The task of escorting the tribute to Qing State was imminent. Even though the current "Shen Wei" was riddled with suspicions, Prince Wu had no other choice.
He had to hire "Shen Wei."
Prince Wu composed himself and told Shen Wei, "This prince hires you as a guide. In two days, you will depart with me."
Shen Wei cupped her hands respectfully. "This humble subject thanks Your Highness and will not betray your trust."
Prince Wu ordered his guards to arrange a room for Shen Wei, and she temporarily settled in the prince's residence.
After Shen Wei left, Prince Wu summoned his guards. "Investigate this 'Shen Wei.' What is his real identity? I’ve been in Wu County for a year and have never heard of any fisherman surnamed Shen."
The surname Shen was rare throughout the entire Eastern Lin Kingdom.
It sounded more like a surname from Qing State.
The guard bowed. "Understood. I will look into it immediately."
Alone in his modest study, Prince Wu paced restlessly, his heart heavy. If the prophecy made by the Yue Kingdom’s royal astrologer years ago was true, and his destined benefactor had already appeared, then where was his fated wife?
Could it be that his future wife was in Qing State?
...
In Prince Wu’s residence, the guards led Shen Wei to a simple room furnished only with a table, chairs, and a bed.
Compared to the dilapidated shack in the Yuan family’s fishing village, this was already much better.
Shen Wei closed the door, washed up hastily, and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. She pondered the route to Qing State, but her thoughts soon drifted away. She recalled twenty years ago when she had first become Shen Wei, a maid in the Yan Prince’s household. Back then, she had also relied on ambition to secure the right to live in a small courtyard.
Now, lying in this tiny room in Prince Wu’s residence, Shen Wei sighed inwardly, feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu.
...
The next day, Prince Wu continued recruiting—this time, a cook and a coachman. To escort two carts of tribute to Qing State, the team needed at least ten people.
A guide, guards, a coachman, and a cook were all indispensable. Since the Eastern Lin Emperor refused to send any assistance, Prince Wu had to recruit them himself.
Finding a guide, guards, and a coachman was manageable, but a cook proved difficult. The prince’s own chef, knowing that the journey to Qing State was practically a death sentence, knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy. "My family depends on me—old and young alike. I dare not embark on this doomed journey."
With the departure date looming and no cook in sight, Prince Wu was at his wit’s end when a guard reported that a child had come forward, offering to take the job.
Prince Wu was stunned.
When the child was brought before him, Prince Wu recognized him immediately—it was Yuan Fu from the Yuan family’s fishing village.
Prince Wu rubbed his temples in frustration. "You little brat, stop causing trouble. Go home and take care of your sister."
Yuan Fu’s nose stung, and he fell to his knees, wailing. Between sobs, he choked out, "My sister... she’s already dead... wu wu..."
The boy cried so bitterly that tears and snot covered his face.
Prince Wu’s ears ached from the noise. He pushed a plate of sweet cakes toward Yuan Fu. "Stop crying. Your sister was fine just days ago. How did she die?"
Yuan Fu wiped his tears and recounted everything—how the village’s old bachelors had coveted his sister, how they had harassed her, and how Prince Wu’s own harsh words had driven her to throw herself into the sea in despair.
Prince Wu listened, stunned.
He clasped his hands behind his back and paced the room. "Such vile deeds in that wretched fishing village? Send someone to investigate immediately!"
Wu County was small, and the guards quickly uncovered the truth. Prince Wu had never imagined such depravity could exist in a tiny fishing village.
He had thought his own suffering in the royal court was bad enough.
But Yuan Xi’er’s fate was even worse.
A mix of emotions swirled in Prince Wu’s chest, along with a pang of guilt. Yuan Xi’er’s death was partly his fault. After a moment’s thought, he ordered his guards, "Arrest those old bachelors from the fishing village. Give each thirty lashes and throw them into the county jail for hard labor. When I return from Qing State, I’ll deal with them properly."
"Also, inform the village chief that if any more abuses against helpless girls occur, the entire village will be barred from selling seafood in the county. Let them starve."
Once the guards left to carry out his orders, Prince Wu turned to the tearful Yuan Fu and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Which part of the sea did your sister jump into? I’ll send men to search for her body."
Yuan Fu’s tears fell like broken beads. "She’s not coming back... wu wu... my sister is gone forever..."
The night before, when Shen Wei had decided to disguise herself as a man and enter Prince Wu’s residence, she had told Yuan Fu the truth.
Yuan Xi’er was already dead.
The person living in her body now was someone else.
Yuan Fu had been shocked, but deep down, he had already suspected. After all, he and Yuan Xi’er were siblings—they had lived together for years, and he knew her nature. When his sister had woken up, no longer timid and greedy but brave and resolute, Yuan Fu had sensed something was different.
After Shen Wei revealed the truth, Yuan Fu had wept but accepted it.
"Your Highness, my fish soup is delicious, and I can cook many dishes," Yuan Fu pleaded, still kneeling. "Please let me be your cook. Give me a way to survive."
Prince Wu frowned deeply. "Do you think this trip to Qing State is a game? It’s a life-or-death journey. I might not even return alive."
Yuan Fu: "Then I’ll go with you. I can’t go back to the village."
With their departure set for the next day and no other options, Prince Wu studied the boy’s tear-streaked face and was reminded of his younger self—back when his own sister had been forced into a political marriage, he had cried even harder than Yuan Fu.
With a resigned sigh, Prince Wu nodded.
He patted Yuan Fu’s head. "Once we reach Qing State, I’ll send you to my sister’s household. She’s lived there for years and misses Eastern Lin’s cuisine. You’ll have a place there."
Yuan Xi’er’s death weighed on Prince Wu’s conscience.
Taking care of her brother was the least he could do to atone.
...
At dawn the next day, the carriages were ready outside Prince Wu’s residence. Three carriages in total—two for the tribute and one for Prince Wu himself.
The team of eleven set off hastily.
Shen Wei, the guide, rode a skinny horse at the front of the procession. As they crossed the border of Wu County, she unfolded a map of Eastern Lin, studying the quickest route.
Just as she was about to move forward, a guard on horseback stopped her. "Little Brother Shen, take a break. His Highness has something to attend to."
Shen Wei was puzzled. "Fifth Brother Zhang, we should hurry. What else does the prince need?"
Fifth Brother Zhang sighed, as if used to this. "His Highness wants to bid farewell to his homeland."
Shen Wei: "..."
She turned and saw Prince Wu step out of the carriage with solemn dignity. His long, dark brown curls were braided into a single plait, adorned with pearls at the end. He smoothed the wrinkles from his slightly worn violet-gold royal robe, then leaned toward a guard holding up a bronze mirror to inspect his handsome face.
Only after confirming his regal appearance did Prince Wu finally step onto the soil of Wu County with deliberate grace.
He bent down to scoop up a handful of yellow earth, gazing at the desolate landscape of Wu County. A wave of sorrow surged within him as he faced the bleak wind, reciting with impassioned fervor: "Years have passed in vain, leaving behind only beautiful scenes unseen. Even if a thousand tender emotions remain, to whom can they now be spoken?"
