The moonlight tonight was just right, its silver glow spilling onto the ground, illuminating the path ahead.
Qi Yanzhou turned around upon hearing Ye Chutang's question. The dashing young man wore a faint smile at the corners of his lips, his eyes shimmering like scattered starlight, his sensual lips parting slightly as he spoke.
"To hunt geese."
Though Ye Chutang wasn't one to obsess over looks, she still enjoyed admiring handsome men. The sight of Qi Yanzhou, brimming with vigor, made her heartbeat quicken, warmth rising to her cheeks.
"Alright, lead the way."
The capital was located in the north. Wild geese would fly from the south in March, taking three months to reach the far northern regions. Now was the perfect time for hunting, as the geese were passing through the capital.
Qi Yanzhou had his men scout the area—near the lair of the "Night Wraiths," the Youming Mountain was a frequent route for migrating geese.
The two rode their horses up the narrow mountain path. The higher they climbed, the harder it became for the horses, the road growing rougher, their pace slowing.
Ye Chutang said to Qi Yanzhou, "I suspect the exile site is the northwestern frontier. That region is barren, and many die each winter from lack of supplies. I plan to transport a batch of medicinal herbs there. I’ve already spoken with the manager of Xinglin Hall. Do you have trustworthy people in the northwest?"
Qi Yanzhou shared her suspicion.
"Not at the moment, but I can arrange it."
The Qi family’s army in the northeast and the Luo family’s army in the northwest were adjacent, and the two forces had some camaraderie. With just a word, he could dispatch reliable veterans from the Qi army to the northwest.
Ye Chutang said, "Give me an address. I’ll have the herbal merchants deliver the supplies directly."
"Arrangements will take time, so a specific address is hard to provide. How about I send my men to accompany the shipment?"
"That works too. It’s more reliable with our own people."
Hearing the words "our own people," Qi Yanzhou’s lips curved upward. He handed Ye Chutang a dark jade token, a symbol of his authority.
"Take this to Yingchun Court or Guangju Pavilion. My men will follow your orders."
Ye Chutang looked at the token now back in her hands and smiled. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you?"
"Willingly."
"Hopeless romantic."
Qi Yanzhou didn’t quite understand the term and was about to ask when Ye Chutang deftly changed the subject.
She revealed the emperor’s plot to frame the Qi family.
Qi Yanzhou had anticipated the weapons and letters but was surprised to hear about the voodoo doll.
"A man so afraid of death would curse himself just to bring down the Qi family."
Ye Chutang arched a brow, her exquisite face appearing coldly detached under the moonlight.
"When the curse takes effect, the look of regret on that dog emperor’s face will be truly laughable."
Just then, the cry of geese echoed overhead.
Both looked up.
A V-shaped flock flew northward, their drawn-out honks trailing behind them.
Qi Yanzhou pulled a slingshot from his sleeve, along with a cloth-wrapped pebble.
He drew back the slingshot, and the pebble, infused with inner force, struck a goose squarely in the head. The cloth ensured it stunned without injuring.
The goose plummeted from the sky.
Another goose circled above, letting out mournful cries at the sight of its fallen companion.
Knowing the two were mates, Qi Yanzhou shot the second one down as well.
The remaining geese quickly filled the gap, continuing their northern journey.
Dismounting, Qi Yanzhou picked up the two dazed geese. After checking their heads to confirm no harm was done, he exhaled in relief.
By morning, after a night’s rest, they’d be lively enough to gift to Atang.
Seeing Qi Yanzhou tuck the geese into a cloth bag, Ye Chutang asked, "Heading back down?"
Qi Yanzhou swung back onto his horse. "Upward."
The higher they climbed, the narrower the path became, branches stretching across the road, making it seem desolate.
After roughly the time it took to drink two cups of tea, the view suddenly opened up.
They had reached the mountaintop.
Ye Chutang rode alongside Qi Yanzhou, side by side.
From the peak of Youming Mountain, the entire capital sprawled below in the distance.
The main streets glittered, countless lights flickering like stars.
Qi Yanzhou murmured, "Beneath the capital’s prosperity lies the hunger of countless commoners. There is paradise, but also living hell."
Sensing his compassion, Ye Chutang grasped his hand, chilled by the night breeze.
"Extremes reverse. What rises must fall, and what falls must rise again. It will get better."
Qi Yanzhou clasped her hand in return, enveloping it in his warmth.
"Atang, look up."
Ye Chutang instinctively raised her gaze.
The azure sky stretched above, a cold, luminous full moon amidst scattered stars.
The clarity of the heavens gave the illusion that one could pluck the stars with bare hands.
It was breathtakingly surreal.
Gazing at Ye Chutang bathed in moonlight, Qi Yanzhou unconsciously recited a verse.
"In the north lives a lady fair, peerless in grace beyond compare. One glance fells cities, a second fells the state."
[Note: From "Song of the Fair Lady" by Li Yannian, Han Dynasty]
Ye Chutang turned to admire the equally captivating Qi Yanzhou, her eyes alight with appreciation.
"Azhou is no less striking—radiant as jade, unrivaled in this world."
[Note: From "Song of the White Stone" by Anonymous, Song Dynasty]
Suddenly, she thought of Song Jingning.
A man of equal brilliance, yet his aura was entirely different from Qi Yanzhou’s—like the contrast between a refined scholar and a jade-faced general.
Noticing her distraction, Qi Yanzhou gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"What’s on your mind?"
Ye Chutang smiled. "I was wondering who’s more popular among the ladies—you or Song Jingning."
The mention reminded Qi Yanzhou that the deer she had gifted him earlier was hunted with Song Jingning in Meishan.
"Atang, you seem to treat Song Jingning differently."
Ye Chutang didn’t deny it, nodding.
Her gaze drifted to the capital’s distant lights, settling on the direction of the Minister's Mansion.
"I had an older brother who was smothered to death by Kong Ru at birth. Ye Jingchuan found it inauspicious and had the servants toss his body into the river, letting the current carry him away."
Qi Yanzhou, aware of the resemblance between Ye Chutang and Song Jingning, looked at her in surprise.
"You suspect Song Jingning is your brother?"
"Not exactly suspicion. I just didn’t want to overlook any possibility, so I shamelessly followed him to Meishan."
"And you confirmed he isn’t?"
Ye Chutang hummed in affirmation.
"Song Jingning was born in Liangzhou, over ten days after me."
"I didn’t realize your birthdays were so close. Should I investigate further?"
"No need. Kong Ru is too vicious—she wouldn’t have let my brother live."
Besides, it had been bitterly cold then. The chances of a premature, suffocated infant surviving in the river were nearly zero.
Unless, by some miraculous twist of fate, he was rescued shortly after being thrown in by someone skilled in medicine.
Ye Chutang figured the odds were slimmer than winning the lottery with a two-yuan ticket.
Qi Yanzhou tightened his grip on her hand.
"Atang, your brother might still be alive. Don’t lose hope."
No sooner had he spoken than faint torchlight flickered through the trees.
"The 'Night Wraiths' have been dealt with. Let’s go."
Though he had agreed to bring Ye Chutang to their lair, he never intended to let her take risks.
So he had used the goose hunt as an excuse to take her to the mountaintop instead.
Ye Chutang withdrew her hand, gripping the reins.
"Let’s go."
