Zhao Chu took the lotus lantern with its flickering candle flame and picked up the brush placed beside it with one hand.

Fang Linyuan leaned over eagerly, looking at the blank lantern in front of him.

Zhao Chu paused slightly, glancing sideways at him.

He seemed very curious about what would be written on the lantern, his eyes bright and focused. For a moment, it gave Zhao Chu the illusion that Fang Linyuan truly cared about his wishes.

Were his wishes really that important?

Zhao Chu's gaze lingered for a moment, and Fang Linyuan immediately noticed. He looked up at Zhao Chu, then chuckled awkwardly.

"Ah, I forgot!" he said. "Wishes can't be shown to others, or they won't come true."

With that, he hurriedly turned his back, and as if that weren't enough, he took a few steps forward and ducked into the cabin.

"I won't look, you write it!" Fang Linyuan called out to Zhao Chu from inside.

Zhao Chu's hand paused slightly, and he turned to look at Fang Linyuan. It wasn't that he minded being seen; he just couldn't think of what to wish for.

Meanwhile, Fang Linyuan, who had retreated far away, had just spoken a few words when the aroma of the lake delicacies set up in the cabin caught his attention. He leaned in, sniffing twice: "Mmm! The fish is fried, it smells amazing!"

Zhao Chu tilted his head slightly.

Should he wish for peace? But he knew peace was never something to be wished for. As long as he held power and controlled people's hearts, he could ensure anyone's safety.

Should he wish for power? But to him, power was nothing more than a dirty blade, unworthy of being written on such a pristine lantern.

Or perhaps... wish for sincerity?

Something so intangible, easily used to boast or deceive. All it took was a well-crafted facade to display it to others.

But...

Zhao Chu's brush hovered over the lantern.

This seemed to be what he desired most, so much so that in his distraction, he had already made a stroke on the lantern.

His hand acted on its own, facing the lake full of lotus flowers and the starry sky, asking the heavens for Fang Linyuan's sincerity.

But...

With that stroke, his barren and cold heart suddenly filled with hesitation and sorrow.

He had never prayed to the gods, never made a wish. Did the gods truly have the power to deceive people’s hearts?

If they did, if the gods, to fulfill his wish, manipulated Fang Linyuan into feeling emotions that weren't his own...

He wanted it, yet he couldn't bring himself to write it.

He feared taking away Fang Linyuan's freedom.

After a moment, the stroke Zhao Chu had unconsciously made was carefully transformed, stroke by stroke, into a line of characters, his expression solemn.

A night breeze blew, lifting the soft gauze of his robe, brushing past the lantern like a veil over the words.

Year after year.

Zhao Chu's first wish was vague, without even a subject or a signature.

But he knew what he was asking for.

He wished to stay by Fang Linyuan's side, just like this, from today onward, year after year.

He slowly turned his head.

Inside the brightly lit cabin, Fang Linyuan, hands and feet restless, had already picked up his chopsticks to sneak a bite of fish. He placed a piece in his bowl, then, as if to cover his tracks, flipped the fish over to hide the marks left by his chopsticks.

Under the flickering light, his dark, shining eyes and the corners of his mouth, slightly upturned, were both sneaky and carefree, as if the gods in the sky had truly heard Zhao Chu's wish.

They were blessing him.

Zhao Chu turned back, looking down at the lantern in his hand.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Then, with a flourish of his brush, he added a pair of small, lifelike antlers after the words.

*

Emperor Hongyou indeed kept his word.

After Fang Linyuan returned from quelling the rebellion, there were still many matters in Jibei that needed to be handled. Emperor Hongyou assigned all these tasks to other officials in the court, sparing Fang Linyuan from further running around.

As for the officials escorted back from Jibei, Emperor Hongyou directly handed them over to the Eastern Depot. The subsequent interrogations and sentencing were all handled by them.

This was actually the first time since Emperor Hongyou ascended the throne.

After all, the Eastern Depot had been sidelined by Emperor Hongyou for many years, and in the court, it had long become a mere formality. Over the years, it had even fallen behind the palace eunuchs who served the nobles.

Many people said it was because the Eastern Depot had handled this case so well that the Emperor now viewed them in a new light.

But there were also rumours that this matter involved the Dali Temple, and for some reason, the Imperial Guards had recently fallen out of the Emperor's favour, allowing the Eastern Depot to seize the opportunity and likely to make a show of power in the court.

For a time, due to the Eastern Depot's notorious reputation from the past, everyone in the court felt uneasy.

However, after a few days, the entire court was surprisingly calm.

