On the first day of July, a mysterious fire broke out in the palace.
The fire engulfed the side hall where the son of Prince Ning resided. It was an unusual fire, silently and relentlessly burning until it illuminated the entire palace. By the time the fire subsided, the young son of Prince Ning, sleeping deeply, could not be saved. After the fire was extinguished, the investigators found his charred body, unrecognizable.
Outraged, Prince Xie Xilan insisted on punishing the guards and maids who were responsible for the side hall. After a night of fervent persuasion, he reluctantly settled for imprisoning them in the water dungeon.
The burned corpse was actually a carefully chosen body from the wilderness outside the capital, which Jixiu and Sheng Lin had carried into the palace.
Feeling guilty for sending Sheng Lin to escort the delicate prince, Jixiu personally carried the corpse bag into the side hall. Li Yu was already waiting inside.
Li Yu, also a disciple of the Wenhé Sect, had risen through the ranks from a palace guard to a commander. Now, he stood guard for his fellow sect members, ensuring their safety even at night. With some of the guards missing, he had put the rest to sleep in various positions in the courtyard.
Xie Xihai was still sound asleep when the three entered. He lay covered by his blanket, breathing peacefully.
Seeing Sheng Lin, Xie Xihai, half-awake, asked him, “Why so late?”
Approaching, Sheng Lin gently lifted Xie Xihai, blanket and all, and replied, “Didn’t I tell you last night that I would come to pick you up?”
“Forgetful as always,” Xie Xihai yawned, his eyes watery, “You always tell me important matters when I’m about to fall asleep. Are you trying to deceive me?”
Struggling, he pulled his hand from under the blanket, resting it on Sheng Lin’s shoulder. With a soft voice and a hint of coquetry, he said, “I still want to sleep.”
“You can sleep,” Sheng Lin whispered.
Watching this scene, Jixiu’s heart jumped, feeling that something was amiss. Unable to pinpoint the issue, he exchanged a glance with Li Yu. In the darkness of the hall, their eyes couldn’t meet, but they shared an unspoken understanding.
Exiting the side hall, they lingered in the nearby woods, watching as Prince Ning’s men set the side hall ablaze. Once the flames engulfed the structure, they discreetly left the palace.
By the time the fire was extinguished, the three were already outside the city, heading towards the Wenhé Mountain.
Jixiu had anticipated the need for disguise during their journey. To avoid attracting attention, he suggested disguising Xie Xihai as a young woman, with Sheng Lin posing as his husband.
Wearing women’s clothing, Xie Xihai came out, donning the appearance of a young lady. Astonishingly, instead of anger, Sheng Lin only smiled, calling Xie Xihai his “husband” and stopping him from acting out.
—Don’t act out.
Jixiu crushed the cup in his hand and called Sheng Lin into the room for a private conversation.
He asked Sheng Lin about the relationship between him and Xie Xihai.
“As you see,” Sheng Lin replied.
Sheng Lin’s words were discreet, but his actions were far from subtle. During the day, Jixiu had witnessed him openly flirting with Xie Xihai multiple times. Xie Xihai always seemed to lean on Sheng Lin. From Jixiu’s perspective, without Sheng Lin, Xie Xihai might not even be able to walk.
Despite the playful banter, Jixiu found the relationship between Sheng Lin and Xie Xihai abnormal. He couldn’t ignore it, but he didn’t know where to start. Sheng Lin spoke first, “On the way here, Xihai was poisoned with the Forget-Me-Not Poison.”
Jixiu was stunned for a moment, took two steps back, and sat on a chair. It took him a long time to regain his composure. Eventually, he found his voice and asked Sheng Lin, “Did you help him…”
“Yes, I did,” Sheng Lin admitted candidly.
Jixiu sat there, his mind racing. He thought of Shang Ling’s fierce and protective nature, and he felt overwhelmed. Considering the earlier hints, he became breathless with anger.
He asked Sheng Lin, “Couldn’t you find someone else to help him?”
“Someone else?” Sheng Lin’s tone turned cold.
“You…” Jixiu slammed the table in frustration but couldn’t bring himself to say more.
Sheng Lin waited for a while, politely asking if Jixiu had anything else to say, as Xie Xihai was still waiting in the room.
