After Jiang Yinyue left, the Eldest Princess couldn’t help but recall the past. Back in her tender years of puberty, she had not yet become the flamboyant and willful Eldest Princess. She too had once felt her heart stir with love, filled with thoughts of one man.
But the man had laughed and said that he fancied a young lady from a scholarly family.
There was still a gap in status between a scholarly family and a prestigious clan, so she didn’t believe that an ambitious and aloof noble would abandon the shortcut for some unrealistic little romance.
Yet the man had gone to great lengths to marry the girl he fancied. Rejected by her time and again, he grew bolder with each setback and ultimately won the beauty’s hand. After his wife passed away from illness, he preferred to bear the label of widower rather than take a concubine or remarry.
He had always proclaimed that a true man should prioritize power and influence over romance, but he hadn’t practiced what he preached. “All talk, no action.”
The Jiang Clan, an aristocratic family of officials, had produced a romantic fool.
And that romantic fool had given birth to an equally stubborn daughter who wouldn’t turn back until she hit a wall.
She still wouldn’t turn back after hitting it.
The Eldest Princess rose and leisurely walked toward the bamboo grove on the opposite shore of the pool, where she sat down before a cluster of precious Xiangfei Bamboo.
Her elaborate, gorgeous skirts layered upon one another like blooming roses.
“Did Your Highness hear that clearly?”
Wei Xichen, leaning against a Xiangfei Bamboo backrest and stroking the tabby cat cradled in his palm, smiled faintly. “Aunt, speak your mind plainly.”
“A green plum broken from its branch and soaked in someone else’s wine would no longer suit Your Highness’s taste. Forcing it open to sample would only leave a bitter aftertaste. Why not plant a new green plum, one tailored just for yourself?”
The Eldest Princess raised her hand. “Come, present the portraits for His Highness.”
Two maids stepped forward and unrolled painting after painting of beautiful women, all portraits of the legitimate daughters of powerful nobles in the Capital City and local warlords.
“The Empress plans to select the Crown Princess immediately after Your Highness returns to the capital. Why not take a look at these ladies first and see if any catch your eye?”
Wei Xichen glanced at the portraits spread on the ground.
This was the true purpose of his imperial aunt’s visit to Yangzhou: to urge him to fill the Eastern Palace, consolidate and expand his forces.
It seemed the Third Prince, backed by the Minister of Revenue and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, was growing his wings. He had become a thorn in the side of his mother the Empress and his imperial aunt.
Wei Xichen placed the tabby cat on the first portrait and let it hop about across the spread-out images.
“Chen’er!”
Wei Xichen smiled, draping one hand over the backrest with the rebellious laziness befitting his age. “Let it be as fate wills.”
“Your Highness is already twenty years old.”
“Aunt isn’t in a hurry either.”
The Eldest Princess was at a loss for words. No wonder the Empress and the Grand Secretary sighed helplessly every time the subject of selecting consorts for the Eastern Palace came up.
Why so obstinate?
“We all agree that the daughter of the Minister of Personnel is the most suitable.”
“This Prince finds her unsuitable.”
“A refined lady of talent and beauty is unsuitable, but Yan Zhuyu is?”
That daughter of a minor official had been one step away from becoming the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace. Fortunately, the Empress and the Grand Secretary had blocked it vehemently. But afterward? The Crown Prince showed no special favor toward that woman, nor any intention of elevating her.
“Could it be that Your Highness foresaw from the start that Yan Zhuyu could never become Crown Princess? All that effort to pave the way for her was merely to strike at the heart of the Jiang Family’s daughter in revenge, while actually reserving the Crown Princess position for her—only for a lowly scholar to appear out of nowhere midway?”
At those words, the faint smile at the corners of Wei Xichen’s mouth faded.
A layer of morning mist from the bamboo grove veiled his clear eyes.
Ever since they raided Yan Hongchang’s mansion, the Salt Transport Office’s accounts, after several reconciliations, still fell far short of the bribe ledgers confessed by the arrested salt merchants.
