As they walked out of the woods, the view suddenly opened up.

The forest was like a screen—on one side, rice fields; on the other, a village that looked like a hidden paradise. Adults worked in the fields, children played together, and the sounds of chickens and barking dogs filled the air.

What is the human world, if not this?

Shi Buyu softly said, “This is what true prosperity looks like.”

An old man walking ahead heard her and turned back with a hearty laugh. “Miss, I can tell you’ve read some books. People like us only know how to say things like, ‘This year’s getting too hard,’ ‘At least we had full meals this year,’ ‘There’s still a little grain left over,’ or ‘They’ve added another tax again.’”

“You’re the one who’s truly grounded. What I said was all just empty words.”

“It’s because we’re too grounded,” the old man sighed. “Now there’s a water tax and even a road-use tax. Who knows what kind of tax they’ll come up with next? Life is just getting harder. The harvest is good this year, but most of it probably won’t stay with us.”

“Because of the new tax?”

“Exactly! They even made up a name for it. Whether you want to pay or not, you have to. You pay this year, and you’ll have to pay next year too. But who can say if next year will be a good year? It’s not like every year is a good year. I just hope they don’t invent more taxes. Our life now isn’t even as good as it was in our father’s time, let alone our grandfather’s. Each generation has it worse.”

Shi Buyu kicked a pebble forward. Forty years ago might have been better, but fifty years ago—not necessarily.

The Dayou Dynasty had lasted 180 years. It had seen times of great glory and strength. But around the 120-year mark, internal strife and external threats erupted at the same time, leading to nearly a decade of chaos. If it weren’t for Emperor Qizong’s capable leadership and a group of loyal ministers who turned the tide, restoring peace for another fifty years, the dynasty would have already declined.

The white-bearded old man had told her the most about those ten years—it was a thrilling tale, as if he had lived through it himself. But he never admitted it.

Shi Buyu drifted into thought. When was that old man finally going to send her a letter?

“We’re here.” The old man called out loudly, “Wife, we’ve got visitors!”

“We’re not visitors, just here for a drink of water.” Shi Buyu smiled at the old lady who came out of the house like an obedient child. “Sorry to bother you, Granny.”

The old woman waved her hand and quickly went back inside.

“Come in and sit.” The old man warmly welcomed them. “Sit here—the cross-breeze is the coolest.”

Shi Buyu sat down and pulled Yan Shian down next to her. “Your house is so open and bright.”

“Haha, we just renovated it a couple of years ago,” the old man said proudly. “My son works in the capital. He earns the most in the whole village. He even took a few village kids with him.”

As he spoke, the old woman came out with two bowls of water.

Shi Buyu stood up and took one, downing it in a single gulp without a trace of hesitation.

Seeing this, Yan Shian also finished his water. Somehow, it felt incredibly satisfying. Everything his mother had forbidden—he suddenly wanted to do them all today.

Shi Buyu smiled. “This well water is really sweet.”

“Ours is the best well in the village. Everyone comes here to fetch water when they’re preparing feasts.”

These were the old man’s favorite topics—he never missed a beat. Riding the flow of conversation, Shi Buyu gently steered toward her real question. “The road-use tax isn’t collected with the grain tax, right?”

“No, it’s not. The road-use tax is due in three days—we’ll have to empty the house. The grain tax comes later. The crops are still in the fields. After harvesting, drying, and storing, it’ll take at least ten days to half a month.” The old man’s tone turned sour. “My granddaughter is engaged, and we were hoping to buy some cloth for a nice new outfit. Now that’s not going to happen.”

“I also heard they’re forcibly conscripting men. Is your family safe?”

“I only have one son, so we’re fine. But families with more sons can’t avoid it.”

The old man’s face alternated between anger and sighs. At his age, he had lived through more stable times and was now witnessing growing instability. He couldn’t do anything about it. He was only glad that his wife’s poor health had limited their family to one son, and that his son had only a boy and a girl of his own, keeping them out of trouble for now. But the village had heard a lot of crying lately, and it left a bitter taste in his heart.

Shi Buyu glanced at Yan Shian from the corner of her eye and didn’t ask more.

There was no rush. Take it slow.

Shi Buyu shifted the topic back to happier things. The old man, whose name was Jiang Lian, was delighted. He took them to see the fields, showed them around the village, even introduced them to the village head. Shi Buyu found out exactly where his son worked in the capital.

Before leaving, Shi Buyu left a parting remark that lingered: “We often visit relatives in the capital. When we come through again, we’ll stop by for another drink of water—hope you won’t find us annoying.”

“Come anytime. We’re never short of a drink of water.” Jiang Lian grew increasingly fond of this girl—she felt like one of his own. Though her “brother” seemed a bit harder to talk to.

As they left, Shi Buyu grabbed a handful of copper coins from her “brother’s” pouch and quietly placed them on the table when Jiang Lian wasn’t looking.

Retracing their path, standing once again amidst golden fields, Shi Buyu said, “If there were no road-use tax, their lives would be a little easier.”

“And there shouldn’t be a water tax either. Water comes from the sky, from the ground. If anyone should be collecting a tax, let it be the heavens or the earth—what does it have to do with him?”

Shi Buyu looked at him with a smile. “Feeling sorry for the common people?”

“It’s simply wrong.”

“But last time, you said it would benefit you if the people resented you.”

Yan Shian had a sudden moment of clarity—he finally understood why Shi Buyu had fallen silent that time. It was because he had only seen what benefited himself, without thinking of what these taxes meant to the people who had to bear them.

Shi Buyu wasn’t holding him to account because of who he was.

She wanted him to think like a ruler.

Because he might one day sit on that throne.

Because he was Ji An.

But even with such expectations, she never tried to force anything on him. She never used his identity to pressure him with obligations he couldn’t refuse. Instead, she brought him to these rice fields, into the presence of the common folk—to see, to hear.

She saw him simply as Ji An.

How wonderful.

Yan Shian thought, no matter what schemes she may have, no matter what plans she hides, in this world, there is finally someone who sees him only as Ji An, unrelated to anyone else.

In this moment, he was living not for others, but for himself.

“Buyu.”

Shi Buyu paused and looked at him—he rarely called her that.

“I want to give you a unique power,” Yan Shian said, looking at her. “If you ever think I’m doing something wrong, at any time, in any matter—pull me back.”

“Have you gone mad?” Shi Buyu rolled her eyes. “By the time you’re in that position, I’ll have run far away. I won’t care. Our deal doesn’t cover that far into the future.”

Is that so? Yan Shian chuckled. But somehow, he didn’t believe her anymore.

What to do now?