Jixiu didn’t know how to handle the situation with these two. However, Sheng Lin was waiting for his response, so he reluctantly let Sheng Lin go.
As Sheng Lin left, Xie Xihai, who had been pressured by Sheng Lin earlier, had just finished bathing and put on the dress Sheng Lin had chosen for him.
Jixiu suddenly knocked on the door, asking Sheng Lin to come in. Sheng Lin coldly told Xie Xihai not to change and waited inside.
Once inside, Jixiu wanted to know the details from Sheng Lin. Sheng Lin explained that Xie Xihai had been poisoned with the Forget-Me-Not Poison, and Jixiu’s mind was filled with confusion.
The next morning, Xie Xihai didn’t get up from bed, so Sheng Lin bought a carriage for him, covered it with Xie Xihai’s favorite soft quilt, and Xie Xihai slept comfortably throughout the journey.
Not long after their return to the Wenhé Sect, Prince Ning raised his army. Overwhelmed by the grief of losing a son in middle age, he marched to the capital, seeking only to investigate the cause of his son’s death.
Though Xie Xihai still knew little about the incident, he received a letter from Shang Ling, saying she was accompanying Prince Ning to the capital. Jixiu assured Xie Xihai that Shang Ling would be fine, but Xie Xihai remained troubled.
Taking a day off, Sheng Lin brought him to the riverside of Fúlán, where they could see the painted boats.
It was almost mid-autumn, and the boats were decorated with beautiful flowers and lanterns. Xie Xihai, still feeling down, walked silently with Sheng Lin. Unsure of how to cheer Xie Xihai up, Sheng Lin led him to the lakeside.
Passing a small lake, where people were launching lanterns onto the water, Xie Xihai became interested. Approaching, he saw lanterns that could float on the water being sold.
The lantern vendor offered, “Young sir, would you like to launch a lantern?”
Seeing that these lanterns could float on the water, Xie Xihai’s interest was piqued. He asked the vendor for more details.
“This lantern is miraculous. As long as you write your wish on the lantern, light it, and if the lantern floats to the other side without extinguishing, the Bodhisattva will fulfill that wish,” the vendor showed Xie Xihai a lantern shell, “It’s only five copper coins.”
Xie Xihai was easily swayed by merchants, took out his purse, and bought two. He gave one to Sheng Lin, holding the paper lantern to contemplate his wish.
When he picked up the pen, he realized he was too greedy. There were so many wishes he wanted to write, enough to fill dozens of lanterns. But in the end, he could only write four words: “Safe and sound.”
Xie Xihai saw that Sheng Lin had finished writing too. He thought Sheng Lin’s wish would be something like becoming the martial arts leader dominating the world. However, upon closer inspection, it read, “Together with Xie Xihai.”
Xie Xihai chuckled and asked Sheng Lin, “What kind of wish is this? It won’t count like this.”
Sheng Lin helped him assemble the lotus lantern base, lit the candle inside, and handed Xie Xihai’s lantern with the wish for safety. “Let’s go.”
Xie Xihai crouched by the lake, carefully placing the lantern on the water. He watched as Sheng Lin also released his lantern. Xie Xihai said, “You’re not sincere enough this way. It’s strange if it floats last.”
Nervously holding Sheng Lin’s hand, he tiptoed to see their two lanterns. Unexpectedly, Xie Xihai’s lantern went out halfway, while Sheng Lin’s “Together with Xie Xihai” lantern swayed and floated to the other side.
Now, Xie Xihai was troubled again. “Sheng Lin, my lantern went out, and you wrote the same wish as mine. Where will the Bodhisattva find my wish?”
Sheng Lin said, “The Bodhisattva has great powers and will see it.”
Xie Xihai didn’t entirely trust Sheng Lin. Worried, he sighed, and Sheng Lin bought him a sugar figurine to cheer him up.
Just as Ningwang’s army approached the city, the emperor passed away.
The palace was in chaos as the night-shift palace maid found the emperor not getting up even after sunrise. When she dared to lift the bed curtain, she saw the emperor lying in bed, eyes wide open, and black blood oozing from all seven orifices.
Pandemonium broke out in the palace. The reclusive experts were nowhere to be found. Left Prime Minister suggested a compromising idea: with no crown prince and Ningwang approaching, it might be better to welcome Xie Xingfeng as the new king, avoiding a collective demise.
