…

In the Jinxiu Palace, the copper incense burner emitted thick smoke, filling the air with the heavy scent of frankincense.

Empress Jiahe’s expression was as dark as storm clouds. She anxiously asked Ji momo, “Momo, when will the people you sent return?”

“It takes three days to go and three days to return—a total of six days,” Ji momo replied. “Ye City is remote. It was Your Majesty who chose such a distant location in the first place. Your Majesty, patience is required.”

Empress Jiahe’s face instantly turned sour, as if she had swallowed a fly.

Back then, she had chosen Ye City precisely because of its remoteness. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and difficult to access, it was the perfect place to confine Rong Ting, ensuring his cries for help would go unanswered. This year’s heavy snowfall, which sealed off the city, had seemed like heaven’s favor aiding her plan.

Who could have predicted that the very choice she had made to hinder another would now come back to haunt her?

Suppressing the restless urgency in her heart, she asked, “The day after tomorrow, March 14th—will that be when he arrives in Ye City?”

Ji momo nodded. “That’s correct.”

…

On March 13th, the branches were lively with activity. Magpies hopped and fluttered on the newly budding boughs, chirping merrily.

After waking, Jiang Rao couldn’t shake off the lingering sensation of a sharp sword hovering over the back of her neck. A chilling unease crept along her spine, making her feel on edge.

She couldn’t fall back asleep, nor did she have any appetite for breakfast. She instructed a maid to inform the main courtyard that she wouldn’t be having breakfast today. Sitting at her desk, she mulled over the dream she had the night before.

Dreaming of future events had indeed allowed her to avoid many disasters. However, the dreams were beyond her control, and sometimes they ended abruptly, leaving her confused and uncertain.

Last night’s dream… That woman—what method would she use to deal with her?

The final scene before she woke up was of a figure dressed in green, riding a large horse and galloping toward Ye City.

Anyone entering the city would first have to stop at the relay station near the gates, obtain a pass, and then be allowed entry.

The relay station…

Her fingers lightly tapped the table. Before she could come up with a plan, a small figure burst into the room like a gust of wind. Panting heavily, he shouted in an anxious tone, “Sister! Sister! Something’s happened!”

Jiang Rao was startled by Jiang Jinxing’s worried expression and panicked tone, assuming it must be something serious. But then she heard him say, “Father wants to place you under house arrest.”

Jiang Rao froze for a moment. “House arrest?”

Jiang Jinxing nodded emphatically.

To seven-year-old Jiang Jinxing, being placed under house arrest was akin to the sky falling—a catastrophe of the highest order.

The thought of such a terrible thing happening to his elder sister made him so anxious that he had rushed over right after breakfast to warn her, leaving him breathless and drenched in sweat. “Just now, during breakfast, Father noticed you weren’t there. He wasn’t happy and became…”

He was too young to describe it properly. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and pulled a comically stern face. “Like this—he looked just like the Guan Yu statue in the temple. So scary! I have a friend who went to the temple and got so scared they started trembling!”

Jiang Rao couldn’t help but laugh as she watched him veer further and further off-topic, even fabricating a “friend” to blame for his own fear at the Guan Yu temple. She gently pried his chubby hand away from his face and scooped the little bundle onto her lap, steering him back to the main point. “Why does Father want to put me under house arrest?”

Skipping breakfast hardly seemed like a punishable offense.

Jiang Jinxing tilted his head thoughtfully. “Last night, Sister came home late.”

He looked surprisingly experienced as he continued, “If Sister wants to go out to play today, Jinxing knows how to sneak out. The wall is too high to climb without the maids helping, but there’s a hole at the base of the western wall in the backyard, about this big.”

He gestured with his hands, forming a circle roughly the size of his own round belly. “I can crawl through it, so Sister probably can too.”

“That’s a dog hole,” Jiang Rao said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

When Jiang Rao returned home last night, she hadn’t paid much attention to the time. She remembered it shouldn’t have been too late, though. Still puzzled, she heard Ming Shao, standing nearby, say, “Miss, we came back at a quarter past the hour of Xu.”

Jiang Rao’s heart sank.

She had been late—by just one quarter of an hour.

And for this, her father intended to punish her?

When did Father become so strict?

…

“You’re placing her under house arrest just because she came back a quarter of an hour late? Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

Madam Qin handed a cup of tea to Fourth Master Jiang after their meal, her tone gentle as she questioned him.

But Fourth Master Jiang’s expression remained somber, his voice rising sharply, giving him an air of stern authority. “If I don’t enforce stricter rules, she’ll probably move to the west side of the city and never come back!”

However, his stern facade didn’t last long. Moments later, he softened, unable to hold his resolve. He called over a maid and instructed, “Make a bowl of sweet porridge and take it to the young lady. Even if she’s upset, she still has to eat breakfast.”

Seeing Madam Qin watching him with a playful smile, Fourth Master Jiang felt his swift change in attitude was a bit embarrassing. Trying to save face, he called the maid back. “Forget the sweet porridge. Make barley and lily bulb porridge instead—the kind she doesn’t like. Let her suffer a little. Can’t let her think she can do whatever she wants.”

After a pause, he coughed lightly and added, “Just a little barley and lily bulb—no need to overdo it.”

The doting father wavered back and forth between caring for his daughter and punishing her. Madam Qin chuckled. “Nian Nian isn’t an unruly child. She wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.”

At that moment, the Jiang family’s steward arrived with news.

“Master, Madam, people are beginning to leave the city. I made some inquiries—although the local officials haven’t issued a formal order lifting the lockdown, the snow on the mountain roads has melted enough that it’s no longer a threat. Those leaving and entering the city are all doing so safely. Master, should we start preparing for the journey back to Jinling?”

Fourth Master Jiang considered for a moment before nodding. “It’s time to return to Jinling.”