The Crown Prince had ordered them to search high and low, determined to find the remaining embezzled goods hidden by Yan Hongchang.
Not two days later, an official in charge of the case discovered a massive Hidden Chamber beneath the floor of the Yan Mansion’s woodshed. Its surface was crisscrossed with grooves forged in steel. The guards exerted all their strength but couldn’t pry open the slightest gap.
“This Hidden Chamber must have been crafted by a master artisan.”
“Yan Hongchang endured torture until his teeth shattered, yet he still refused to reveal how to open the hidden door. Most of the stolen goods must be inside.”
Wei Xichen, whose injuries had mostly healed, listened to the official’s report and turned with a smile to Wei Qin, who had come along. “Does the Bangyan see the mechanism here?”
Wei Qin scanned the crisscrossing grooves on the hidden door and ventured, “Perhaps Mechanism Arts.”
Everyone murmured in discussion.
Prefect Lin Yu, who had stepped forward with the Crown Prince and Wei Qin, stroked his beard. “Then we must invite a recluse expert in Mechanism Arts to crack it. This official will post notices at once to recruit capable individuals far and wide.”
Recruit far and wide… There might not be anyone versed in Mechanism Arts within a hundred li, and the artisan who built this Hidden Chamber was either too afraid to show himself or already silenced.
Wei Xichen waved him off, signaling Prefect Lin to handle it immediately.
Prefect Lin bowed and retreated, but as he turned to step away, he accidentally trod on one of the grooves and pitched forward uncontrollably.
Seeing this, several nearby officials rushed to support him. In the chaos, someone touched something, and the hidden door suddenly spun like a top, flinging everyone aside.
Wei Xichen and Wei Qin, standing at the center of the Hidden Chamber, felt the ground give way beneath them and plummeted inside.
“Bang!”
The hidden door sealed shut, returning to normal.
The two men had vanished.
“Crown Prince Your Highness!!”
Panic echoed through the desolate mansion. Prefect Lin scrambled over and pounded on the hidden door, joined by the other officials calling for the Crown Prince. No one paid attention to the missing Wei Qin.
When Jiang Yinyue arrived, she was stopped outside the mansion by the bailiffs.
“Idle miscellaneous people are not allowed inside!”
“What do you mean by ‘idle miscellaneous people’? My husband Wei Qin!”
The prefect’s deputy recognized Jiang Yinyue and immediately invited her in.
This was the extraordinary woman who wielded the Imperial Token and dared to command Prefect Lin. The deputy didn’t dare neglect her.
Jiang Yinyue ran inside while asking, “Where?”
“In the woodshed.”
Upon reaching the woodshed, a barrage of hammering like chisels and axes assaulted her ears.
Unable to find an expert in Mechanism Arts, Prefect Lin was frantic like an ant on a hot pan. He directed several burly martial generals to smash it forcibly.
Jiang Yinyue rushed to Prefect Lin’s side and examined the groove patterns closely, but even after reading hundreds or thousands of books, she knew nothing of Mechanism Arts.
Just as everyone was at a loss, as one martial general swung down his iron hammer, the hidden door spun like a top once more.
Prefect Lin rejoiced and shouted forward, “Crown Prince Your Highness! Crown Prince Your Highness!”
The echo reverberated heavily inside the Hidden Chamber.
The door kept spinning and was about to seal when someone jammed a longsword into it, wedging it in the groove.
But immediately, the sword snapped.
The blade tip remained in the groove, leaving a narrow slit in the door.
The martial generals stepped up to pry it open together, but they triggered another hidden spinning mechanism.
Jiang Yinyue and Prefect Lin were swept into it.
“Ah, the prefect fell!”
Jiang Yinyue wasn’t sure if she was lucky or cursed. She landed on the cold brick floor, cushioning Prefect Lin.
She shoved him off roughly, rubbed her aching back, and struggled to her feet. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured.
The clamor from above was muffled and indistinct.