To their surprise, both civil and military officials agreed, and the city gates were opened to welcome the new king.
After Ningwang ascended the throne, Shang Ling was appointed as the queen.
It was rumored that on the way to the capital with Xie Xingfeng, Shang Ling took a sword for him, almost losing her life. Xie Xingfeng realized he couldn’t share his gratitude with others. He dispersed Shang Ling from the harem, even letting her handle political affairs, a rare occurrence in history. The courtiers were too preoccupied to oppose.
Xie Xingfeng, grieving the loss of his beloved son, delayed the appointment of a crown prince. Instead, he first cleaned up the court, bringing order to the political situation disrupted by Xie Xian’s Daoist activities.
The officials originally left were mostly idle and sycophantic. Under Xie Xingfeng’s strict governance, they found it unbearable. The Left Prime Minister regretted his earlier suggestion, becoming a target of criticism. There was much suffering, but there’s no remedy for regrets in the world.
Oddly enough, on the second day of Ningwang’s reign, Xie Xihai received another letter from Shang Ling.
In the letter, she asked him to go to the capital, find Li Yu first, and he would see her. Excited, Xie Xihai persuaded Sheng Lin to set out the next day.
Xie Xihai was eager to find his mother, but he didn’t climb the Cangming Mountain on his way.
Staring at the Cangming Mountain from below, he felt deeply saddened. Passing through a market, he bought a small ledger.
Alone, he pondered over the ledger for a long time. In the evening, he brought Sheng Lin into the room and announced a new rule. He would also deal with reward and punishment matters using small red flowers for Sheng Lin.
Xie Xihai first instructed Sheng Lin to grind ink and write down all the mistakes he remembered. He said the ledger had no expiration date, and Sheng Lin could add anything at any time. Depending on the severity, one to three flowers would be deducted for each matter.
If three flowers were accumulated, Sheng Lin couldn’t sleep on the bed for one night and couldn’t touch him.
Sheng Lin quickly agreed, and Xie Xihai praised him in his heart as a man of integrity with firm principles. He wrote down, “Sheng Lin glared at me the first time we met and deducted one flower.”
Sheng Lin, originally interested in watching him write, couldn’t help asking, “When did this happen? ‘Touching my buttocks by the stream shortly after we met,’ what’s that about?”
Xie Xihai vaguely said, “How can I explain it clearly? We’ve been together for so long. Besides, would the Crown Prince falsely accuse you?”
Taking advantage of Sheng Lin’s silence, Xie Xihai preemptively said, “He won’t.”
Sheng Lin pointed to a few more lines above, “I prohibited you from speaking for twenty-four hours. Didn’t you agree to that yourself?”
“It was you who forced me to agree,” Xie Xihai put down the pen, annoyed, “No more talking. You’re always disturbing me. Do you have malicious intentions?”
“If you want to climb Cangming, I’ll take you tomorrow,” Sheng Lin said straightforwardly.
“I don’t know what the palace looks like. How can I be at ease climbing the mountain?” Xie Xihai sighed and, while scribbling aimlessly by the stream, added: deduct two flowers.
After writing this, Xie Xihai counted and found he had deducted more than fifty flowers. He stopped writing, saying to Sheng Lin, “This time, when we go to the capital, I need to tell my mother about us.”
“What about us?” Sheng Lin put away the small book for him and asked.
“Yeah,” Xie Xihai turned his eyes, intentionally asking, “What about us?”
After thinking for a moment, Sheng Lin said, “About lifting the curse?”
“Shameless,” Xie Xihai opened the small book again, pretending to write, but as he moved, Sheng Lin grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, Sheng Lin lifted him into the air and threw him onto the bed.
Looking at Sheng Lin approaching, Xie Xihai shrank back and bravely refused, “You rascal, tonight will be your first night without a bed.”
“Is that so?” Sheng Lin approached him, and Xie Xihai, looking at him, couldn’t help but raise his head, their lips touching. Xie Xihai thought that Sheng Lin always knew when he was bluffing. He must have learned some crafty art to secretly read his mind.
They didn’t stop along the way and returned to the capital in just over ten days. They came to the Li Mansion again, and using the side door, they found their way easily.
