“You…”
Don’t you remember me?
Wei Fu’s lips moved slightly, as though he wanted to speak but held himself back. The young man in black pushed up the brim of his bamboo hat with his fingertips and raised his eyes to scrutinize him. “But I’ve never been to Xiling before, nor have I ever visited the household of the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation. I wonder where Young Master Wei could have seen me?”
Wei Fu visibly froze for a moment and murmured to himself, “That’s true… Of course you couldn’t possibly have been here…”
That blunt denial fell like a blade, severing the last shred of hope he had left. Perhaps remembering how Wei Fu had protected him just now, the young man in black awkwardly attempted to make amends. “For someone as remarkable as Young Master Wei, if I had ever met you, even only once, I should not have forgotten so easily.”
The flattery accomplished nothing except making Wei Fu feel even worse. He forced the corners of his lips upward. “I dare not accept such praise. You flatter me.”
For a moment, neither of them knew what else to say. They stood facing each other in an awkward silence. Outside the window, leaves rustled in the wind, while vendors’ cries rose and fell from the distant streets, making the stillness inside the room suddenly feel all the more pronounced.
“You today…”
“Today…”
They spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time. The young man in black recovered first and quickly said, “Thank you for helping me out today, Young Master Wei. I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t impose any longer. Farewell.”
“Wait!”
How could Wei Fu possibly let him slip away just like that? His questions came at him like a barrage. “Why did you come to Xiling this time? What’s wrong with that apothecary? Why did you go there? What exactly happened with the murder? Did you know the deceased?”
The young man in black tilted his head slightly, his pale lips turning downward as he seemed to click his tongue very softly. “You ask too many questions.”
“Not as many as the suspicious things about you.”
“And if I refuse to answer?”
“Then I…”
Wei Fu suddenly stopped. He said nothing and merely stared at him, his eyes faintly reddening. A moment later, he abruptly looked away, lowered his head, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “It seems I really don’t have much of a way to deal with you.”
The young man in black stood with his arms folded, feeling that the words somehow sounded both helpless and faintly threatening.
He could not see through what Wei Fu was thinking. If the person standing before him were merely some ordinary man with no influence over court affairs, he could have turned around and left without another word. But Wei Fu was a close and trusted minister of the emperor of Xiling. If he failed to give Wei Fu a satisfactory explanation today and Wei Fu remembered the slight, what if he repaid it elsewhere someday—with interest?
After pondering briefly, he quickly made up his mind and said, “Since Young Master Wei recognizes me, there’s no need for us to speak in riddles. I’ll be frank. Your country is about to send a minister to Longsha to assist the new king in governing. Although the occasion is not as grand as a marriage alliance, it is still an important matter of diplomacy between our two nations. Before departing, our ruler repeatedly instructed the delegation to act with the utmost caution and show proper deference to Xiling as our suzerain. Therefore, when the delegation drew near Fengdu, I came ahead alone and entered the city in disguise to familiarize myself with the situation, lest unfamiliarity lead to mistakes once we formally arrive.”
Back when Yanyuan’s army had reached Longsha’s walls, Yugong Fengting had placed the marriages of all three of his children on the bargaining table in order to secure aid from the surrounding nations. When his appeal reached Xiling, Emperor Jinyuan considered marriage alliances unreliable and instead proposed a suzerain-vassal alliance, promising assistance to Longsha. If foreign enemies invaded, Xiling, as the suzerain state, would dispatch troops to protect it.
Xiling had never before sent a Minister-Regent to another country, so exactly where such a minister should stand and what etiquette should be used to receive him were delicate questions. Wei Fu had already seen the roster of Longsha’s delegation from Mu Heng: the chief envoy was a prince of the royal clan, while the deputy envoy was the Vice Minister of Honglu Temple. In fact, this was the same level of protocol used to receive or escort a princess sent in a marriage alliance—a clear indication of the courtesy Longsha intended to show the Minister-Regent—
A thought suddenly struck Wei Fu.
He abruptly realized that he had been far too presumptuous and had overlooked an extremely obvious fact.
This man was a member of Longsha’s delegation. He knew Wei Fu’s identity and could plainly tell that Wei Fu recognized him, yet he was in no hurry to deny anything or escape. Instead, he displayed a strange composure, as though certain that even if his actions today had been somewhat outrageous, Wei Fu would still give him face and reduce a major matter to a minor one. That was why he had been fencing with Wei Fu all along, mixing truth with falsehood and sidestepping every question.
He was certainly no nameless minor figure. In fact, his status had to be important, or there would have been no reason to describe his movements as “in disguise.” And judging by his attitude, he clearly had contingencies prepared and was not afraid that Wei Fu might expose his identity outright.
Only one person on the roster fit every condition—
The youngest brother of the late ruler of Longsha, Yugong Fengting; royal uncle to the new ruler, Yugong Lie; Prince Xiaohui, Yugong Zhaoye.
