Chapter 4 — Ten Years in the Palace

That old wound was a legacy from the time she had shielded him with her own body. In the end, Qin Yan Zhi had still failed to intercept the escape immediately. Shen Yun Zhi's old wound tore open, and imperial physicians were summoned hastily to the manor. The injury was not deep, merely aggravating the previous scar and oozing a thin trickle of blood. After dressing it, the physician prepared to withdraw, but hesitated and spoke: "Your Majesty, regarding the Empress, does Your Majesty require this official to go and examine her?"

Qin Yan Zhi's gaze darkened. Shen Yun Zhi's fingers tightened slightly. The physician was unaware that the inner courtyard had already been emptied. Qin Yan Zhi looked at him: "What is wrong with the Empress?"

The physician fell to his knees and said: "Recently, Her Majesty's constitution has grown frail, and a few days ago, she suffered from hemorrhaging."

"With the carriage catching fire tonight, this official fears the Empress's vital breath has been deeply disturbed."

The tips of Qin Yan Zhi's fingers stiffened.

"Hemorrhaging?"

"Yes," the physician said in a low voice. "A few days ago, the Fengyi Palace requested a pulse diagnosis. Her Majesty bled continuously, and the child could not be saved."

Silence filled the room. Qin Yan Zhi suddenly recalled the moment he had gripped Shen Qing's wrist; her complexion at the time had indeed been terrifyingly pale. Yet she had not cried out in pain. Even when locked within that stifling little room, she had only sat quietly in the shadows.

Shen Yun Zhi whispered softly: "Elder sister has always been capable of great forbearance. If she wished to keep others from knowing, who could possibly persuade her otherwise?"

Qin Yan Zhi glanced at her. His gaze was utterly calm, yet it forced the remainder of Shen Yun Zhi's words to choke in her throat. He turned and strode out.

This pursuit lasted the entire night. Along the imperial highway outside the northern gate, hoofprints were scattered in chaotic disarray, but the green-tiled carriage seemed to have vanished into thin air. Just as dawn was about to break, a personal guard knelt before his horse.

"Your Majesty, it is time to return to the palace for the morning court session."

Qin Yan Zhi gripped the reins, his expression chillingly severe. All under heaven belonged to him. Where could Shen Qing possibly flee to? In the end, he turned his horse's head and returned to the palace.

Within the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the assembled officials shouted long live the Emperor. Qin Yan Zhi sat upon the dragon throne, listening to their debates over frontier provisions and Jiang Nan tax revenues. Every single matter pertained to the grand affairs of the realm. Yet before his eyes persistently hovered the image of Shen Qing clinging to the wall as she climbed out of the narrow window.

Bleeding, her body severely depleted, must not be exposed to the cold. How had she managed to slip away like that?

Following the dismissal of court, Shen Yun Zhi sent someone to summon him, claiming her wound had throbbed with pain all night long. Qin Yan Zhi merely stated: "Let the physician keep watch."

He did not go to visit her. Instead, he headed straight to Fengyi Palace.

Upon the table still sat half a cup of cold tea, a sachet by the window was half-embroidered, and an old hairpin was pressed down upon the dressing table. The entire palace was filled with pearls and jade, treasures he had bestowed upon Shen Qing in countless numbers. Yet what she cherished most remained those worn possessions from before she entered the palace.

Qin Yan Zhi picked up the sachet. From within it fluttered a tiny, tightly folded slip of paper.

"Cui Cui, if my escape fails, burn all of these old belongings."

"Do not leave them behind in the palace."

"Even in death, I do not wish to remain trapped here."

Qin Yan Zhi's knuckles suddenly clenched. The paper was crushed into deep wrinkles. So she had not decided to leave merely on the previous night. She had contemplated this long ago. If she could not escape, she would rather die than remain by his side.

Outside the hall, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed. The imperial guards knelt before the threshold.

"Your Majesty, someone near the Ten-Mile Pavilion witnessed that green-tiled carriage."

Qin Yan Zhi lifted his eyes. The guard's voice was suppressed to a whisper.

"A man descended from the carriage, draped in a black cloak."

"His stature resembled greatly..."

He paused, not daring to continue.

Qin Yan Zhi stared at him: "Resembled whom?"

The guard pressed his forehead against the ground.

"Resembling Young Marquis Xie, who fell in battle in the northern territories three years ago."

By the time the imperial guards tracked down the Ten-Mile Pavilion, night had fallen. The green-tiled carriage had not continued northward, but lingered by the edge of the forest, as if waiting for someone.

Qin Yan Zhi led a handful of trusted guards, following the overgrown imperial highway through waist-high weeds. Through the thin mist lingering in the woods, the first person he caught sight of was Shen Qing.

She was draped in a black cloak, her complexion still deathly pale, cradling a small package of chestnut pastries in her hands. Xie Lin stood before her, murmuring softly. Shen Qing lowered her gaze and let out a faint, quiet laugh.

The hand with which Qin Yan Zhi held his reins abruptly tightened. It had been a very long time since he had last seen her smile like that. Within the palace, she was always silent, submissive, and pale—much like a lamp about to gutter out. Yet now, standing before Xie Lin, she seemed to bloom back to life.

Qin Yan Zhi dismounted and walked forward step by step. Hearing the footsteps, Shen Qing turned her head.

The instant she laid eyes on him, the smile upon her face vanished completely. Xie Lin shifted slightly, stepping to shield her. The movement was effortless, yet it struck with such force that the depths of Qin Yan Zhi's eyes suddenly turned freezing cold.

Many years ago, it had been precisely like this. Back then, Xie Lin was still the young marquis of the Pacifying North Manor, and Shen Qing had not yet entered the palace. Everyone in the capital knew that Xie Lin and the eldest daughter of the Shen family were childhood sweethearts destined for marriage.

Yet it was precisely in that year that the late emperor fell gravely ill. Qin Yan Zhi seized control of the court, and the inner palace demanded that a daughter of the Shen family be sent to serve within the imperial walls.