Chapter 10

At that moment, a knock sounded from outside the room.

“Ah Miao, are you up?”

A graceful skirt hem stopped by the door as Madam Mu knocked gently, accompanied by two maidservants. “It’s almost time to head to the Chongwen Academy.”

“Just a moment, Mother!” Yun Miao shouted back.

Before the person in bed could react, she pushed him back into the soft quilt with a decisive “thump.”

The motion tugged at his wound, and he almost let out a groan, only for a hand to quickly cover his mouth. A soft whisper came close to his ear, and her fair face appeared faintly in the dim light under the quilt.

“Shh, don’t make a sound.”

The dim space under the quilt was stifling and faintly illuminated by a sliver of light. The two of them lay face to face, their noses nearly touching.

Their breaths intertwined in the darkness.

Yun Miao extended a slender finger, lightly pressing it against his lips in a gesture for silence.

Her fingertip brushed against his lips briefly.

Instinctively, he closed his eyes for a moment.

By the time he opened them, Yun Miao had already peeked out from under the quilt.

She pressed down the piles of silk and satin on the bed to conceal the young man hiding underneath, then turned her head toward the door and called out, “Mother, I’m ready!”

The door creaked open, and Madam Mu entered with the two maidservants.

Yun Miao got out of bed and obediently let the two maids help her dress. Then she sat at the dressing table, allowing Madam Mu to braid her hair.

“The carriage from the Vice Minister of the Censorate’s household is already waiting outside,” Madam Mu said as she inserted a silver hairpin into Yun Miao’s coiffure. “Miss Luo is very diligent about attending her lessons.”

“Ah Li comes earlier every day,” Yun Miao yawned. “Who knows if she’s taken a fancy to some young scholar at the academy and can’t wait to see him? And yet she insists on dragging me along.”

Madam Mu laughed softly, gently tapping Yun Miao’s head. “If Miss Luo hears this, she’ll surely quarrel with you.”

“I already complained to her about it yesterday,” Yun Miao said with a sly smile. “She looked so mysterious—I really think she’s infatuated with someone.”

By the time their conversation ended, Yun Miao’s makeup and attire were complete.

Excusing herself to organize her study materials, she stayed behind in the room.

Turning back to the bed, she lifted the quilt, gently touched the young man’s forehead, and nodded to herself. “Hmm, seems like the fever’s gone.”

Xie Zhiyuan tilted his head slightly, hearing her say, “You suddenly developed a high fever before dawn—it scared me half to death. I was so worried you’d fry your brain.”

“But it’s good you’re awake now.”

Yun Miao placed a bowl of medicine on the bedside table and looked back at him with a small smile. “I have to go out soon. Make sure you drink the medicine and get some rest.”

“And one last thing.”

She perched on the edge of the bed, lifting her hem slightly as she rolled up her sleeve to reveal slender, fair fingers. “I need to check your pulse.”

Before he could respond, Yun Miao grasped Xie Zhiyuan’s hand, lightly pressing two fingers against his wrist.

Due to his injuries and illness, his wrist appeared pale and thin, yet strikingly elegant. The sinews and bones were clear, his wristbone subtly pronounced—a beautifully defined hand.

His pulse gently throbbed beneath her fingers.

While feeling his pulse, Yun Miao scribbled notes in a small book. “Pulse is weak, slow, thin… lacking strength…”

Noticing his slightly puzzled gaze, she scratched her head sheepishly. “I just learned this yesterday. I’m still a novice, so I need to take notes to consult my teacher…”

“Well then, I’m off.”

She picked up her books, walked to the door, and turned back one last time. “Xie Zhiyuan, remember to drink your medicine.”

“Wait for me to come back!”

Her crisp voice disappeared beyond the door, which clicked shut, leaving the room dim once again.

The young man sat up, adjusted the lamp’s wick slightly, and stared at the bowl of medicine on the table.

The flickering candlelight danced on his lowered lashes. Sitting in the shadows, he chuckled quietly.

A dagger slid silently out of his wide sleeve before just as silently retracting.

---

“Ah Miao, are you really planning to skip class?”

Inside the rumbling carriage, her schoolmate Luo Li pulled back the curtain and turned to Yun Miao in surprise.

The two girls were seated together on the carriage, heading toward Chongwen Academy. On either side of the street, the morning drums echoed amidst the bustling crowds, masking their conversation from prying ears.

“Just cover for me and say I’m feeling unwell,” Yun Miao said with a nod. “I’ll return to the academy once I’ve handled my business, and I’ll ride back home with you. Make sure to keep this from my mother.”

“Her Highness the Princess won’t mind your absence, but Master Changying… he’s less forgiving…”

Luo Li clutched her hair in frustration. “Alright, I’ll do my best.”

She looked up, her curiosity unabated. “But Ah Miao, what exactly are you going to do?”

Yun Miao smiled mysteriously. “I’ll tell you when I get back.”

The carriage stopped at a deserted alley, and the cloaked girl slipped out, disappearing down the long passage.