Li Yu happened to be in the mansion this time. Seeing them, she immediately sent someone to inform the queen and brought them to a hidden room. She spoke seriously to Xie Xihai, “Crown Prince, although this is disrespectful, I still have to say it. In Qingguo, you are no longer a person who should exist. Be extremely careful in your actions. Don’t let anyone with ill intentions know who you are.”
Xie Xihai was clear about this in his heart, but with Li Yu saying it so openly, he couldn’t help but feel wronged. Still, he nodded a bit low-spiritedly, saying, “I just wanted to see my mother. She asked me to come.”
“That’s natural,” Li Yu, seeing that Xie Xihai didn’t take offense, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Tonight, I will take His Highness into the palace.”
Xie Xihai agreed. He then asked Li Yu about his mother’s sword injury.
Li Yu said it was not serious, which eased Xie Xihai’s worries a bit. He glanced at Sheng Lin and asked Li Yu again, “Can I bring one more person?”
Xie Xihai didn’t know if it was an unfortunate year for him or what. After coming from the side door to the capital, he almost never passed through the main gate. The only time they went through the main gate was when Sheng Lin used a sword to cleave the entire gate and kicked it open while carrying him inside.
That night was the same. They entered the palace through a side door, and Li Yu issued an order to allow them passage through the harem without hindrance.
Xie Xihai wanted Sheng Lin to accompany him, thinking it was inevitable for an unpopular daughter-in-law to meet her in-laws. He knew he might not have many chances to see his mother in the future, so he wanted to make the most of this opportunity.
Seeing Li Yu’s hesitant expression, Sheng Lin said first, “I won’t go.”
Xie Xihai pulled him aside and anxiously whispered to him, “But I want my mother to see you.”
“I have my own way to enter the palace,” Sheng Lin rubbed Xie Xihai’s furrowed brow and said.
“How can we not take the main gate for our first meeting with my mother?” Xie Xihai insisted, not agreeing.
Suddenly, Sheng Lin tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, “How do you know you have a main gate to take?”
This time, Xie Xihai was hit with the dead mouse from a blind cat’s words. From entering the palace to reaching his mother’s Peony Hall, he indeed didn’t pass through any main gates.
Dressed in a phoenix robe, Shang Ling, having cleared out the eunuchs and palace maids, saw Xie Xihai following behind Li Yu. Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes. No matter how she once commanded the winds and clouds, in front of Xie Xihai, she was just an ordinary mother, hoping for his well-being, with nothing else on her mind.
“Mother…” Xie Xihai’s legs went weak, kneeling in front of his mother. His throat choked up. He had never been away from his mother for so long. Although only half a year had passed, Shang Ling seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and her face showed signs of fatigue.
She bent down to pull Xie Xihai up. “You’re so grown-up. What do you look like?”
Xie Xihai, teary-eyed, looked at Shang Ling. Following her to sit on the soft couch beside the hall, he asked, “I heard that Mother was injured by a sword. How is the injury? Has it healed?”
Shang Ling wiped away her tears, shook her head, and said, “No, it was made up by your mother.”
Xie Xihai was stunned and said, “Ah.”
“How much do you know about what happened these days?” Shang Ling held Xie Xihai’s hand and asked.
“Not much,” Xie Xihai shared what he knew with Shang Ling and asked, “Is this information correct?”
After thinking for a moment, Shang Ling said, “Xihai, you’ve grown up. For certain things, your mother doesn’t want to hide them from you anymore. The current emperor is not Xie Xingfeng.”
A chill ran down Xie Xihai’s spine.
If it weren’t for Shang Ling’s sincere expression, Xie Xihai would have thought she was trying to scare him.
Bowing her head, Shang Ling explained how Xie Xingfeng pushed Xie Xihai out as a pawn, intending to burn him alive in the palace. Xie Xihai felt colder and colder as he listened. In the end, he picked up a tea cup, took a sip of warm tea, and put the cup back, trembling.
“I was sincerely in love with him too. When we got married, he said he liked my bold and daring nature. But not long after, he feared my family’s wealth and influence, worried that I couldn’t tolerate sand in my eyes. Eventually, he returned to his gentle land. The words spoken during our passionate times, I don’t blame him,” Shang Ling looked at Xie Xihai, “I cherish old feelings, only wanting to keep you safe. That’s why I took careful steps. But who would have known that day, when the news of your death in the palace came, he came to my room, advised me not to be too sad, brought up past memories, ordered someone to bring two cups of wine, and said he wanted to have another cup of marriage wine with me. I smelled my wine and knew it contained a mind-controlling drug. Toward this person’s kindness, I have repaid it here.”
