Temporary Palace

Wen Chan recognized him.

Su Yanjun was a trusted confidant from Crown Prince Wen Li's inner circle. In her previous life, Wen Chan had met him a few times, but they were not well-acquainted. Pei Rusong, however, was quite familiar with him. After all, the Pei and Su families had been friends for generations, so they must have known each other since childhood. Both being dashing, elegant young masters of their time, they were often compared and discussed by others.

Of the renowned and noble Su Clan of Zhongzhou, the most distinguished figure of this generation was Su Lizhen, the Head of the Palace Attendants. His daughter, Consort Xian of the Su Clan, was the Crown Prince's birth mother and held the highest rank in the Six Palaces. Although his own son was not particularly outstanding, his nephew Su Xie had long enjoyed a fine reputation, having served as an Investigating Censor, a magistrate in Qingzhou, and the Prefect of Yuzhou. He was now a Grand Master of Remonstrance. Su Xie's wife, Lady Ning, had a son and a daughter: the elder son, Su Yanjun, served as an Attendant to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, and the younger daughter, Su Lingjun, was Pei Rusong's former fiancée and later became Princess Consort An.

In her past life, the Crown Prince was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner for rising up in rebellion. Consort Xian and Su Lizhen were ordered to commit suicide, while Su Xie and others were convicted and exiled. A great many court officials were implicated, including Pei Rusong's father, Pei Luan.

Once the Su Family's power collapsed, a comeback would be difficult; it would take at least a generation for them to recover their strength. Wen Chan had not paid attention to Su Yanjun's fate afterward. She only knew that Pei Rusong had been secretly contacting him recently, likely out of consideration for their past, hoping to do his best to alter his future.

However, hopes were one thing, but putting them into practice was another matter entirely. The entire Su Clan was tightly bound to the Crown Prince's ship—they would rise and fall together. And yet, their Crown Prince was a precarious clay bodhisattva.

Wen Chan gave Su Yanjun a slight nod to show she understood, saying nothing more. Su Yanjun tactfully stepped aside. Standing a step away from the Crown Prince, Wen Chan said in a low voice, "Brother, you hold the rightful position. Both the laws of the state and the rules of propriety are on your side. As long as you walk the righteous path, no one can censure you. Excessive worry is harmful; do not lightly trust others."

In her past life, after the Crown Prince was deposed, the position of heir became vacant. The struggle among the princes grew more apparent, and the court's situation became treacherous and unpredictable. Although Wen Chan didn't think Wen Li was the most suitable person to be emperor, he was by no means worthless and certainly did not deserve the fate of being reduced to a commoner. He was simply in an unsuitable position. With powerful ministers on the outside, a favored consort on the inside, his brothers eyeing his position like tigers, his mother unable to become empress, and the Emperor not particularly satisfied with him... he was forever trembling, waiting for the axe to fall from the heavens.

No one could remain rational while constantly on tenterhooks. When that string finally snapped, even the air became his enemy, and he inevitably marched toward the abyss.

A slight twitch crossed Wen Li's brow, and for a moment, a fine crack appeared in his gentle, elegant demeanor that seemed as if it were painted on.

He felt that Wen Chan was more like an elder sibling than he was.

'If I had such a clever, sharp, and thoughtful elder brother as Crown Prince, could I have peacefully hidden behind him, avoiding the crushing fear and the constant tearing pull of ambition and desire... Perhaps I would have yearned for that position my whole life, yet never have to experience the weight of that crown.'

But the moment this escapist thought arose, it was immediately kicked back by the reason he had forged over many years.

His mother and maternal grandfather had painstakingly schemed for years to secure his position as Crown Prince. Could he just give it up because he wanted to? Without this shell, what place would he have in the Emperor's eyes?

Wen Li meticulously pasted the gentle smile back onto his face and gave her a reserved nod. "Thank you for your kind intentions, sister. I will remember them."

Wen Chan: "..."

