After staying with Aunt Xu for six days, Liu Heng's injuries hadn't fully healed, but he was now able to travel. He didn't know what the situation was like outside, so he was eager to return home.
So on the morning of the seventh day, they said goodbye to the old woman and, following her directions, found another path hidden behind the mountain.
Looking at the winding stone steps descending from top to bottom, Lin Yuqiao was deeply moved.
These thousands of stone steps were all carved out by hand by one person over several decades, pouring all the love of his life into this path with his sweat.
The mountain steps were steep, and Liu Heng carefully pulled her down them.
"We're leaving, and Auntie will have to live alone again."
On the way, Lin Yuqiao felt a little sad.
The old man was kind and hospitable. During the days they stayed at his place, he brought out almost all the good things in his house to entertain them.
"When I get back, I'll have someone come up and bring things to the old lady again. I guess she won't come down the mountain anymore, so I'll have someone come up to check on her often."
Liu Heng put his arm around her waist, adjusted her veiled hat, and gently comforted her.
That was the only way. Thinking of the lingering affection and tenderness in the old woman's eyes, Lin Yuqiao felt a pang of envy. Although the old man had passed away, the old woman still carried the deep marks of having been loved.
After descending the mountain, they followed the wooden bridge and arrived at the place called Saluozui that the old woman had mentioned.
Fortunately, Lin Yuqiao had prepared a purse with some silver before leaving, and she didn't lose it during her hurried escape. Although the money wasn't much, it was enough for their expenses on the road for the time being.
They hired a horse-drawn carriage in the village and headed to town.
"We'll go to Ningji County and then return to Kyoto from there."
Liu Heng had already planned how to get back while he was still on the mountain. Wei Bing, the chief administrator of Ningji County, was someone he had sent out years ago, so he should be able to rely on him.
Fearing another ambush, Liu Heng not only acted cautiously himself when leaving Ningji County, but also instructed Wei Bing not to reveal his identity or arrangements.
To ensure their safety, Lin Yuqiao and Liu Heng pretended to be merchants and deliberately took a long detour, spending half a month before finally getting close to Kyoto.
"Once we return to the Prince's residence, Ziping, will you forget what has happened to us these past few days, and what you said?"
The closer Lin Yuqiao got to the road back home, the more uneasy she felt, a feeling akin to the trepidation that comes with being near home.
Knowing her worries and somewhat understanding her desires, Liu Heng patted her hair and assured her, "Don't worry, it won't happen."
During his time on the mountain, he had already thought things through for the future.
Looking at the person who was beaming with joy after hearing the satisfactory answer, Liu Heng added, "You must follow the rules."
He was willing to indulge his desires for once, but he couldn't abandon his long-standing principles and the peace of the manor. His two near-death experiences made him realize just how difficult the road ahead was; he had to give it his all without any slackening.
Therefore, the backyard must be stable, without any loopholes that could restrain him, and he doesn't have that much energy to spend on it.
Lin Yuqiao nodded obediently and promised, "I will definitely behave myself."
She understood Liu Heng's thoughts. Over the years, he had shown little interest in women, clearly indicating that he preferred power to beauty. If she didn't want to be left behind by Liu Heng, she had to avoid holding him back.
People's hearts are fickle. At this moment, she is bright and beautiful, and they are mutually attracted, but who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
Liu Heng wasn't a hot-headed person, nor would he favor a concubine over his wife for her sake, so she never even dared to consider such a thing. She was already happy as long as he gave her a chance to live a better life.
She tumbled in Liu Heng's arms, knelt on his lap, and straightened up to hug his neck.
"I promise I won't have any other thoughts, nor will I argue with the princess. I'll just stay in my courtyard and wait for you to come and see me."
Biting her lower lip, Lin Yuqiao hesitated for a long time before finally stammering out the words she longed for, also preparing herself for the possibility of rejection.
"I've been very good, so Ziping, could you please stop getting close to other women?"
Liu Heng raised his eyebrows, not quite understanding what she meant.
"That's right, when you go to other courtyards, please don't have sex with other people, okay?"