“You truly are… extraordinarily courageous.”
Wei Fu’s tangled thoughts felt like a mass of dog fur clogging his brain. After struggling for a long while, that was the only remark he managed to squeeze out. The young man in black clearly understood that what Wei Fu actually meant was recklessly audacious. An almost imperceptible trace of amusement crossed his eyes, and he responded with impeccable courtesy, “I dare not accept such praise. You flatter me.”
Wei Fu: “……”
From that tone alone, he was almost certainly Yugong Zhaoye. No wonder he had refused to follow the Imperial City Guard officers in addressing him as “Lord Wei” and insisted instead on calling him “Young Master Wei.” After all, a prince might climb walls and behave like a thief, but he absolutely could not lower his own status while speaking.
Prince Xiaohui was not particularly famous. Most of the rumors circulating among the common people concerned his origins, and Wei Fu had only recently heard them as stories while trying to involve himself in the diplomatic mission.
It was said that his mother had once been a bandit chieftain who ruled a mountain stronghold. She was captured during a government suppression campaign and escorted to court in chains, where the late king, Yugong Du, was captivated by her beauty. Ignoring the remonstrations of his ministers, he took this female bandit into the inner palace and granted her the rank of Noble Consort. She remained highly favored for many years and eventually gave birth to a prince, whom he named “Zhaoye.”
In the twenty-fourth year of Zheng’an in Longsha, Yugong Du passed away and Crown Prince Yugong Fengting succeeded to the throne. Less than a year after the great war between Longsha and Yanyuan, the Dowager Consort died of illness. Only then did Yugong Fengting seem to remember that he still had a younger brother tucked away in some forgotten corner. He hauled the fifteen-year-old Yugong Zhaoye out, metaphorically dusted him off, and granted him the title of prince.
The young prince, always quiet and low-key, sensibly submitted a memorial requesting Xiaohui Mountain, his mother’s homeland, as his fief. The ruler readily agreed, and from then on he became known throughout the court and country as Prince Xiaohui.
Longsha’s native faith revered the Four Gods of heaven, earth, mountains, and seas, as well as the Nine Luminaries embodied by the sun, moon, and stars. Even after being made a prince, Yugong Zhaoye remained cautious and low-key, keeping his tail firmly tucked. Not only did he refrain from entering court and taking office, thereby sparing his royal elder brother the trouble, but he struck out on an entirely different path and became a Divine Envoy of Yeguang Hall, which worshiped the Moon God.
By convention, a Divine Envoy was expected to devote himself wholly to the gods, stay apart from worldly affairs, and renounce romantic attachments. Strictly speaking, Yugong Zhaoye was therefore practically someone who had renounced secular life. When the roster had first reached Xiling, Mu Heng had read it and sighed that Longsha truly was going to extraordinary lengths to maintain good relations with Xiling. Its royal house was so sparsely populated that they had even dragged over a prince who already had one foot outside the mortal world simply to fill out the delegation.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Wei Fu would never have believed that this cold and cunning man—who secretly climbed onto people’s rooftops and pulled a blade on someone’s throat at the slightest disagreement—was the very same Prince Xiaohui described in rumor as “modest and retiring, keeping to himself and contending with no one.”
Whether their doctrine actually required it or not, in practice, Yugong Zhaoye was clearly quite a long way from anything resembling “compassion.”
Wei Fu’s expression changed several times, as though he had choked on rat poison and could neither spit it out nor swallow it. Yugong Zhaoye assumed he had been somewhat frightened and, after thinking about it, added an explanation. “The apothecary case has nothing to do with me. I didn’t kill anyone, and I don’t know exactly what happened. I merely happened to pass by, got curious, took a look—and ended up being mistaken for the murderer and chased through three streets.”
Wei Fu did not believe a single word. The Imperial City Guard officers had said they encountered the suspicious figure in the apothecary’s rear courtyard. Just what route had he taken while “passing by” that somehow led him straight into someone else’s rear courtyard?
“Your Highness.” Wei Fu gave a heartfelt, wry smile. “Even if you refuse to tell me the truth, I will certainly find a way to have that apothecary investigated thoroughly. If someone else gets hurt by mistake when that happens, they may not be as lucky as you were today.”
Yugong Zhaoye caught the probing intent in his words but failed to realize that Wei Fu was probing his identity rather than the case itself. “Thank you for the reminder. As I said, this case has absolutely nothing to do with me. If Young Master Wei wants to investigate, then by all means, investigate as thoroughly as you please.”
So it really is him.
For a moment, countless indescribable emotions surged through Wei Fu, leaving his heart in turmoil and his mind at a loss for how to continue the conversation. Seeing that Wei Fu had nothing more to say, Yugong Zhaoye turned to leave.
Wei Fu jolted. In his urgency, his hand moved faster than his thoughts, and he reached out and caught Yugong Zhaoye by the sleeve.