However, Madam Qin was reluctant to leave so soon.

Her mother-in-law’s birthday was still months away, and she had yet to gather information about the young man from the west side of the city or his family background. The marriage arrangement was still in its earliest stages, and she didn’t want to leave prematurely.

“Fourth Master,” she softly pleaded, “could we stay a few more days? There’s no urgent need to rush back to Jinling.”

Fourth Master Jiang had always doted on his wife. After some thought, he realized there was indeed no rush to return and told the steward, “Let’s wait for the official order lifting the lockdown before discussing our departure.”

…

And so, Jiang Rao found herself pitifully confined to her quarters.

She hadn’t even figured out how to avoid the misfortune she had foreseen in her dream, only to be blindsided by this unexpected and minor calamity.

Complaining was futile—her father had specifically assigned servants to keep watch outside her courtyard. To make matters worse, he even had them prepare the most unpleasant barley porridge for her.

The situation left Jiang Rao with no thoughts of pleading her case. Resigned, she stayed quietly in her courtyard, focusing instead on how to avoid the misfortune foretold in her dream.

At this point, she still didn’t know which family Rong Ting belonged to, nor could she directly confront the noblewoman from her dream.

Her only option was to focus on the people the woman would send.

Following the train of thought she’d had that morning, she fixated on the relay station.

If that person passed through the station, she was confident she’d recognize them.

Suddenly, inspiration struck—

Jiang Rao knew what she needed to do.

“Ming Shao, go and summon Jiang Ping!”

When Jiang Ping arrived, Jiang Rao handed him two sheets of paper. “Find a few skilled people, and follow the instructions written here. Keep it discreet.”

Jiang Ping raised the other rolled-up sheet of paper in his hand. “And what about this one?”

“Send it to the west side of the city,” Jiang Rao instructed.

She hadn’t forgotten her agreement with Rong Ting from the previous day.

However, being under house arrest today meant she couldn’t go see him herself. The best she could do was ask Jiang Ping to deliver a letter on her behalf to apologize.

She’d visit him another day, bringing a small gift to express her regrets and apologize properly.

…

After reading Jiang Rao’s instructions, Jiang Ping followed her order to keep everything low-profile. He burned the paper after memorizing its contents and committed the plan to memory.

First, he gathered all the able-bodied men in the household and held a small competition to test their skills. He selected the most skilled fighters and added two more—not particularly skilled but broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and intimidating in stature, perfect for show.

This process took him half the day. Once he finalized the group, Jiang Ping headed to the relay station to make arrangements.

Finally, he traveled east to a derelict house nestled along the eastern edge of Ye City, near the mountains. He stationed two men there to clean and prepare the site.

By the time everything was in place, night had fallen.

“Miss, everything you requested has been arranged,” Jiang Ping reported.

Jiang Ping hurried back under the cover of night to report to Jiang Rao.

She signaled for Ming Shao to hand him the reward money that had been prepared earlier, but Jiang Ping suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

“This reward… I don’t deserve it,” he said, his voice trembling.

Sweat glistened on his forehead as he pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from his sleeve, his hands shaking as he held it out to Jiang Rao. “I was so busy with the other tasks today that I forgot to deliver the letter. By the time I remembered, it was already too late. I couldn’t make it in time.”

Jiang Rao frowned.

The letter hadn’t been delivered.

So, Rong Ting had likely waited all day in vain.

Though annoyed, she pushed the reward money back into Jiang Ping’s hands. Turning to Ming Shao, she asked, “Are the people Father assigned to watch outside the courtyard still there?”

“It’s already night; they’re no longer watching. But there’s still someone guarding the main gate,” Ming Shao replied.

She hesitated, glancing at Jiang Rao. “Miss, are you planning to…”

Jiang Rao sighed. “Let’s try the methods Jin Xing mentioned.”

Leaving without a word and standing him up—what if he had been waiting all this time?

Ming Shao glanced at the darkened sky. “It’s almost bedtime. He might already be asleep.”

But Jiang Rao had already donned her cloak and lit a lantern. Holding it aloft, she replied, “It’s my fault, regardless. Even if he’s asleep, I won’t feel at ease until I see him.”

Feeling guilty, Jiang Ping quickly chimed in, “I’ll come along to assist.”

Jiang Rao nodded. “Let’s go. To the backyard.”

…

By dawn, before the first light of morning broke, Rong Ting was already fetching water by the stream.

After so many days of medicine and massage, his legs had gradually regained some strength. Though he still couldn’t walk unaided, the improvement from when they were completely numb was significant.

Even so, bathing remained a slow and arduous task.

Changing into a fresh set of clothes, thoroughly washed and clean, also took time and effort.

But Rong Ting remained patient, taking his time without rushing.

However, as Jiang Rao continued to delay, a hint of frustration began to seep in.

He watched as the sun rose in the east and sank back in the west.

After waiting the entire day, he finally confirmed that, today, she truly wouldn’t come.

Had she taken his sincere request from yesterday as a joke?

Rong Ting furrowed his brows.

But what troubled him more was the growing sense of unease.

Suddenly, memories flashed in his mind—how, a while ago, she had disappeared for days, and the news he received was that her carriage had fallen off a cliff.

He sprang to his feet in alarm, but in his haste, he forgot that his leg was still healing. A sharp, bone-crushing pain shot through him, and he collapsed heavily back into his seat, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Fearless of both ghosts and men, at this moment, he began to feel fear.

He had said it himself—if she didn’t come, he would go find her.

He turned the wheelchair and left the house.

…

When he arrived at the gates of the Jiang family residence, just before reaching the main entrance, he heard a rustling sound coming from the side of the wall.

From the top of the wall, a small head cautiously peeked out.

=^_^=