Her fluttering robes caught the breeze, resembling the wings of a butterfly.

At the end of the alley, after turning two streets southeast, Yun Miao reached the boundary of Baigui Lane.

The bustling morning market streets were already teeming with vendors hawking their wares.

Among the merchants were numerous peculiar figures cloaked and hatted, selling strange and rare items. Some were priceless treasures smuggled from aristocratic households, while others were mere forgeries.

The area was a hub for trade in black-market goods.

Here, Yun Miao blended into the crowd, unremarkable in her hooded cloak.

Gu Qi Gong lived nearby.

After taking him as her master yesterday, Yun Miao had instructed Baigui Lane’s steward to find a small street-front dwelling for the legless old man. She ensured he would receive food and water daily without explaining his identity, and the steward dared not ask.

A knock sounded.

The girl outside removed her hood and peeked through the crack in the door, calling, “Master.”

“Come in,” the elderly man said hoarsely from his wheelchair.

“Master, I’ve noted all the pulses.”

Yun Miao set her cloak on a peg by the door, walked inside, and spread her notebook on a small table. “Take a look?”

After taking her as his apprentice the day before, Gu Qi Gong had taught Yun Miao the basics of pulse diagnosis, instructing her to record her patient’s symptoms for him to review.

“How does it look?” Yun Miao asked, resting her chin in her hands.

The elderly man’s expression was inscrutable.

Tracing the written notes with his withered fingers, his eyes reflected a mix of emotions.

“Your friend has been poisoned for many years… yet they’re still alive,” he rasped.

Yun Miao blinked lightly.

“‘Tumi Incense’ poison attacks at night, causing excruciating, skin-piercing agony. Typically, victims don’t survive until the next morning.”

Gu Qi Gong’s voice was low. “Yet your friend has lived with it for over a decade.”

Yun Miao suddenly recalled their first meeting. On that night, a scarlet-clad youth had stood before her in the darkness, wielding a bloodstained blade, his robe billowing like clouds.

So, he had been in such pain even then?

“According to the pulse diagnosis, his high fever and fainting last night were caused by wounds triggering the poison’s effects,” Gu Qi Gong continued, his gaze fixed on the notes.

“But what intrigues me is…”

In the wavering candlelight, the elderly man sat in his wheelchair, muttering under his breath.

“How has he survived?”

“Is there someone… trying to keep him alive?”

After leaving Old Man Gui Qi’s residence, Yun Miao, wrapped in her hooded robe, headed to the underground gambling den of the Hundred Ghosts Den.

Old Man Gui Qi instructed her to get more of the herb called Dragon’s Blood Grass, crush it in the same way, and mix it with other medications to feed the patient.

In addition, he started teaching her the use of silver needles, a method to temporarily alleviate the toxicity in the blood.

So, Yun Miao needed to go to the Hundred Ghosts Den again to fetch some Dragon’s Blood Grass.

Upon entering the underground gambling den, two clerks tallying accounts recognized her instantly and respectfully invited her into the inner hall behind the curtain. They offered her the most expensive Longquan tea available in the black market and sent for Old Man Dong to come and serve her.

“Madam of the Den Owner!”

Old Man Dong came running in excitedly from outside. Upon seeing Yun Miao, he greeted her with a deep bow, saying, “Madam truly has great foresight to purchase Dragon’s Blood Grass overnight!”

Yun Miao blinked in surprise, not quite understanding, but she remained expressionless and kept her head down, fiddling with the tea leaves in her cup.

“We just received the news this morning. Last night, the Southern Beggars’ Gang and the Blackwater Stronghold clashed on the main street in a massive brawl involving hundreds, dragging in several martial arts sects, resulting in countless casualties…”

Old Man Dong continued excitedly, “As a result, the demand for medical treatment and herbs surged overnight, and the price of Dragon’s Blood Grass has been skyrocketing! Starting today, we’ll release our hoarded stock bit by bit. This business alone will bring in tens of thousands of silver taels in profit!”

Yun Miao blinked again.

Truthfully, she hadn’t anticipated this effect on the market caused by hoarding all the Dragon’s Blood Grass.

… But the Hundred Ghosts Den had indeed made a huge profit because of it.

She coldly nodded. “Hmm.”

Cradling her tea, she stood up. “Take me to the warehouse to check the stock.”

Quietly pocketing a handful of Dragon’s Blood Grass from the warehouse, Yun Miao finally completed her tasks for the day.

She found her classmate Luo Li outside the Chongwen Pavilion and shared a carriage back home.

“Miao, can you tell me that secret now?”

Inside the carriage, Luo Li pulled down the curtains, leaned on Yun Miao’s arm, and swayed it. “What exactly did you go out to do today?”

Yun Miao blinked mysteriously and leaned close to whisper in her friend’s ear, “There’s someone hidden in my room.”

“What!” Luo Li exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

Then she squinted with a teasing smile, tugging at Yun Miao’s sleeve and whispering, “Come on, tell me. Could it be your sweetheart?”

“No.” Yun Miao laughed and pushed her hand away. “It’s just a friend.”