His expression seemed to say, 'Everything you said is nonsense, and I won't believe a word of it, but I've already said thank you, so I hope you'll be sensible enough to pack up and get lost. The farther away from me, the better.'

At the right moment, Su Yanjun gently reminded him, "Your Highness, it is getting late. The officials of the Eastern Palace are still waiting for Your Highness to return to discuss matters."

Wen Chan lowered her eyes and said politely, "Since Your Highness the Crown Prince has important matters to attend to, I won't disturb you any longer. Take care."

The Crown Prince and the Princess each boarded their palanquins, one heading east and the other west, departing in opposite directions.

Su Yanjun followed closely beside the Crown Prince's palanquin, conversing with him in low tones from time to time, his smile as gentle and warm as a spring breeze. Only when they passed a corner, where the palace walls and the ornate carriage intersected to cast a deep shadow, did he glance back as if unintentionally, casting a cold look in Wen Chan's direction.

The bright sun was like snow, the spring breeze like a blade.

In the tenth month, the Son of Heaven journeyed east to grace Pingjing with his presence. All civil and military officials accompanied his retinue. The Crown Prince remained in Zhaojing to oversee the capital. All major military and state affairs were sent to the traveling court, while Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture He You managed disaster relief, with only minor duties delegated to the Crown Prince.

Wen Chan left the capital with the imperial retinue. Pei Rusong, taking advantage of his status as Prince Consort, did not have to brave the cold wind with his family like other officials. Aside from being on call before the Emperor, he could nestle inside the Princess's carriage, mooching off her hand warmer and refreshments.

They were still two days' journey from Pingjing. Wen Chan leaned against the window, using the still-bright afternoon light to carefully read a stack of missives from "Deep Forest." Crow huddled beside her like a small animal hibernating for the winter, engrossed in gnawing on a pear as big as her face.

She had taken off her veiled hat, revealing a complexion that was exceptionally fair from being out of the sun all year round. Paired with her all-black attire, she looked almost like a porcelain doll. Sitting opposite them, Pei Rusong noticed for the first time that her irises were a slightly yellowish hue, recalling that Wen Chan had said Crow was from Gu Prefecture. The Hukeyan people were born with yellow eyes and brown, coarse, slightly curly hair. Although Crow's eyes were light, her hair was pure black. It seemed highly likely she was of mixed Hukeyan and Qi heritage.

'Unless you look closely, there's basically no difference...'

The journey was long and arduous. Inside the carriage, besides the rumbling of the wheels, there was only the sound of Crow crunching on her pear. Pei Rusong observed and speculated idly, his mind floating with trivial thoughts. His gaze unconsciously fell on Wen Chan's long, slender fingers. He wanted to disturb her but was constrained by the blockhead sitting beside her.

It wasn't until Wen Chan waved a sheet of paper in front of his eyes that he snapped out of it. "You're zoning out. Are you bored?"

Pei Rusong came to his senses and smiled faintly. "Yes. Your Highness has been so engrossed in official duties that you haven't looked at me for a full half-hour."

Crow felt as if she had just bitten into an orange peel. She frowned and pouted.

Wen Chan: "Is that so? Perhaps you should return to attend to the Emperor? You're just sitting here idle anyway."

Pei Rusong rested his chin on one hand and smiled at her. "No. Even if I'm idle, I want to be idle with Your Highness."

Wen Chan couldn't hold back a laugh and playfully hooked his chin as if scratching a cat. "When we go out to change horses later, let's go for a ride and stretch our legs. I feel like my bones are about to fall apart from all this bumping around."

Before Pei Rusong could respond, Crow deftly finished her pear in two bites and wiped her hands clean. "Alright, I'll go make preparations."

Pei Rusong choked. He really did not want a blockhead standing by when he was alone with Wen Chan. He tried to dissuade her tactfully, "If we go out, you can have all the snacks and fruit in the carriage to yourself. You can even roll around and sleep as you please. It's so cold outside, and the scenery isn't even that nice. What's the point of just getting blown by the wind, right?"

