With Xu Shuqiao having become an official, the Xu residence had long since moved. They no longer lived in the desolate alley of the past, but had moved to a large residence closer to the Imperial Palace. When Xu Shuqiao left morning court and returned home, she could hear the thump-thump of a bamboo boards arising from the rear courtyard from a distance. Only when she grew closer did she find that her mother was using a plank of red sandalwood as a disciplining rule, bringing it down blow after blow on Xu Shuyi. Xu Shuyi, on the other hand, was sprawled atop a long bench, her moon-pale silk trousers around her knees, her rear crisscrossed with dozens of red, raised marks, her usually neatly-gathered hair in a disarray, stray strands stuck to the nape of her neck with sweat. Conducting trade to raise her two daughters had long since caused a swift and decisive temper in Mother Xu. In these past few years, she'd been most proud of her elder daughter earning the Emperor's favour,...

Before Feng Puzhi arrived, her voice carried in; in the moment He Leyong and Xie Qianbing were startled, she pulled the curtain aside and arrived before them. The two had never seen Feng Puzhi before, and just now they'd only heard her bell-like voice, and had assumed she was a middle-aged woman. Only once they truly saw her did they realise she was already in her seventies. Feng Puzhi's figure was thin, and the clothing she wore, made of coarse hemp, had started fading from wash, and the collar of her inner robes, revealed at her neck, gave off the faint scent of honey locust. Though it was already a summer's day, she dressed in spring weather clothing, as if she couldn't sense the blazing heat of the moment. Her figure lacked any adornments except for the peach-wood hairpin that carelessly gathered her headful of silver hair. "Shifu," Qin Anhe called out, and hurried over to stand at Feng Puzhi's side. Feng Puzhi didn't respond, merely meeting He Ley...

The great hall was deathly silent, the newly-promoted Vice-Minister of War's head lowered, and, unseen by anyone else, wiped at her temples. All the ministers' heads were lowered, not a single one daring to make a sound. All of them knew it wasn't a good assignment. Though Shejin had already bowed its head and declared vassalage to the Great Li, the rumours from the border lately had long since reached the capital, and everyone knew there was something strange about Shejin; they'd only managed with great effort to come to such positions, and naturally they valued their lives. Seeing Xie Qianbing had spoken, everyone let out breath of relief. Jiang Changbai's heart, though, skipped a beat, and after muttering to herself for a few moments, she said, "Shejin is far away, and if you are to go now, it would take at least two months to reach it. The Ministry of Appointments is busy and bustling—Qianbing, have you thought this through?" Jiang Changbai's words...

Actually, at first, Song Juguang didn't know what Qin Zhixun's "I've already won against you" meant; after the Great Li's capital saw off the Shejin Envoy, it returned to its usual tranquility. If some upset had to be mentioned, then it would only be learning that the prisoner who'd tried to assassinate Qin Zhixun had run into a wall and passed away. The one most shocked by this was Jiang Changbai. Though that night Song Juguang had told her everything, Jiang Changbai was still curious about Song Juguang's past. So, she'd specially ordered the Warden to treat that prisoner a bit better, and at least keep her a live, so that she could question her in the future. She hadn't imagined that, before she'd even managed to make the time to go question her, she'd die. With neither a name nor relatives, it was said that it was the old woman in the cell next to hers who'd found a mat to wrap her body in. Song Juguang, though, wasn't emotio...

After she'd been chased out of the Regent's resident that day, Qin Zhixun didn't see Song Juguang again. At this moment, the difference in status between the two of them was massive; as long as Song Juguang wished to avoid her, regardless of how much Qin Zhixun waited, she'd never see her. No matter how dissatisfied Qin Zhixun was, when the day came, she still had to depart. The day's sun had just climbed above the city walls' outside the city, and the newly-sprouted, tender shoots on the tree branches still carried a fine layer of frost; more than forty carriages were arranged after each other on the official road, and the small, triangular flags atop their roofs made flapping sounds as they were blown in the wind. When Qin Zhixun had arrived, there had been only about twenty carriages, but now that she was about to leave, things had flipped. Actually, Qin Zhixun wasn't cold at all, but in order to not seem to strange, she had wrapped herself in a cloak. Sh...

Feng Puzhi didn't respond, and turned, leaving the warm room. "Jie, don't listen to what Shifu said," Qin Anhe only dared to mumble quietly after watching Feng Puzhi go far away. "Any good plan has something overlooked; what if Shifu's wrong?" "I know." Chen Xun raised a hand, placing it over Qin Anhe's, but her voice was desolate. The heavy scent of medicine floated in the wing of the relay station; only when Su Ya made it to the doorway did she suddenly feel that this room was one she'd been in when she'd arrived to the Great Li as Envoy back then. But things had changed with the passage of time, and now, it was she who was entering from outside. Su Ya pushed the door open without knocking; when she entered, Qin Zhixun was half-reclining on the gold-embroidered pillow, and she reached out, picking up the bowl of medicine on the low table. "Shejin's eye for selecting envoys has gotten worse and worse." Su Ya brushed o...

Song Juguang had more or less decided to tell Jiang Changbai everything, but she'd only just spoken when a sudden change occurred on the horizon. The originally fine flutter of falling snow suddenly changed to the size of goose feathers, and amid the thick layers of clouds in the sky, there was suddenly the muted sound of thunder. Both of their expressions changed. Jiang Changbai only now recalled that, each time she'd asked Song Juguang about her past, strange things like this would occur. A sudden thread of comprehension flashed through her mind, and Jiang Changbai looked at Song Juguang, and asked, testingly, "You can't say it?" Song Juguang closed her eyes and let out a sigh, and then nodded slowly. The goose feather snow suddenly grew smaller. A degree of pleasant surprise flashed in Jiang Changbai's eyes, and she continued, "Then, is Qin Zhixun truly your shimei?" Song Juguang first nodded, and then immediately shook her head. She was, but she ...