It had to be said that Yan Hongchang had gone to great lengths to hide his spoils, nearly rivaling the secrecy of dragon vein treasures in storybooks.
She kicked the unconscious Prefect Lin but had no energy to tend to him. Propping herself against the wall, she groped forward in the darkness to explore.
After an unknown time, a cat’s meow startled her into a shiver.
“Hm?”
As her mouth was covered and she was pulled aside, something furry wrapped around her calf.
“Don’t kick. It’s a cat!”
Wei Xichen’s voice sounded in her ear.
Jiang Yinyue, still shaken, regained some composure and struggled fiercely.
“Let me go…”
With her lips covered, her words came out muffled, her body full of resistance.
Wei Xichen pinned her against the wall and clamped his hand firmly over her mouth to stop her from crying out, lest she trigger some hidden Mechanism Arts.
“Don’t make a sound, hmm?”
Jiang Yinyue nodded vigorously. The instant he released her, she shoved him away hard and grabbed the little cat from her leg, holding it by the scruff.
“Why is there a cat here?”
“It’s This Prince’s Niannian.”
Pushed aside, Wei Xichen steadied himself and replied calmly.
Jiang Yinyue released the cat, letting it drop to her feet.
Niannian… Only he could come up with that.
“Where is Wei Qin?”
They hadn’t fallen into the Hidden Chamber together!
Wei Xichen’s tone cooled. “He went to find the exit.”
“Which way? Is he hurt?”
Anxious to see Wei Qin, Jiang Yinyue blurted out her concern.
Wei Xichen didn’t answer. He scooped up the tabby cat into his sleeve and pulled Jiang Yinyue along to search for the exit.
“Let go of me!”
“In a crisis, needs must. Would you have This Prince abandon you?”
Her wrist bones ached from his grip. Jiang Yinyue twisted her wrist but couldn’t match his strength. She sneered coldly, “Prefect Lin is still lying back there. Your Highness shouldn’t abandon him either.”
The once soft and gentle girl had grown sharp-tongued. Wei Xichen’s jade-like face paled slightly. He gripped harder and dragged her forward.
“Danger lurks everywhere here. Don’t get separated.”
“Let go! Mind your propriety!”
Wei Xichen didn’t turn back. Darkness concealed the emotions in his eyes, which surged to his tightening fingertips.
Even in crisis, the Heir Apparent’s concern for an official’s wife was indeed excessive. He knew he should mind his propriety, yet he couldn’t release that slender wrist.
He too had once held her wrist like this, very lightly, but the girl in his grasp had wished he would hold tighter, even tighter.
“Crown Prince Brother, if you don’t hold my hand tight, I’m going to run away.”
That crisp, petulant voice intertwined with her current cold one, forming an arrow that pierced his old heart wound.
Wei Xichen suddenly gripped tighter, yanking her to his side.
“Keep up.”
Jiang Yinyue stumbled forward and kicked his shin. In her anger, she forgot decorum and bent to bite his hand.
Wei Xichen frowned at the pain on his hand’s back but still didn’t let go until Wei Qin’s voice drifted faintly from the darkness.
“Your Highness frightened my wife.”
“Wei Qin!”
Jiang Yinyue straightened and shook off Wei Xichen’s hand. Unexpectedly, it came free easily. She ran toward the voice, but before she could reach its source, Wei Qin caught her by the waist.
Her body fell uncontrollably into the man’s chest.
The familiar chilling aura set Jiang Yinyue’s suspended heart at ease.
“Are you hurt?”
In the pitch black, Jiang Yinyue could only grope Wei Qin’s body with her small hands.
Wei Qin didn’t stop her. His narrow eyes pierced the gloom, fixing on the Crown Prince ten paces away without a minister’s deference—cold and sharp.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, looked down at his wife’s vague outline, and answered softly, “Rest assured, I’m not injured.”
“Let’s continue searching for the exit.” Wei Xichen adjusted his sleeves. There was no guilt for offending a minister’s wife, no unease, only a faint resentment he shouldn’t feel, vanishing into extreme self-restraint.