Seeing that Liu Heng didn't understand, Lin Yuqiao closed her eyes, steeled her resolve, and bluntly stated her thoughts.
this……
He wasn't angry; Liu Heng was simply very surprised. Her words were truly unusual and beyond his expectations.
His expression was so calm that Lin Yuqiao felt both uneasy and fearful, as if she were waiting for a crucial verdict in her life.
Is she really being too ungrateful by simply expressing her expectations like this?
"I know you are destined for great things, and I will not hold you back. I will definitely stay in the manor and do my job properly."
After once again explaining and clarifying her feelings, Lin Yuqiao was practically swearing an oath. Was it possible that he might agree to her request, considering her honesty?
Looking at the fragile expectation on her face, as thin as paper, her long eyelashes drooping and fluttering like butterfly wings, Liu Heng felt a little flustered.
Her request was so direct that it put him in a difficult position.
His original intention was to pamper her forever and watch her laugh happily in his arms. Besides, he had always been a man of few desires; although he spent most of his time staying in the Princess's courtyard, he had only engaged in sexual relations a few times a month.
But if he agreed, wouldn't her appetite grow ever larger? He didn't want her to become insatiable, nor could he disrupt the balance of the backyard.
Unsure whether to directly rebuke her for overstepping her bounds or to remain silent in response, Liu Heng pondered the words for a while before finally saying, "Okay."
These two simple words, when heard by Lin Yuqiao, were more shocking than thunder and more melodious than celestial music.
Watching her cry and laugh excitedly in his arms, clinging to his neck and refusing to let go, Liu Heng smiled faintly, finally sighed, and pressed her head into his chest.
They rushed towards Kyoto without stopping, while the Kyoto royal palace was in complete chaos.
Earlier, when she heard the report that Liu Heng had been assassinated and all the people he was with on the way had been killed, the princess fainted.
"How could that be!"
Upon waking, the princess heard that Liu Heng's body had been hacked to pieces by swords and could only be identified by his clothes. Her vision blurred, and she cried her heart out.
"Mother, now that Father has been murdered, you must hold on."
Prince Liu Kang knelt beside the princess with tears in his eyes, urging her to cheer up, as everyone in the manor still depended on her to take charge.
"Kang'er! Your father is gone just like that, what will your mother do now!"
Thinking back to the more than ten years of harmonious marriage she had shared with Liu Heng, and now that he had passed away, the princess felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
During the day, she handled all the social interactions and affairs both inside and outside the manor. But at night, the princess couldn't sleep, and almost every night she would cry until dawn. In just a few days, she looked as haggard as if she had aged ten years.
"The Lin family's remains were not found?"
When the person who returned to report said that only the prince's remains were found, and not the concubine's body, Wang frowned and her heart skipped a beat.
Earlier, when Lady Chen Lianghou heard that the Prince of Huaiyang had met with misfortune, she came to the mansion to inquire about the situation. She cried and complained, implying that Lady Chen Lianghou had impure intentions and should not have let Consort Lin go to Yuanwu City.
Wang was already resentful because of Li's words. Now, upon hearing that Lin's remains had not been found, she wondered if Lin had been kidnapped by bandits or if she had fled first out of fear of death. This gave her a bad feeling.
Because of the long distance and the difficulty of communication, and because she felt that Lin was not a good person, the princess was worried that if it were discovered that Lin had been humiliated, it would damage the reputation of the royal family. Therefore, the princess did not send anyone to continue the search, but instead assumed that the concubine had died and sent someone to the Chenliang Marquis's residence to report the death.
By the time Liu Heng's remains were transported from Hongnong to the capital, a considerable amount of time had passed, and the body was in a very poor condition.
Fearing that the princess would be overwhelmed with grief, Liu Kang suppressed his sorrow and had his servants change his "father's" clothes and tidy him up. After a brief encoffining, the coffin was quickly sealed and the body was placed in the outer courtyard of the palace.
The first day of the interment was the day Liu Heng returned.
Before he even entered the gate, he saw the funeral procession and white banners outside. Funeral music played, and people came and went to pay their respects.
Liu Heng had intended to go directly to the palace, but worried about the situation at home, he returned to his residence with Lin Yuqiao first. Instead, he witnessed his own funeral, leaving him both shocked and furious.