“Then what happened?” Xie Xihai asked nervously.
Shang Ling then described how she forced open Xie Xingfeng’s mouth and poured the drugged wine down his throat. She knew that the situation in the capital was fragile, so she decided to use a stratagem. She found the skilled assassins from the Shang family who had infiltrated the Ning Prince’s residence disguised as guards. They took on Xie Xingfeng’s appearance and led a rebellion to march into the capital.
Shang Ling thought it unnecessary to let Xie Xihai know about these details. She patted his hand and asked, “Did Senior Brother mention that Sheng Lin helped you break the Harmonious Union Curse?”
Xie Xihai, feeling guilty, blushed and nodded, saying, “Yes.”
“What are you planning to do about it?” Shang Ling asked with a cold expression.
Xie Xihai, carefully choosing his words, shared the information that Senior Brother had told him. Shang Ling realized that the matter was not as simple as just breaking the curse.
Seeing Xie Xihai’s expression, Shang Ling understood that he likely had feelings for Sheng Lin. Xie Xihai whispered, “I want to be with him.”
Shang Ling raised an eyebrow and asked, “And what about him?”
“He feels the same way,” Xie Xihai said, trying to reassure Shang Ling. “He said he wants to serve you together with me in the future.”
Shang Ling, without showing much emotion, looked at Xie Xihai and said, “Dispense with that. Call him over.”
Xie Xihai went to the door and opened it. After blowing a soft whistle, Sheng Lin soon arrived. Xie Xihai grabbed Sheng Lin’s hand, pulled him over to Shang Ling, and introduced him, “Mother, this is Sheng Lin.”
Sheng Lin respectfully greeted Shang Ling.
Shang Ling, slightly surprised by Sheng Lin’s presence, asked, “Xie Xihai has been spoiled by me. Thank you for your troubles, Young Hero.”
“It’s nothing,” Sheng Lin glanced at the nervous Xie Xihai before answering.
Shang Ling continued, “As the saying goes, ‘Like father, like son.’ Your actions may resemble Xie Xingfeng, but I wonder if Xie Xihai will take after his father or his mother.”
“He resembles you only by three parts,” Sheng Lin quietly replied.
Xie Xihai, looking at Shang Ling anxiously, tried to smooth things over. “Mother, don’t make things difficult for him.”
Shang Ling gave him a glare and then turned to Sheng Lin, asking, “Does Xie Xihai tell you that Senior Brother helped him break the curse?”
Sheng Lin paused for a moment and replied, “Yes, he did.”
“I won’t say much more. Xie Xihai dislikes being at a disadvantage the most. If you treat him poorly, he will come back to me,” Shang Ling warned.
Sheng Lin hesitated for a moment and said, “I won’t treat him poorly.”
Shang Ling nodded reluctantly, handed Xie Xihai a palace pass for his entry, and made an appointment for him to visit her during festivals. She then dismissed them.
Leaving the palace through the back gate and avoiding the guards’ eyes, Xie Xihai and Sheng Lin strolled out into the autumn air. The fragrance of golden osmanthus filled the air, mingling with the crisp autumn atmosphere. Xie Xihai followed behind Sheng Lin, and although they didn’t hold hands, they were close enough. Night watchmen passed by, warning to be careful with candles in the dry weather.
After following Sheng Lin for a while, Xie Xihai finally reached out to grab his dry and warm right hand. He spoke, “You must treat me well.”
Then he asked, “Where to next?”
“Where do you want to go?” Sheng Lin countered.
“I need to think about that,” Xie Xihai replied, and after walking in silence for a while, he said, “Let’s start by visiting Zhu Xuan Lake, rowing a boat, and enjoying the autumn moon over the mountains. Then we can climb Mount Cang Ming and find the finest aged wine.”
“Do you drink?” Sheng Lin glanced back at him.
Xie Xihai wasn’t much of a drinker, so he said, “Just a little. But I’ll take a sip for you. Tell me, is that good?”
“Good.”
===End
