Ye Changgeng was utterly perplexed as he followed Ye Jiao forward. After turning a corner, he realized they were headed the wrong way."Where are we going? Didn't you say there was something urgent at home?"Ye Jiao, her face stern, spoke clearly in the deserted alleyway:"There is something urgent at home, so you must first go to the Ministry of War to have your records as a Cavalry General canceled. Only then can you resign and return home to attend to matters."Ye Changgeng scratched his head and lowered his voice to soothe his sister:"What's wrong? Just tell me clearly."Ye Jiao huffed angrily:"Didn't I tell you yesterday to report for duty early and to ignore the Tibetan envoy, to be cautious of others? And yet, you did none of it."Ye Changgeng recalled carefully for a moment before replying:"I was drunk yesterday, how could I remember? You told me not to engage, so I didn't."He adjusted his hairpiece, tightened his belt, smoothed his robe, and sighed:"I'm governed by my superiors when away from home and by you when at home. Looks like I have to marry you off soon. If you want to break ties with Prince Chu, so be it. I'll find someone better for you."
Ye Jiao had already confided in him about Li Ce—she disliked him, found him unsuitable, and was repulsed by him. Hearing her brother mention marriage, she pushed him forward with both hands:"Are you coming or not?""I'm coming, I'm coming!" Ye Changgeng strode ahead, then turned back, making a childish face at her."With such a fierce temper, no one would dare marry you."Ye Jiao bent down to pick up a stone, but Ye Changgeng laughed and ran off, quickly disappearing around a corner.
In the early morning streets, vendors tossed sesame cakes high into the air, laughing joyously; Turkic horsemen admired the grandeur of the flourishing Tang Dynasty with curious smiles; at the palace gates, a Hu concubine had already begun soliciting guests, swaying her waist as she smiled upon seeing Li Jing.
Li Jing felt as if the entire world was smiling, and he smiled along."Princess, there's not much to see at Zhao Wang's mansion. How about we visit Qujiang Pool instead?"Gesang Meiduo was easy to persuade and obediently replied:"Everything is as Your Highness wishes."
This simple response sent a shiver down Li Jing's spine. The gentle obedience reflected in her phoenix-shaped eyes stirred his heart; perhaps marrying a Tibetan princess as a secondary consort wasn't a bad idea—far easier to manage than his current wife.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a familiar figure appeared on the street—it was the steward from Zhao Wang's mansion. Gasping for breath, the steward kept a cautious distance, seeming troubled but reluctant to speak."What's the matter?" Li Jing approached, and the steward reported:"The princess has awakened. Seeing Your Highness absent, she wept, refusing breakfast, saying you intend to divorce her, and she doesn't want to live.""What nonsense is this?" Li Jing's face twisted with frustration."Divorce so easily? She just wants to coax me back! Such disrespect! This morning, I… I was out buying tofu pudding for her."
Though vexed, the image of the princess crying softened Li Jing's heart. The steward breathed a sigh of relief, his face brightening:"I understand now. I'll go back and tell the princess."Li Jing sighed resignedly:"You go ahead and tell her; I'll return shortly.""Then…" the steward asked,"Do the secondary and concubine consorts get tofu pudding too?"Li Jing, tangled in thought, grumbled:"They all get some! They won't starve!"
The steward hurried away, and Li Jing found an excuse to leave, bidding Gesang Meiduo farewell. He made sure she had the protection of the Honglu Temple guards and an embassy carriage trailing behind—she would be safe even without company.
Gesang Meiduo stood gracefully, lifting her skirt to bow, her face serene and free of displeasure:"I hope to meet Zhao Wang again someday."Her eyes were filled with affection; beneath her veil, her delicate features were faintly visible, her voice melodious."That goes without saying."
Though reluctant, Li Jing stepped forward to queue for tofu pudding. Gesang Meiduo smiled softly and, supported by her maid, returned to the carriage.
"Your Highness," the maid murmured discontentedly,"Why is it always 'something urgent at home'? Could it be deliberate?"The princess sat upright, her voice calm and gentle:"General Ye has urgent matters at home, so I had the fortune to meet Zhao Wang. Zhao Wang has troubles at home and feels guilty toward me. Isn't this a blessing?"The maid lowered her head in agreement, handing her a hand warmer."No need," the Tibetan princess waved her sleeve, "I'm not cold."
