peers

Xie Wuqi received the urgent secret order from the capital city, which was sent eight hundred miles away, in the evening.

At that time, he was leaning on a couch in the guest room in the backyard of Xianyue Pavilion, the wound on his back still aching slightly, and although the high fever had subsided, his face was still pale. Jingzhe appeared silently and presented him with the silk document with the emperor's red seal.

"Inspector General of Jiangnan Province..." Xie Wuqi unfolded the secret decree, his eyes scanning the words, a cold arc slowly curling up at the corner of his lips. As expected, his royal brother had finally become restless. Placing him in Jiangnan, a land of mixed talents, was not only intended to use him as a tool to rectify the administration and balance power, but also to transfer him away from the capital, keeping him under their watch... or rather, in the eye of the storm, for closer scrutiny.

"Your Highness, the decree has been issued. We..." Jingzhe asked in a low voice. According to the decree, they were to "take up their posts immediately and do not need to return to the capital to express their gratitude." This meant that they had to leave immediately for the Inspector General's Office in Jiangning Prefecture.

Xie Wuqi put down the secret decree and peered through the window at the small courtyard enveloped in dusk. Xu Xianyue sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, quietly arranging a bunch of freshly picked, damp calamus in the last rays of daylight. Her profile was thin, her expression focused, as if the external chaos had nothing to do with her.

He had to leave. The situation in Jiangnan, the undercurrents in the capital, wouldn't allow him to stay here for long. But... leaving her here alone? After what happened with Madam Su, how could he feel at ease? The thrill of that night, the resolute look in her eyes as she pounced on him, and the overwhelming fear brought on by the words "another world" still lingered in his mind like a nightmare.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, there was a deep determination in his eyes.

"Get ready and set off tomorrow." He said to Jingzhe.

"Yes." Jingzhe accepted the order, but hesitated for a moment, "Then Miss Xu..."

Xie Wuqi was silent for a moment, then stood up from the bed. His steps were a little unsteady due to weakness, but he still straightened his back and walked towards the courtyard.

Xu Xianyue heard footsteps and looked up. The dusk softened her cold features, but also made her detachment even more distinct.

"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" She put down the calamus in her hand and said in a flat tone.

Xie Wuqi stood in front of her and looked at her. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow behind him, enveloping the two of them.

"I have received an imperial decree from the capital ordering me to take up my post as Inspector General of Jiangnan Province today." He began, his voice muffled by his injury. "Tomorrow, I must depart for Jiangning."

Xu Xianyue's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't show any surprise. He just said "hmm" softly to show that he understood.

Her calmness rekindled Xie Wuqi's inexplicable anger, but he suppressed it. He looked at her and spoke word by word, "The situation in Jiangnan is complicated, and the Su family's affairs may not be resolved yet. You...come with me to Jiangning."

This wasn't a negotiation, it was an order, bearing the unquestionable strength of Prince Jing.

Xu Xianyue raised her eyes, meeting his deep, stubborn gaze. There was concern, worry, but more than that, an almost paranoid desire for control. Ultimately, he still wanted to keep her under his wing, or rather, under his cage.

If it were in the past, she would have refused without hesitation and drawn a line in the sand with the coldest words.

But now...

Her mind flashed back to the assassin's cold blade that night, Su Momiao's frantic yet sorrowful eyes, and the seemingly gentle yet hidden calm of Jiangnan... Staying alone offered freedom, but it also meant facing unknown risks and endless troubles. The Su family might be temporarily intimidated by her, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't resort to desperate measures. And the quiet life she longed for, a life of dedicated craftsmanship, proved fragile in the face of absolute power and malice.

More importantly... her eyes swept across Xie Wuqi's still pale face and his subconsciously slightly furrowed brows, which were signs of pain from the wound. She remembered how he had held her hand tightly when he was unconscious from a high fever, and remembered his broad but injured back when he stood in front of her.

She is not heartless.

But her heart was wrapped in layers of ice and snow, and she was unwilling to show it to others easily.

Xu Xianyue remained silent. As dusk deepened, the only sound in the courtyard was the subtle rustle of wind through the calamus leaves.

Xie Wuqi's heart sank little by little as she remained silent. Just when he thought she would reject him again with those cold words——

"good."

A clear and calm word came out from Xu Xianyue's lips.

Xie Wuqi was startled, almost thinking he had misheard! He looked at her in disbelief, his eyes, always filled with a storm, now filled with only immense astonishment and... a glimmer of joy that he himself hadn't even noticed.

Xu Xianyue didn't look at him, her gaze fell back on the bunch of green calamus, as if the earth-shattering "yes" just now was just a casual promise of an insignificant matter.

"The Jiangnan Circuit Inspectorate's office is located in Jiangning. It must be home to a large number of skilled craftsmen, and the supply of materials is far superior to that of a small place like Lin'an." She analyzed in a calm tone, as if stating an objective fact. "It might be helpful for me to study my skills."

She paused, and finally raised her eyes to look at Xie Wuqi, who was still in shock. Her eyes were as clear as before, with her unique, inviolable pride and openness:

"I will go with you to Jiangning. However, this is just a temporary companionship, not a dependency. You handle your government affairs, and I delve into my skills. We won't interfere with each other."

Her words still drew a clear line. She agreed to go with him, not out of submission to his power, nor because of any ambiguous feelings, but based on a consideration of the pros and cons, and... perhaps a slight concern for his injuries, which she herself did not want to delve into.

Xie Wuqi looked at her steadily, looking at the silent ice in her eyes, and the unmistakable determination and independence beneath the ice.

He understood that this was the biggest concession she could make at the moment.

It cannot be forced.

After a long time, he slowly exhaled a breath, and the tense jaw line softened a little.

"Okay." He replied, his voice still hoarse, but with a complex, relieved lowness, "As you wish."

As long as she is within his sight and under his control (or protection), the rest... can come slowly.

Xu Xianyue said no more and lowered his head to continue arranging the bunch of calamus, as if the decision just now was just as ordinary as deciding what to eat tonight.

However, only she knew about the slightly accelerated heartbeat and the barely perceptible trembling of her fingertips.

Dusk completely enveloped the courtyard.

A new journey is about to begin.

The destination is the more prosperous and more dangerous Jiangning Prefecture.

It is also the forefront of the power struggle under the shadow of the nine-layered palace.

Xu Xianyue took this step on his own initiative.

Not for glory, not for love.

Just to survive better in this thorny world, to better protect the small world that belongs to her at her fingertips.

As for what lies ahead, is there a more gorgeous cage or a wider world?

Only by keeping going will you know.