Crow raised her eyes expressionlessly and stated, deadpan, "I am Your Highness's personal guard."

Pei Rusong crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her. "I am Your Highness's personal Prince Consort."

"Don't copy her," Wen Chan said, nudging his shoe with her foot. "Besides, what on earth is a 'personal Prince Consort'? There's no such thing, alright?"

Pei Rusong graciously corrected himself, "I am the one closest to her."

Wen Chan: "..."

Crow insisted, "I'm going."

Pei Rusong: "I don't want you to."

Crow: "Your Highness!"

Pei Rusong: "Your Highness~"

Wen Chan: "Why don't you two go out together and let me have some peace and quiet?"

Previous emperors had frequently traveled between the two capitals of Zhaojing and Pingjing. Over a century, the official roads had been built to be flat and wide, with several temporary palaces constructed along the way. The Luochang Palace where they were staying for the night was the closest to Pingjing and the largest of them all. It was backed by Baizi Mountain to the north and faced the Jinlin River to the south. The palace grounds were filled with pines, cypresses, and green bamboo, with pavilions and towers nestled among them, their multi-tiered eaves soaring. It was exceptionally tranquil and beautiful.

Bringing the guard was a must, and placating the Prince Consort was also a must. Wen Chan ended up taking several people with her. She and Pei Rusong rode ahead on horseback, while Crow, Cheng Xuan, and the others followed behind. The group galloped all the way to Wangxian Lake at the western corner of the temporary palace. By now, the sunset had burned out, and the moon had not yet risen. Twilight enveloped them. All that could be heard was the rustling of the wind through the pines and the gurgling of springs. The dust from days of travel was swept clean, bringing a rare sense of tranquility.

The scenery was beautiful, just a bit cold. The two of them stood side by side on the lakeshore. Pei Rusong shook out his cloak and wrapped Wen Chan in it. This was likely the first time they had journeyed together hand in hand. Neither of them spoke; it seemed nothing needed to be said.

For a rare moment, Wen Chan let her mind go blank. The past always weighed on her heart like a stone—worrying about this person, concerned about that one, wanting to save everyone she saw, only to reach out and grasp at empty air.

But at this moment, her hand was held in Pei Rusong's palm.

Some people traveled upstream against the current, while others flowed downstream with it. In the vastness of heaven and earth, her past and present lives, with all their ups and downs, were nothing more than a stone tossed into a lake—sinking, being washed ashore, and then sinking again.

From the woods behind them came the shouts of the attendants, who seemed to have spotted a wild animal. Pei Rusong listened for a moment, then had a sudden whimsical thought. He lowered his head and asked Wen Chan, "This temporary palace is right next to the forest, and usually no one comes here. Your Highness, do you think there might be fox spirits here?"

The little bit of righteous solemnity in Wen Chan's chest was swept away into thin smoke by his words. She said helplessly, "The Master does not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits. Have you fed all your books to the dogs?"

Pei Rusong rubbed his cool cheek against hers, unwilling to concede defeat. He whispered, "Since we've both been reborn, why can't there be fox spirits?"

Wen Chan thought about it and had to agree. She replied with a straight face, "Alright, if there is a fox spirit, I'll send you to compete with it. Whoever wins will be the real fox spirit."

Pei Rusong: "..."

"I can't be a Little White Flower, a sticky rice cake, and a fox spirit all at once," he said, shaking her hand. "Your Highness can only pick one."

Wen Chan turned to look at him. Even in such dim light, Pei Rusong's profile was remarkably distinct. The lines of his nose and jaw were fluid and graceful, a beauty apparent at a single glance. She couldn't help but smile. "Is there any difference?"

Just as Pei Rusong was about to argue, the distant wind suddenly carried a wisp of melodious and graceful flute music. They both looked back at the same time and saw the highest tower of the temporary palace ablaze with light, like a bright pearl suspended on the mountainside, which caused even the newly risen solitary moon and the stars in the sky to pale in comparison.