Lin Yuqiao was shocked when she saw the list of the deceased, realizing that she had also "passed away" once.
The effect of Liu Heng entering through the main gate was shocking. His servants along the way were terrified, and even his relatives and friends who came to the palace to offer their condolences after receiving the death notice were frightened.
Liu Kang and the princess, who were kneeling in the mourning hall, came out when they heard the commotion. When they saw that Liu Heng had really returned, the princess was so excited that she almost fainted.
"Pengmo and I swapped clothes, so I guess it was Pengmo who was the one who concealed himself."
After briefly explaining to the princess and asking her to handle the remaining matters in the manor, Liu Heng hurriedly packed up and rushed to the palace.
This misunderstanding is huge. He needs to go to his father, the emperor, to explain things first, and also request permission to investigate the two assassination attempts against him.
After Liu Heng left, Lin Yuqiao hurried back to her courtyard. Granny Jiang, Granny Fang, Qingming Guyu, and others were also kneeling in the hall, wiping away tears, dressed in mourning clothes.
"My concubine, you're finally back."
Upon seeing Lin Yuqiao, Granny Jiang and the others, after their initial surprise, went forward and touched her hand. After confirming it was indeed her, they wept and laughed at the same time.
"Quickly send someone to the Marquis's residence to inform my mother and the others!"
Remembering that everyone thought she was dead, Lin Yuqiao hurriedly sent Qingming out to find someone to go back to the Marquis's residence and inform Madam Li.
They were busy until nightfall before the funeral hall, coffins, banners, and mourning notices in the mansion were all removed, and the mourning clothes of everyone were collected and burned.
Once things returned to normal, Lin Yuqiao heard from Granny Jiang that her courtyard had been sealed off, and her everyday clothes and other belongings had been packed away, some of which had been burned.
After making such a huge blunder, Lin Yuqiao didn't know what expression to make.
Among the new clothes she had made, there were many that she hadn't worn, which were also found and burned. Most of the ones that weren't burned were put into funeral boxes covered with paper money and auspicious hooks, as it would be unlucky to take them out and wear them again, so Jiang Mama was told to take them to the storeroom and seal them.
She could only find two wearable clothes to make do with for now, so she had a new dress made overnight, planning to find a tailor from an outside clothing agency to make her new clothes tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the princess had been managing Liu Heng's funeral a few days ago, and now she had to pull herself together to clean up the mess. Fortunately, Liu Heng was still alive, which brought her comfort and gave her a sense of security, making her eyes shine again.
After finishing her work, seeing that Liu Heng was still in the palace and had not returned, she sent someone to invite Lin Yuqiao over.
She had a lot of questions in her mind and wanted to find out from Lin Yuqiao what had happened.
After paying her respects at the Princess's residence, Lin Yuqiao was quite surprised.
It hasn't been long, yet the princess has become so haggard. Not only are there dark circles under her eyes, but her complexion is also sallow, making her look like someone of Li's age.
Lin Yuqiao recounted everything that had happened along the way to Wang Shi, omitting only the detail that Jiu Yue was the maid she had brought back. When she spoke of Liu Heng's fever in the mountains and how the two of them survived on wild vegetables and fruits before meeting Granny Xu, the princess burst into tears.
"Your Highness has suffered quite a bit on this journey. Unfortunately, we are in the capital and there is nothing we can do to help."
Wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, Madam Wang sighed for a long time. She then personally grasped her hand and thanked her, "Your Highness has been fortunate to have the Consort's care throughout the journey. I must thank you properly, sister."
"Your Highness, you are too kind. It is all what I should do."
The two talked for a while longer before the princess released Lin Yuqiao and let her go back.
"Your Highness, Lady Lin has shared joys and sorrows with the Prince on this trip. He will likely treat her differently from now on. Your Highness needs to make plans as soon as possible."
In the evening, after serving the princess her hair and changing her clothes, Granny Zhou whispered in her ear.
Looking in the mirror, she saw some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Compared to Lin's youthful beauty, she looked older. Wang felt bitter and worried.
After hearing Lin's account of the hardships she had endured along the way, she realized this was exactly what she had been worried about. The Prince was a kind man and would certainly not mistreat her in the future. It seemed that Lin's good days were just around the corner.