Yugong Zhaoye nearly stumbled from the tug.
“What’s the meaning of this?” He raised his arm and held it before Wei Fu. “Changed your mind? Planning to drag me before the authorities?”
Wei Fu snatched his hand back as though he had been burned. “My apologies. I acted on impulse. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t dodge…”
Yugong Zhaoye gave a soft, “Oh.”
“My fault?”
“No, no.” Wei Fu hastily retreated two steps. The gentle smile that usually lingered in his eyes and at the corners of his lips drooped away, and even the strands of his hair seemed to lose their luster. “I was the one who offended you. Your Highness, please forgive me. I…”
He was like a rooster that had suddenly forgotten how to crow, unable to produce another sound no matter how long he struggled. Yugong Zhaoye, however, found his wilted, crestfallen appearance rather entertaining and raised one long eyebrow. “Weren’t you quite eloquent just now?”
“…Forget it.”
Wei Fu looked as though someone had struck him on the head with a club. He said listlessly, “I will keep what happened today strictly confidential. Your Highness need not worry… Your status is important, so please take greater care while moving about Fengdu.”
Those words amounted to a tactful release. Wei Fu had already marshaled every bit of his usual eloquence to produce the most dignified courtesy he could manage.
Yugong Zhaoye did not answer. Wei Fu lowered his head in faint dejection when a hand suddenly entered his field of vision.
Resting in that palm was a small dagger, only slightly longer than a hand. Its sheath was pure white, with patterns flowing like wisps of cloud and faint iridescent colors shimmering beneath the surface. Wei Fu could not tell what material it had been made from. From the base of the hilt hung a purple crystal pendant carved into… into a—
“A puppy?”
“A leopard.”
Wei Fu: “……My apologies, Your Highness. My eyesight is poor.”
“In our homeland’s legends, when the Leopard God died, its body became Xiaohui Mountain and its eyes became the purple crystals within the mountain. Under the Leopard God’s protection, martial fortune prospers.” Yugong Zhaoye caught Wei Fu’s hand and slapped the dagger into his palm. “This is to thank you for helping me today. It isn’t anything valuable. Keep it as a trinket.”
He could tell that Wei Fu’s attitude toward him was extremely peculiar. Even accounting for caution toward his status, a trusted minister of the Son of Heaven and scion of an illustrious noble house would never yield this far without even asking why. Yugong Zhaoye was no fool. He guessed that perhaps some prior connection existed between them, but he could not remember it at the moment, and now was hardly the proper time to reminisce.
He had not brought many possessions with him. Giving gold or silver would seem like bestowing a reward, while leaving behind a written note seemed too insubstantial. Fortunately, he still had this dagger. Although it was an old possession, it suited the occasion perfectly and could serve as a token.
Caught completely off guard when Yugong Zhaoye suddenly took his hand, Wei Fu shuddered violently and snapped his gaze upward, his lips parting as though he wanted to speak. Yugong Zhaoye, however, had no patience left to listen to him dither and waved a hand. “If fate allows, we’ll meet again. Stay where you are. There’s no need to see me off.”
With that, he vaulted through the window and dropped into the courtyard. His figure flashed once behind the ginkgo tree, then vanished without a trace.
“Young Master? Young Master?”
Wei Rong’s voice outside the door startled Wei Fu out of his daze as he stood staring blankly at the ginkgo tree. The dagger sat heavily in his palm. The thin cord attached to it was somewhat worn and faded, while the thumb-sized little leopard still retained a faint trace of the other man’s warmth.
“I believe in fate now.”
He murmured softly toward the empty courtyard outside, carefully put the dagger away, then walked over and opened the study door. “What is it?”
Wei Rong said, “I heard the servants mention just now that several tiles in the rear courtyard had loosened and fallen. I wanted to ask whether Young Master would like me to hire a craftsman tomorrow to relay the roof tiles. We were fortunate this time, but if someone happens to be struck next time, it could become troublesome.”
Wei Fu remained silent for a long while before saying, “This house has stood empty for nearly twenty years… Who would it even hit?”
Wei Rong hesitated, wanting to persuade him further, but when he met Wei Fu’s frost-covered expression, he shrank his neck and lowered his head.
No matter how carefully the furniture filling the room had been maintained and polished, it could not conceal its age. Golden-red sunlight spilled over the crown of the ginkgo tree, immersing the entire room in the half-light and half-shadow of evening. Time itself seemed to have stopped.
After waiting for so long and finally seeing that person again, this was what it felt like.
Like an ant awakening from a long sleep inside amber, only to look back and suddenly realize that a thousand years had already passed.
“There are mechanisms on the roof. Be careful not to trigger them when you go up to replace the tiles.” Wei Fu gave an irritated little snort. “I’m only here to look after the house. I’m not wasting that effort. When they come back, let them pay someone to repair it themselves.”
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