This place was truly wonderful—winter was not cold here.
Upon arriving at the Ministry of War, Ye Changgeng immediately heard that at this morning's court session, an official had accused him of arrogance for hosting lavish banquets in the capital to garner allies. Ye Changgeng gaped in disbelief, stammering:"What… what's going on? I… I didn't— I just had a meal, and many people attended. I'll write a memorial to the emperor to explain immediately.""No need!" his colleagues seemed to dismiss the accusation entirely."Those officials are just looking for trouble. Two months ago, they accused our Minister of taking concubines at an advanced age; last month, they accused the Deputy Minister of speaking ill of the Minister and disrespecting superiors. We even asked what 'ill words' were—turns out, it was the same old accusation about concubines."
Ye Changgeng was curious:"What kind of ill words?"His colleagues suppressed laughter:"Exactly the same as the officials' accusation—the Minister taking concubines in his old age."
The same matter was recycled twice by the officials—only they were allowed to speak, no one else.
"By the way," another colleague informed Ye Changgeng,"Your sister, Lady Ye Wuhou, is also frequently targeted by these officials. What did they accuse her of recently?""Oh," another colleague said,"Throwing snowballs from the city wall that hit Prince Chu's carriage.""What did the emperor say?" Ye Changgeng's heart tightened.The emperor smiled and said, "If Prince Chu wasn't hit to death, there's no need to report such trivial matters."
His colleagues laughed heartily, easing Ye Changgeng's tension.
As for the emperor's admonition that day, Ye Changgeng learned it too: the emperor encouraged young men to make friends freely, as long as official duties weren't neglected the next day.
Ye Changgeng felt both honored and relieved, grateful he had heeded Ye Jiao's advice and arrived promptly for duty. The capital's politics were far more complex than he had imagined.
On the journey to Ganzhou, snow fell relentlessly for several days. On the seventh evening, the Chang Geng star flickered, and the snow abruptly ceased, leaving the world hushed.
Refugees resting by the roadside lit several campfires to keep warm. Prince Chu, Li Ce, sat before one, opening a letter hastened from the capital, catching up with the returning refugees.
Lost in thought, he failed to notice the dry grass near his feet catching fire. His attendant Qingfeng hurriedly stamped out the flames, watching his master's somber expression with growing curiosity.
Li Ce appeared cold, but after a while, a hint of mockery flickered in his eyes—a rare expression that drew Qingfeng's attention until Li Ce noticed:"What do you want to say?""How is everything in the capital?" Qingfeng inquired anxiously."All is well," Li Ce replied. "The Duke of Jin is returning, likely to be named crown prince."Qingfeng nodded, "Exactly as you predicted. The Duke's journey to the frontier brought great gains."
Li Ce tossed the letter into the fire and withdrew another from his sleeve—an old letter he had read multiple times already: once on the bumpy carriage, again at lunch before and after eating, and now before sleep, unable to resist rereading. Qingfeng longed to know its contents, though the crude envelope and scant words hardly warranted such attention.
The letter was from Bai Xianyu, who had promised to keep watch over Duke Anguo's household and report anything. Yet, Bai Xianyu had clearly misunderstood Li Ce, writing only to Ye Jiao about trivial emotional matters. The letter revealed that Fu Mingzhu had confessed to Ye Jiao and been rejected, but Yan Congzheng's confession was accepted.
"His snowballing the supervisor looks like a perfect match," it said.
Perfect match? Snowballing? Yan Congzheng was a towering man—was his arm broken? Well, having just left Chang'an a few days ago, this woman had already changed her heart.
Li Ce reread the letter, disbelief turning to anxiety, then restless torment.
"Seven, eight…" he counted the days until Qingfeng began reporting them himself every morning:"Your Highness, today is the twelfth day since leaving Chang'an. Ten more days to Ganzhou."
Li Ce hummed softly, lifted his porridge, then put it down again."Yan Mo, I must write letters."
He would write two letters—one to be sent to Ganzhou's governor, the other to Jiao Jiao in Chang'an.
How he had lost this woman, he would now find a way to win her back.