Restraint or indulgence, a single thought apart.
“This official found several coffins on the other side. They likely contain the ashes of the artisans who built this Hidden Chamber.”
They might also hold vast amounts of gold, silver, and jewels.
For safety’s sake, Wei Qin hadn’t opened them. Later, coroners would need to examine.
Wei Xichen steadied his breathing. Yan Hongchang had gone mad to silence leaks, no wonder he dared try to murder Wei Qin.
He walked ahead, ignoring the little couple behind.
Wei Qin didn’t follow. He led Jiang Yinyue to a side wall. “Are you alright?”
Jiang Yinyue rubbed her wrist. “I bit him.”
Her tone was like boasting how fierce she was, vengeful to the last.
But Wei Qin pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped her lips, over and over. “No biting others next time.”
“It hurts.”
“Did I use force?”
Jiang Yinyue felt the handkerchief’s smooth texture; it didn’t hurt at all. But why was he wiping repeatedly?
“Then I’ll bite you.”
“Mm.”
“…”
Jiang Yinyue turned her little face away, regretting her quick tongue.
Wei Qin’s arm around her waist didn’t loosen. He guided her to sit against the wall, propped one leg, closed his eyes, and waited, as if giving up on escape.
Jiang Yinyue leaned against him. Outside, the summer heat built, but here it was damp and cold. Together, they were warmer. “Aren’t we finding the exit anymore?”
“From the Hidden Chamber’s structure, aside from the rotating doors, there are no other exits.”
It was futile, so conserving strength and waiting for rescue was the best strategy.
“You understand mechanism arts?”
“A little.”
Jiang Yinyue laughed. “How do you know a little about everything?”
Wei Qin lowered his gaze to her. Even though he couldn’t see her clearly, he was reluctant to look away. “Feeling proud?”
“What do I have to be proud of?” Jiang Yinyue realized what he meant and wanted to laugh even more. Her almond-shaped eyes, curved in a smile, remained clear and sparkling even in the dim light.
“Will we be able to get out?”
“We will.”
“That’s good. I don’t want Father to be sad.” Jiang Yinyue secretly rubbed her reddened wrist. The anxiety in her heart had completely settled.
With Wei Qin there, she always felt at ease.
When Wei Xichen returned, Jiang Yinyue was leaning crookedly against Wei Qin’s shoulder, no longer in the mood for banter.
“There are dozens of chests of gold over there.” Wei Xichen leaned against the wall opposite the two of them. The Heir Apparent, who had some knowledge of mechanism arts, also gave up on finding an exit.
The tabby cat poked its head out from his sleeve and quietly nestled against his leg.
The people above were still chattering about rescue plans, but the three in the Hidden Chamber were unusually quiet, each conserving their strength.
The first hardship they faced was the damp chill and thirst that night.
In the darkness, Wei Xichen half-lidded his eyes and stared straight at the man and woman across from him. The predicament they were in did not make his heart feel confined or suffocated.
The sharp-tongued woman had not lost her gentle side; it was just that the person she showed it to was no longer him.
Wei Xichen lifted the corners of his lips and smiled.
Lin Yu, who had woken up, “Ow, ow, ouch”ed as he rubbed his aching body. When he caught sight of the shadowy figures, he immediately scooted forward.
In his blurry vision, the figures of the two men, one on the left and one on the right, were surprisingly similar.
After mistaking one for the other, Lin Yu scooted toward the other side. “This minister’s mistake was unintentional. Please forgive me, Your Highness!”
Wei Xichen leaned his head against the wall. “Noisy.”
Lin Yu immediately covered his mouth, not daring to provoke the Heir Apparent further.
Jiang Yinyue across from them rubbed her arms. After sitting still for so long, her body could no longer resist the dampness and cold.
Wei Qin took off his outer robe, wrapped it around her, and held her on his lap.
Isolating her from the chill of the ground.
Wei Xichen cast a sidelong glance. He, who had always preferred quiet and disliked entanglements with others, suddenly wanted to pull the two apart.