” He looked down at Ye Xi and very nearly shook his head. “If she had any sense of propriety, she wouldn’t come.”
Ye Xi accepted the logic and asked Saixing to handle the matter. Then, while Yi Yuan attended to messier affairs, she slipped back into the palace to give Hun Yuan the formal word on accepting Lianyi as a disciple—and to examine the old files.
Time slipped by and before she knew it, the day had arrived to belatedly celebrate Yi Yaofeng’s birthday. The weather blessed them: a warm sun breaking through winter, scattering bright light and lending a cheerful air to the cold season. Ye Xi’s voice had returned enough to be heard, though it remained rough and small.
They had kept the guest list modest, but the boy’s little celebration still drew gifts from families that had not clearly picked sides at court. The mansion’s great doors stood open as House Chen bustled at the threshold, the steward beaming and managing the steady flow.
Yi Yaofeng wore a bright red garment that the tailor Jiang Ning had rushed to finish, and a tiny embroidered tiger cap perched atop his head. A translucent jade pendant the size of a fist hung at his throat, making him look like a porcelain doll as he darted among the adults with a cheerful smile.
Besides the familiar elders who knew Ye Xi and Yi Yuan, the child’s own small friends were there—children he had befriended before the examinations, and Lianyi among them. Yi Yuan had seen fit to send Yi Yaofeng to the Imperial Academy; he thought the academy would do him good, both for learning and for mixing with peers.
As midday neared, most guests had arrived. Ye Xi checked the time and thought it was nearly time to begin, yet Liu Jingyue had not appeared. Yun Qi, on the other hand, was already present, but Ye Xi found herself restless. She was about to ask Saixing what had delayed Liu Jingyue when an usher’s voice called out: “Lady Liu Jingyue has arrived.”