Chapter 33

“What exactly are you looking for? Tell me, and I can help you find it.”

In the hunting grounds, the Seventh Prince, Gu Yuwen, accompanied Lin Yan’an to the cave where they had taken shelter from the rain the day before. Seeing Lin Yan’an searching the dim cave with a lantern he had prepared in advance, Gu Yuwen couldn’t help but ask.

Gu Yuwen had initially come to visit Lin Yan’an, planning to deliver the day’s lessons and discuss the key points from their teacher before leaving. However, upon arrival, he found Lin Yan’an dressed in riding clothes, ready to head to the hunting grounds. He tried to dissuade him but failed, so he followed along, worried something might happen to Lin Yan’an.

“My mother’s jade pendant,” Lin Yan’an lied. “I only realized this morning that it was missing. I didn’t go out yesterday because I was sick, so it must have fallen here when we took shelter from the rain the day before.” As he spoke, Lin Yan’an held the jade pendant he had hidden in his hand when he left, clearly having prepared this excuse in advance.

“The jade pendant from King Yan’s consort?” Gu Yuwen recalled the events of the previous night’s banquet and hesitated before asking, “I heard… King Yan is very fond of his consort?” He phrased it delicately.

Lin Yan’an didn’t hesitate, “Of course.”

Gu Yuwen continued, “Does King Yan even listen to his consort?”

Lin Yan’an laughed, a rare cheerful sound, “Mother doesn’t speak much, but whenever she does, Father always listens.”

He couldn’t help but give an example, “I’ve been used to entering the palace since I was young. On my first day as your study companion, the family didn’t think much of it, but Mother insisted that Father take me to the palace gate. Father had no choice but to get up before dawn to take me, complaining all the way that I wasn’t a child anymore.”

Gu Yuwen’s focus shifted from King Yan’s fear of his wife to Lin Yan’an’s happy family, and he felt slightly… envious.

Lin Yan’an noticed the change in Gu Yuwen’s expression from the corner of his eye. He lowered his eyelids to hide the coldness in his eyes. He repeatedly confirmed that this was indeed the cave where they had taken shelter from the rain, with traces of their presence still visible and no unusual marks on the walls or floor.

The cave hadn’t mysteriously disappeared, nor did it have any mystical symbols like those in strange tales. It looked completely ordinary, making him unsure if the dream was a divine warning or just a simple, meaningless dream. If it was a warning, it came too suddenly and didn’t match the events that had happened. If it was just a dream, it was too detailed, with everything interconnected and none of the usual disjointedness of dreams. When he first woke up from the dream, he couldn’t even tell which side was the dream. In the dream, his understanding of the Yian Sect far exceeded his current knowledge because he returned to the Yian Sect a year after his father’s death. Initially, he wanted to destroy the cult, but later, he tried to control it, making it a pawn for himself and his grandmother. During this process, he encountered the leader of the Yian Sect, discovered the still-living heir of King Yi, and learned about what the heir had done. Lin Yan’an certainly wouldn’t let him go. He even set up a stage to publicly expose his identity and his use of the Yian Sect against King Yan, stating that he had killed many followers for his selfish desires. He also brought up the original purpose of the Yian Sect and invited several respected elders to stir up old hatred.

In the end, King Yi Heir was killed by the common people he had used like ants, boiled alive in a vat, and devoured by the enraged followers of the Yian Sect.

Lin Yan’an followed King Yi Heir’s route when he pursued Wudu, searching step by step. It took him several years to find Wudu in Shaling Village, Guide Prefecture. In the dream, his father had already passed away. After much consideration, he decided to keep Wudu, sensing that Wudu would be useful. Indeed, many years later, when he faked his death, he used Wudu. He also had Wudu rescue his grandmother from prison.

“I found it.”

Unable to see any connection between the cave and his terrifying nightmare and worried that his father would send someone to fetch him back if he didn’t rest properly, Lin Yan’an took out the jade pendant he had in his hand, pretending to have found it in the cave, and left the hunting grounds with Gu Yuwen.

On the way, Gu Yuwen talked about the lesson their teacher had given that day. The teacher who taught the princes was naturally a high-ranking official from the court. Lin Yan’an listened carefully, occasionally asking questions and showing a noticeable change in attitude. Even Gu Yuwen remarked that Lin Yan’an seemed more cheerful after his illness.

Lin Yan’an’s previous demeanor was modeled after the descriptions of his father as a child, who was naturally gentler and polite. After that dream, he suddenly saw himself clearly and felt that the grown-up version of himself in the dream suited him better and was more convincing. Most importantly, that version of him wouldn’t be choked up and unable to speak in front of his mother.

“Isn’t this better?” he said to Gu Yuwen, his attitude open and unreserved. Gu Yuwen didn’t think much of it and didn’t dwell on Lin Yan’an’s change in personality.

…

While Lin Yan’an found nothing suspicious in the cave, Li Mu, who had slept in, woke up to find herself infected by Lin Yan’an. She had a low fever, nasal congestion, and a cough, speaking with a muffled nasal tone.

Lin Que brought her medicine. She took the bowl and told Lin Que to stay away to avoid getting infected.

Lin Que said, “We slept in the same bed all night. If I were to catch it, I would have already.”

Li Mu, feeling unwell, spoke bluntly, “Stay away. I don’t want you getting sick just as I get better, making the whole family take turns caring for us.”

She then asked Lin Que to open all the windows for ventilation.

Lin Que obediently opened the windows but didn’t want to leave Li Mu alone.