"I know, let's see in a while."
She remained hesitant, unable to decide whether to actually use those two concubines. She felt that if she gave them away voluntarily, it would only distance her from the prince.
Liu Heng did not return from the palace until midnight.
When Emperor Jianwu learned that his capable third son had died in Hongnong, he was deeply saddened. However, he had to suppress his grief because he still had to deal with the rebellions in Yingchuan and Hongnong, so he was unable to go to the coffin in person.
In recent years, droughts have led to reduced grain production, and frequent unrest in various regions has severely hampered the country's economy. Even when Emperor Jianwu wanted to send troops to quell the rebellion, he could not afford sufficient funds and provisions for military pay.
Exhausted and sorrowful, Emperor Jianwu was overjoyed to see his son return alive. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that his hands and feet trembled and half of his body stiffened.
Liu Heng himself did not expect this to happen, and he did not even have time to say anything.
So he quickly summoned the imperial physician. If Emperor Jianwu were to suddenly fall ill, he would be branded as "unfilial" for frightening his father. Moreover, the crown prince was still in power. If the emperor's illness led to his recovery, all his previous efforts would be in vain.
Emperor Jianwu's illness alarmed many people. The first to enter the palace was the fifth prince, the Prince of Lunan, followed by several princesses. Everyone tacitly agreed not to inform the crown prince. By the time the crown prince received the letter and rushed from the Eastern Palace, even the prime minister and the Grand Minister of the Interior had arrived.
"Your Majesty has always been internally weak and prone to wind, with damp phlegm generating heat, and internal organs suffering from accumulated damage. In addition, your emotions have been too volatile. After taking medicine for a few days and receiving acupuncture treatment, you should get better. However, in the future, you need to nourish your fluids and subdue your yang, and you must be careful to avoid spicy and dry foods and avoid overexertion."
The imperial physician's words relieved Liu Heng; his father couldn't afford to collapse like this. However, the subsequent statement that he shouldn't be overworked again made him hesitate. Did this mean the crown prince would have to oversee the country from now on?
Those who shared Liu Heng's thoughts were also pondering this in secret, but everyone outwardly appeared worried about Emperor Jianwu, and they all waited until Emperor Jianwu had finished his treatment and fallen asleep before leaving.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, the Crown Prince, feeling embarrassed for being late, couldn't help but pull Liu Heng aside to talk.
"Congratulations on your safe return, Third Brother. But you were too reckless. Why did you go straight to Father Emperor and frighten him so much that he fell ill?"
The Prince of Luyang, who was standing to the side, rarely agreed with the Crown Prince's words and chimed in, "Yes, Third Brother was too reckless, causing Father to suffer because of you."
When the Crown Prince and the others brought up this matter, it was clear that Emperor Jianwu's illness was indeed strange. As a result, many important officials and relatives of the imperial family who had not yet gone far were listening intently.
Knowing that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Luyang had no good intentions, Liu Heng had been looking for an opportunity to clarify the cause of Emperor Jianwu's illness. Just when he was about to fall asleep, someone delivered a pillow to his head. The Crown Prince and the others' words gave him room to maneuver, which made him secretly delighted.
"Eldest brother and fifth brother, you are mistaken. Father is the Son of Heaven, naturally majestic and extraordinary. How could he be easily frightened by a trivial matter? His sudden illness must be due to his worries about the affairs of state."
Liu Heng knew that if he wanted to advance further, he couldn't leave any stain on his record, and he needed to do his best to clear his name when so many people were around.
“It’s not that I’m shirking responsibility, but I simply can’t bear to see my eldest brother and fifth brother looking down on Father Emperor like this. Do you really think of Father Emperor as such a coward? Recently, there have been rebellions in Yingchuan and Hongnong. Father Emperor has always been considerate of the people’s plight and diligent in his duties. How could he not be worried?”
His words were so righteous and awe-inspiring that the Crown Prince couldn't find any reason to refute them. He couldn't very well insist that his father had fallen ill because he was frightened, or he would be accused of disrespecting his father.
The trouble passed smoothly. Seeing that he had conveyed the message to the people he wanted to tell, Liu Heng bid farewell to the Crown Prince and the Prince of Luyang and left.
