In the past, Ye Jiao would have shouted loudly at Xiao Yu, demanding to know why he had come. Was he here to burn incense and pray for a wife?But today, she said nothing. Her head dipped slightly, avoiding Bai Xianyu's gaze. Then she turned amid the crowd, circled the great hall, pretending to be an idle pilgrim wandering the temple, and quietly followed in his steps.
Daxingshan Temple, a royal monastery, was one of the three great translation institutes in Chang'an. Here resided not only Tang monks, but also those from India and Japan who came to study and spread the Dharma.Even dressed in a striking red dress with a stunning face, Ye Jiao attracted little attention amidst this gathering.
They passed through the layered halls with their jade-green tiles and soaring eaves, reaching the monks' quarters. After a few turns, Bai Xianyu stopped by a woodshed beside the temple kitchen.He glanced around, then gently pushed the door open and entered.
Ye Jiao slipped into the kitchen instead. Several lay practitioners, not yet fully ordained, were sorting vegetables. They showed no surprise at her arrival.There was a serenity about them, the kind borne by those devoted to the Buddha — as if no earthly matter could disturb their focus.
Not long after, Bai Xianyu stepped out of the woodshed and walked away without looking back. His expression was calm, as if a burden had finally been lifted.
Ye Jiao estimated his pace — he should have left the temple grounds by now. Only then did she slowly move forward.She flung open the woodshed door. As light filtered in, the sight before her made her gasp.
Ashes. A heap of ashes — the remains of thick timber reduced to cinders.
She strode forward, her sheepskin boots sinking into the dust, her hem stained with grime.She knelt, fingers sifting through the remains. After a long while, she retrieved a small, charred piece of wood.
It had not burned completely. She wiped off the ash, scraped away the charcoal, and saw the telltale curled grain beneath.Just as Assistant Minister Zhang Jin described — "curl-grain," the distinct pattern of rosewood.
This heap of ash was once the carved eaves. A deliberate act, meant to destroy all evidence.
She had arrived too late. Foolish as she was, she had lost once more.
Ye Jiao bowed her head, suppressing the fury that surged within her.
Suddenly, the creak of the woodshed door broke the silence. A voice spoke:"Commander Wu, you're here."
The winter wind pierced through her thick cotton coat, and Ye Jiao felt her spine freeze. Trembling, she rose and turned — her eyes fixed on Bai Xianyu.
He looked utterly calm. There was no trace of surprise, no fear at being caught.
In that instant, she understood. She had not chanced upon him — he had led her here, deliberately.
"What do you mean by this?" she asked hoarsely.
Bai Xianyu leaned lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed, casual as ever. But his tone was solemn.
"Commander Wu assigned captains to inspect temples for fire hazards. I was sent to Kaiyuan Gate — too far from Daxingshan Temple. I figured... maybe you had found something. Things have come to this point. I don't want to hide it from you anymore."
Ye Jiao sneered, "So it was you who bought the rosewood, replaced the eaves — twice. And now you're here, erasing the evidence, leaving me nothing to trace."
"Yes," Bai Xianyu replied, lowering his arms. He looked apologetic."But when I did it, I didn't know it would harm His Highness the Prince of Chu."
When she had only suspected him, Ye Jiao had felt rage.But now, facing his confession, she felt only cold.
It was all in her head, thinking they were friends.
"For whom," she asked, "did you risk your head to commit such a crime?"
Bai Xianyu sighed. He brushed aside his robe and sat on the threshold, gazing at the ashes. His voice was low and distant.
"For the future of the Bai family."
For a brief moment, his words bore weight, shedding the carefree air of youth and revealing something heavier.
"My father is about to leave Jiannan and return to the capital — probably to a nominal post in the Ministry of War, nothing more than a retirement.Our family is small and weak, and though my sister is now a Zhaoyi, the Fourteenth Prince is still a child and cannot accomplish much.
My parents only wish for me to survive in Wuhou Bureau. But, Commander Wu, if you've ever gambled, you'll understand — trying to survive in the capital with no backing is like winning twelve straight hands against the house. Pure luck."
Ye Jiao scoffed, "Do the people of this capital live every day like they might die?"
The words escaped before she could stop them.As expected, Bai Xianyu retorted,"When you have nothing, there's nothing to fear.
What's terrifying... is being like us — appearing respectable, yet possessing things so easily taken by others."
So easily — under absolute power, they were fragile as paper.
Seeing the complexity in Ye Jiao's eyes, Bai Xianyu's gaze softened.
"I led you here, Commander Wu, to let you see the force you're fighting — it's far stronger than you imagine.
He's too clever — clever enough to achieve anything without leaving a trace.
Take the case of Prince Su: on the surface, it was you and the Prince of Chu who subdued him at Mount Li.But the guards Prince Chu brought were from whose household?
The Emperor summoned Prince Su back from the north only because someone in court raised the issue of succession.
Step by step, Prince Su fell into the trap — and that man, his hands remain clean."
The guards from the Zhao Prince's manor belonged to Prince Jin — Li Zhang. Bai Xianyu had laid bare the mastermind behind the scheme.
"That man's hands are clean," Ye Jiao said, gripping the rosewood tightly, "but yours are stained."
"I don't care!" Bai Xianyu suddenly stood, his expression panicked, though he tried to maintain composure."I did resent you, Commander Wu, for taking my position. But later... I came to admire your courage and integrity.
Ever since you defeated Zong Quanwu and earned honor for us, I've never made things hard for you again.
This time, I'm telling you all this to beg you — let it go. Swallow your pride.
When the Prince of Chu recovers, marry him, leave this city far behind.
Live in peace, away from disaster."
"And if I won't?" Ye Jiao asked. "What if I insist on fighting to the death?"
"Then His Highness," Bai Xianyu said through gritted teeth, "he'll be the first to refuse.
He grew up unloved, endured hardship — that's why he can bear this insult."
He turned to leave. Ye Jiao stopped him.
She unfastened the blade at her waist and threw it.
The exquisite knife, adorned with flying clouds and mythical beasts, with a silver-gilt hilt wrapped in golden thread and inlaid with multicolored gems —
Her prized weapon, taken from Bai Xianyu in a past victory, now flung across the room.
It landed with a sharp crack, like the shattering of something once precious.
A bond.
Bai Xianyu's expression stiffened. He bent to pick it up, forcing a smile."I already have a new blade," he said.
"It's no longer mine," Ye Jiao replied.
She strode out, holding back tears until she sat in the carriage.
Only when she reached the Zhao Prince's manor and held Li Ce's unconscious hand — did she finally weep.
"He said no one loved you as a child," she whispered, "but you have me now.
You're loved now."
But what use is love — when she was too weak?The Duke of Anguo's household was too weak.Compared to the all-powerful Li Zhang, she was like a single stalk of rice — easily uprooted.
The rosewood eaves were now ashes. There was no evidence.She could not accuse Li Zhang without proof.
A crushing wall of helplessness closed in, rendering Ye Jiao immobile.
She gently caressed Li Ce's forehead.
At least, his fever had broken.
The imperial physician had said — as long as the fever receded, the blood congestion would...