Curled in the blanket, Li Mu said, “Being alone is fine. I’ll be better after taking the medicine and sleeping.”

Before her time travel, she always handled illness this way: going to the hospital for medicine, taking it, sleeping, and cursing a bit if it got too unbearable. With no one else at home, she didn’t worry about affecting anyone with her cursing.

It was fine.

Without any pretense, Lin Que sat on the footstool by the bed, reached into the blanket, and held her hand. “But when I was unwell, you were always by my side. I always thought, ‘It’s so good to have you here.'”

“So let me stay with you too.”

Li Mu: “…Get Wudu to prescribe you some medicine to prevent it.”

Lin Que: “Do I have to take it?”

Li Mu: “Get out.”

Lin Que: “I’ll take it, I’ll take it. I’ll go get Wudu.”

Lin Que called Wudu, who also thought it was a good idea for Lin Que to take some preventive medicine. He prescribed a mild formula, and Nanny Liu prepared it.

After drinking it, Lin Que stayed by the bed, not leaving. Comparing herself to him, Li Mu felt she hadn’t taken good enough care of Lin Yan’an the previous day. Remembering Lin Yan’an’s sincere thanks, she couldn’t help but kick the blanket a few times.

Lin Que, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Mu forced out, “Nothing.”

Previously, she had always held back, so Lin Que didn’t know she had a habit of kicking the blanket to vent when memories attacked her. But once it happened, it happened again. After a few more times, Lin Que realized that his consort kicking the blanket meant she was thinking about something troubling. He would coax her to talk about it, gently comfort her, and if he couldn’t get her to talk, he would chat about other things to distract her.

Li Mu’s illness, like Lin Yan’an’s, was mild and almost gone after a day, though she still had a bit of a cough. She drank stewed pears for a few more days to fully recover.

On the seventh day of the seventh month, the Qixi Festival, which was supposed to be a day for girls to gather and test their skills, the atmosphere in the summer palace was completely disrupted by Lin Qiwu’s antics with her bandit-catching game.

On the eighth day of the seventh month, Li Mu’s birthday, Lin Que gave her a black foal.

Li Mu was very fond of it. After thinking for a few days, going through countless poems and classic stories, and writing numerous elegant or powerful names, she finally followed her heart and named the horse “Sesame Paste.”

The courtyard of the summer palace wasn’t suitable for keeping a horse, and Li Mu didn’t want to go out and meet people. She eagerly awaited their return to the King’s mansion, and finally, in August, the imperial entourage returned to the capital.

After another ten days of travel, they arrived at the King’s mansion just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. As usual, Lin Que took Li Mu and Lin Yan’an to the neighboring Grand Princess Zhaoming’s mansion for a crab feast, where they met Princess Huaishu, whom they had seen once the previous year.

Li Mu discovered that Princess Huaishu seemed to be a homebody like her. Lin Que explained that the late emperor had sent Princess Huaishu to marry an ally. Later, when the two sides went to war again, Grand Princess Zhaoming defied the imperial decree, led troops to the border, and brought Princess Huaishu back safely.

After returning to the capital, Princess Huaishu faced much ridicule and criticism, with sisters and aunts blaming her for not fulfilling her duty as a marriage alliance and having the audacity to return. Grand Princess Zhaoming beat up the men in those families, teaching them to keep quiet.

The late emperor intended to arrange a marriage for this daughter, who had been in a marriage alliance. He planned to marry her to the youngest son of the Duke of Anguo. However, because she kept male companions, the marriage never happened. With a poor reputation outside, she preferred to stay at the princess’s mansion and live her own life.

Li Mu thought she was a very carefree woman.

On the other hand, Lin Yan’an was very curious about Princess Huaishu’s admirers because of that dream. In the dream, he survived by cutting off his tail, and besides the dormant Yian Sect and Shaling Village, his greatest support was Princess Huaishu’s mansion, which housed all sorts of people.

Unfortunately…

In the dream, Princess Huaishu wanted to help her sister, who had lost her family and was branded a traitor, to rise again and take up the sword to fight back. But knowing she was incapable, she killed herself, framing Gu Yuwen, making those who admired her see him as an enemy, and prompting Grand Princess Zhaoming to take up the sword again to seek justice.

In the dream, Lin Yan’an knew Princess Huaishu had committed suicide, but he didn’t say anything. He and his grandmother plotted together, taking eight years to end it all. His grandmother ascended the throne as emperor, and he assisted her. One snowy year, with white hair, he felt tired, closed his eyes to sleep, and woke up from the dream to see his mother.

…

Grand Princess Zhaoming disliked peeling crabs but loved eating crab meat. She always had others peel them for her, and occasionally, when Princess Huaishu was in the mood, she would peel one for her.

Crabs are cold in nature and best paired with warm yellow wine. Qiu Zhu brought a pot of freshly warmed wine. Grand Princess Zhaoming drank while waiting for the meat, noticing her sister fidgeting and occasionally rubbing her lower back. Worried about her sister’s health, she asked.

Princess Huaishu smiled and whispered, “I’m not unwell, just a bit of a sore back.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she chirped, “A pair of twin brothers recently arrived at the mansion. Though they come from humble backgrounds and have roamed the martial world, they are truly handsome and well-built. The brothers are a year younger than Gu Chi, and they were still virgins before meeting me. They are also quite jealous, which makes them even more interesting.”

Grand Princess Zhaoming: “…”

I shouldn’t have asked.