Watching Liu Heng leave the palace and disappear into the distance, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Luyang exchanged a glance and then went their separate ways.
"This scourge is incredibly lucky to be alive."
Sitting in the carriage, the crown prince had a gloomy expression as he twirled the thumb ring on his thumb.
After Liu Heng returned to his residence, even though it was very late, he still spent the first night at the Princess's residence.
After hearing Qingming carefully recount the news, Lin Yuqiao sighed and went to sleep.
In truth, she knew very well that Liu Heng wouldn't be coming to see her anytime soon. Her continued waiting was nothing more than a hopeless anticipation of a surprise that would never come.
The next day, the princess began writing posts and sending gifts to various places to clarify the false accusation that Liu Heng had "faked his death."
All the families who had received the death notices sent condolence gifts, which she could not return. The larger items were packed away and locked in the storeroom, while the other fabrics and other items were given away as gifts.
For quite some time, the hottest topic in Kyoto revolved around the story of the Prince of Huaiyang's "death and resurrection."
There were all sorts of stories, and even in teahouses, storytellers made up tales like how the Prince of Huaiyang bribed ghost messengers to prolong his life in the underworld, and crawled out of his coffin on the day his body was laid to rest.
Lin Yuqiao was surprised that people in ancient times had such a vivid imagination. These stories were even more interesting than traditional storybooks, and she especially loved listening to them.
Every day, she would ask Mangxia, the most eloquent person around her, to go out and find out the latest jokes so she could tell them to her when she got back.
In the evening, she rolled around on the couch and asked Mangxia to tell her a story.
The storyteller's latest tale tells of how, in his youth, Prince Huaiyang traveled and was taken in as a disciple by a wise man. This wise man lived in seclusion on a sacred mountain and was particularly skilled in alchemy. When Prince Huaiyang was in danger, it was the divine medicine given to him by the wise man that brought him back to life.
Moreover, the medicine was precious and miraculous. A master specially sought out the Heavenly Palace and obtained the precious medicinal materials from the fairy. It could only be refined after eighty-one days of fasting and not drinking.
When Liu Heng came in, he heard her giggling laughter.
"What joyous occasion is this?"
Looking at the person lying face down on the couch, clutching their stomach and laughing so hard they were about to choke, Liu Heng raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
Wiping away her tears, Lin Yuqiao stood up, gave a hasty greeting, and waved the others away.
She pulled Liu Heng to sit on the couch with her, clutching her stomach, and started telling jokes she had heard while laughing.
"In two days, they'll probably make up a story about how you met a fairy who descended to earth, fell in love with her, and when you were in trouble, she couldn't bear to leave you, so she gave you a magic elixir that she had stolen from the heavenly palace."
Liu Heng didn't catch her joke; instead, he frowned after hearing her words.
These rumors were incredibly imaginative and funny anecdotes to Lin Yuqiao, but in his eyes, being incorporated into these bizarre and supernatural stories was not a happy thing at all.
Seeing that Liu Heng wasn't laughing heartily in return, Lin Yuqiao suddenly felt a profound loneliness. The generation gap between them spanned thousands of years of civilization.
"Actually, everyone's just enjoying the show. They can't shut up anyway, unless there's something else that's hotter. Ziping, if you don't like what they've made up, you can make up your own, and then have a storyteller tell your stories in the teahouse. You can even say you're a reincarnated deity."
Lying in Liu Heng's arms, Lin Yuqiao inwardly complained that he lacked a sense of self-deprecating humor, while casually offering him advice.
The speaker may not have meant anything by it, but the listener may have taken it to heart.
This time, Liu Heng finally grasped her point and drew inspiration from it. Perhaps he could actually make good use of this rumor.
Overjoyed, Liu Heng flipped her over and pinned her to the bed, nibbling at her smooth neck and chuckling indistinctly, "You're quite clever."
Lin Yuqiao, who originally wanted to volunteer to write jokes for Liu Heng and aspired to be an underground joke writer in the Qin Dynasty, had her ambitions ignited when they were extinguished by a hand that slipped into her clothes and caused trouble.
Amidst the warbling of orioles, the room is bathed in the warmth of spring.
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