“Promise me you’ll keep this secret for me.”

She added, “He’s fallen ill. Today, I went to get medicine for him.”

Luo Li promised to keep her secret and enthusiastically offered, “If you need any medicine, just let me know. I can have someone secretly fetch it for you, and no one will suspect a thing!”

“Miao,”

After a pause, she leaned closer, whispering, “You told me a secret, so I’ll tell you one too.”

“What secret?” Yun Miao blinked.

“Have you noticed that I’ve been arriving at Chongwen Pavilion earlier than usual these days?”

Luo Li giggled. “It’s because I’ve met a young gentleman nearby!”

“You don’t mean you’ve fallen for him, do you?”

Yun Miao raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I knew you were being mysterious these past few days—turns out you’ve met someone special!”

“Well, not quite my sweetheart…”

Luo Li thought for a moment before laughing again. “But whenever I see him, my heart feels light.”

The two girls chatted and laughed all the way, and the carriage soon stopped in front of the Yun residence.

Yun Miao alighted from the carriage, bid Luo Li farewell at the gate, and carried her bundle of medicine back to her chamber.

Walking along the winding stone path and up the wooden steps, Yun Miao lifted a corner of her ruqun’s skirt and stopped at the lacquered wooden door at the top of the stairs.

She pushed open the door and called out, “I’m back!”

The wind swept in silently, lifting the hem of her skirt.

She froze.

The room was empty.

The curtains hanging by the bed swayed slightly. The antique shelf nearby held a pestle for grinding medicine, and on the table below rested a white porcelain bowl of cooled herbal decoction.

If not for the blood-stained bandages scattered on the bed, there would be no evidence that anyone had ever been here.

The young man who had been in the room was gone.

Meanwhile, within the palace bathed in the light of dusk.

Eunuch Director Yu Zhao’en finished handling various affairs and left the Taiji Palace, where he served the emperor.

In the Yeting Palace, where palace servants resided, he changed into a wide black robe, then slipped away quietly to a secluded, hidden side hall in the northern part of the palace.

Yu Zhao’en, respectfully addressed as “Eunuch Yu,” was the most prominent attendant before the throne. Leader of the Northern Division eunuchs and general in command of the Imperial Guard, he appeared before civil and military officials as a benevolent elder, all white-haired, smiling kindly and humble.

However, when he donned his black robe, his aura turned cold and ominous, like an owl in the shadows.

He pushed open the creaky wooden doors of the abandoned hall, walked through the dust-laden corridor, and stopped before a bamboo-and-wood carved screen, bowing deeply with hands folded.

“Your Highness, the Third Prince,” Eunuch Yu said solemnly.

Behind the screen stood a long rosewood table, with a half-open lattice window above it. Beams of light streamed in, illuminating floating dust motes.

A youth in brocade robes leaned lazily on the table with one hand, tossing a plum blossom copper coin, divining fortunes through the Six Yao method.

The coin flipped in the air and landed on the table with a crisp “snap.”

“The recent omens have been strange.”

He spoke softly, “I don’t understand… What has gone awry?”

“Did Your Highness partake in the brawl between Blackwater Stronghold and the Southern Beggars’ Gang yesterday?” Eunuch Yu inquired.

“That brawl was my doing.”

Xie Zhiyuan replied indifferently, “Both sides suffered heavy losses, forging a deep-seated blood feud.”

“Then everything is proceeding according to Your Highness’s plan.”

Eunuch Yu gazed at the table. “As planned, by autumn’s end, Your Highness will control the southeastern part of the city.”

“That intermediary, ‘Mister Willow,’ is quite the nuisance, though.”

The youth stretched lazily with outstretched arms. “Find an opportunity to kill him.”

“Understood.”

Eunuch Yu bowed again. “There is one more matter to remind Your Highness.”

“What is it?” Xie Zhiyuan asked without looking up.

“Regarding Your Highness’s marriage.”

After a pause, Eunuch Yu continued, “Minister Yun Zichen of the Ministry of Revenue has decided to support Your Highness in secret. The entire Yun clan of Yin Chuan will lean towards our Northern Division in court. The purpose of this marriage has been fulfilled, and the minister’s daughter is no longer of much use. Your Highness does not need to marry a burden…”

“At the right time,”

He folded his sleeves and said, “That little girl named Yun Miao can die.”

“She knows many of Your Highness’s secrets, and only the dead can keep secrets.”

“The death of his beloved only daughter will deepen a father’s fond memories of her and make him cherish the son-in-law who adored her even more.”

“The shared grief of losing a loved one will bond you closer, ensuring the minister’s unwavering support for Your Highness in court.”

The high-ranking black-robed eunuch bowed again. “I trust Your Highness understands.”

The youth sitting on the table didn’t reply, idly toying with the coin in his hand.

The coin flipped again, tracing a golden arc in the air. As it fell, he caught it lazily in his palm.

He stood up and smiled.

“… That will also be the day the ‘White-haired Elder’ makes his name in the martial world.”