In the inner palace, at the Ministry of Works' duty room, Eunuch Xia squinted his slender eyes and followed the young official walking down the corridor in the distance through the half-open window.

Xue Jiyan was wearing the blue official uniform of the Hanlin Academy and was talking in a low voice with his colleagues.

He had clear features and a scholarly air in his every move. However, his back was straight and his steps were steady and powerful, making him look like a martial artist.

"It really looks like it..." Eunuch Xia muttered to himself, his skinny fingers unconsciously stroking a warm jade pendant in his sleeve.

The eunuch behind him whispered, "Godfather, it's time to go to the Queen Mother's palace and give her a reply."

Eunuch Xia then withdrew his gaze, gathered his sleeves and said, "Let's go."

When he turned around, he took a last glance at Xue Jiyan's back - the young man was slightly tilting his head, and the sunlight outlined his straight nose and jaw line, which gradually overlapped with a vague outline in his memory.

When Eunuch Xia walked out of the palace gate holding the rosewood box, the sun was already setting.

He squinted at the sky and waved to the eunuchs holding brocade boxes behind him: "Be careful, everyone. The ice silk curtains given by the Empress Dowager are extremely precious and must not be stained by even a speck of dust."

The group crossed the bustling Zhuque Street and turned into Chongrenfang.

In front of the black lacquered gate of Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, two stone lions appear particularly majestic in the setting sun.

"The Empress Dowager, sympathetic to the old lady's advanced age, specially sent this servant to bring these summer-relief items."

Eunuch Xia smiled with wrinkles all over his face as he pointed at several mahogany boxes that the eunuchs behind him had carried in. "This is the Qinzhu Jade Seal Mat, which is very cool to use in the summer. There are also tents made of ice silk and agarwood incense that was tributed from the South China Sea..."

Madam Jiang Shuxiu bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. However, my mother-in-law left for her ancestral home in the north two weeks ago to pay respects to her ancestors, so I was unable to come and greet her in person. I hope you will forgive me, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Xia's eyes gleamed. "The old lady has gone to the north?" Then he forced a smile. "Indeed, the marriages of several young men and women in the Marquis' Mansion have been arranged, and it's time to appease our ancestors. Could I, an old servant, share in the joy and see the new house? I've been in the palace for many years, so I'm the most knowledgeable about these things."

Jiang Shuxiu hesitated for a moment, but thinking that the other party was a capable eunuch beside the Queen Mother, he couldn't refuse: "Please follow me, Eunuch."

As soon as I stepped into the Moon Gate, I was shocked by the scene before me——

The entire courtyard looks brand new, with red silk hanging under the corridor, and craftsmen are building a small lotus pond under the old plum tree in the courtyard.

The most eye-catching thing is the pattern carved on the window lattice of the main room: it is not the ordinary magpie climbing on a plum tree, but a majestic tiger walking on the snow.

"This pattern is quite unique..." Eunuch Xia's voice trembled slightly.

Jiang Shuxiu followed his gaze and smiled, "This is the Ding family crest. Ji Yan said that since he was going to marry a young lady from the Ding family, there should be some items in the courtyard that she would be familiar with."

Eunuch Xia approached the window frame, his fingers almost touching the wooden tiger, but he pulled back at the last moment.

His eyes swept over every detail in the courtyard: the newly paved bluestone path, the specially widened threshold, the row of newly transplanted green bamboos outside the west wing...

"Third Young Master..." Eunuch Xia suddenly spoke up, "Do you enjoy practicing calligraphy?"

Jiang Shuxiu was a little surprised: "Ji Yan has been practicing calligraphy since he was young, and is particularly good at Yan style. Why did you suddenly ask about it, father-in-law?"

Eunuch Xia did not answer, but just stared at the newly posted couplets on the main door.

A gust of wind blew, and the bamboo leaves in the yard rustled.

Eunuch Xia seemed to see the scene more than ten years ago when the blood-covered general entrusted the baby to him on that rainy night.

"Father-in-law?" Jiang Shuxiu called out in confusion.

Eunuch Xia snapped back to his senses, a smile plastered across his face again. "This old servant suddenly remembered that the Empress Dowager was still waiting for a reply, so I'll take my leave now."

As he turned around, he took a last look at the unfinished lotus pond in the yard. The pattern made of pebbles at the bottom of the pond was a tiger roaring to the sky.

…

The candlelight flickered in the Yangxin Palace. Emperor Li Longze leaned on the dragon couch, holding a scroll of memorials in his hand, but he did not turn a page.

There was a sound of rain outside the window. Ever since the heavy rain in the suburbs three days ago, the rain had been intermittent and had never stopped.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." The eunuch tiptoed forward and advised in a low voice.

Li Longze rubbed his brows and threw the memorial aside: "Has the memorial from Jingzhao Yin been submitted?"

"Hand it over." The eunuch bowed. "The rainstorm destroyed more than ten tombs on the outskirts of the city, including..." He paused, "the ancestral tomb of the Xingyuan Marquisate."

Li Longze's fingers suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. He was silent for a moment, then sneered, "The Xue family's ancestral tomb? What a coincidence."

The eunuch didn't dare to respond, but just silently changed a cup of calming tea for the emperor.

Li Longze waved everyone away and lay alone on the dragon couch.

The sound of rain outside the window is getting faster and faster, hitting the glazed tiles like the beating of war drums.

He closed his eyes, and in a trance he returned to that rainy night three years ago...

Three years ago, it was also raining heavily, and the lights in the Shenwu Camp were bright.

The young emperor, dressed in casual clothes, stood with his hands behind his back. Before him knelt an armored lieutenant, his face obscured beneath his helmet.

"Remember," Li Longze's voice was as cold as ice, "as long as Xue Yonghuai penetrates the enemy camp, you will cut off his retreat." He slowly leaned over and pressed a tiger talisman into the deputy general's hand. "I want him to go and never return."

The deputy general kowtowed deeply: "I understand."

Thunder roared, and the dream suddenly changed——

On the battlefield littered with corpses, Xue Yonghuai held a sword in one arm, his body covered in blood.

Behind him was the burning enemy camp, and in front of him were the soldiers of the Shenwu Camp who were supposed to support him.

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