Since all the implicated officials were detained, the interrogations, confessions, and arrests all proceeded according to court procedures. Even though so many officials from Jibei were caught, surprisingly few capital officials were involved. The kind of situation where half the court was summoned for questioning, as had happened in the past, did not occur at all.

A few days later, the case was concluded, so quietly and swiftly that it caught everyone off guard.

The slightly implicated officials breathed a sigh of relief, and even Emperor Hongyou, who had always disliked the Eastern Depot, unexpectedly praised Shi Shen.

Fang Linyuan heard all of this from others.

"I heard that the Imperial Guard's Commander Lin hasn't been very happy these past few days!" Li Cheng'an vividly recounted to Fang Linyuan.

"I saw him a couple of days ago, and he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I didn't dare bother him."

Fang Linyuan looked up, his expression clearly sceptical.

"Isn't Lin Ziluo always like that?" he said. "Do you expect him to smile at you?"

"Ah!" Li Cheng'an shook his head repeatedly. "No! I'm not a fool, I can tell the difference!"

Fang Linyuan chuckled a couple of times, looking at him without saying a word.

Li Cheng'an was so anxious he almost jumped up.

"Why don't you believe me!" he said.

"Really! A while ago, when my father was at home, I overheard something. I heard that the Imperial Guards didn't handle something well recently and were reprimanded by the Emperor in the palace. Ever since then, it's been like this. The Emperor doesn't use them for important matters and just leaves them hanging."

Hearing this, Fang Linyuan was slightly taken aback.

"What didn't they handle well?" he asked.

"I don't know," Li Cheng'an said. "Doesn't he always ask for your help? Haven't you heard anything?"

Fang Linyuan shook his head.

"Then it probably wasn't anything major," Li Cheng'an said with a sigh, pretending to be wise.

"After all, serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger."

Fang Linyuan laughed again and patted him on the back of the head.

"Serving a tiger? Have you ever served the Emperor for a day to understand this so well?"

The two laughed and moved on from the topic, but Fang Linyuan kept it in mind. After all, he had a good relationship with Lin Ziluo, and the next time they met, he would see if Lin needed any help.

However, in the following days, he didn't see Lin Ziluo again.

Instead, he received an imperial decree summoning him to the palace.

*

Emperor Hongyou's expression was stern, his brows furrowed as he tossed a memorial in front of Fang Linyuan.

"My dear minister, you know that the Turkic princess will arrive in the capital next month. It is because we trust you that we have entrusted this matter to you," he said. "But take a look at this memorial."

Fang Linyuan was puzzled and quickly opened the memorial.

This memorial was written by an official sent to handle the aftermath in Jibei. It stated that the issue of displaced people in Jibei had not been resolved but had instead worsened.

Upon their arrival in Jibei, they were twice confronted by displaced people, even leading to clashes that resulted in the deaths of several attendants.

Fang Linyuan was stunned.

How could this be!

He had personally visited every prefecture and county in Jibei, and the distribution of food and silver to the people had been carried out under his and the soldiers' supervision. Moreover...

Well-fed and clothed people would never dare to block and chase officials' carriages!

"Your Majesty!" Fang Linyuan immediately knelt in the hall and said.

"Please, Your Majesty, discern the truth! First, I have personally reviewed the account books of every village and farm in Jibei and travelled throughout the region, confirming that the issue of displaced people had been resolved before returning to the capital. Second, even if the displaced people had grievances, they would only petition the local government. How could they set up roadblocks and chase imperial envoys!"

He bowed his head, but after a moment of silence from Emperor Hongyou on the throne, the Emperor slowly sighed.

"The memorial is in your hands, and you still don't believe it?" Emperor Hongyou asked.

Fang Linyuan looked up at Emperor Hongyou in surprise: "Your servant only believes there are still doubts in this matter..."

"My dear minister, your care for the people brings us great comfort," Emperor Hongyou said with a frown.

"But with such soft-hearted compassion, how can you quell such a severe turmoil? If the displaced people truly wreak havoc due to your weakness, should we, the Emperor, come to you for an explanation?"

Fang Linyuan, kneeling at the foot of the steps, pursed his lips.

It was rare for Emperor Hongyou to lose his temper and reprimand him, and he shouldn’t feel resentful. But...

What did "soft-hearted compassion" mean?

After a brief moment of silence, Fang Linyuan spoke again, bowing at the foot of the steps: "Your servant is willing to accept any punishment! However, the fact that turmoil still persists to this day defies reason. I beg Your Majesty, before punishing me, to allow me to lead troops to investigate the matter!"

Emperor Hongyou remained silent for a moment.

Fang Linyuan's hands, pressed against the ground, trembled slightly.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit of grievance, yet he clenched his teeth, suppressing these overly personal emotions.

The Emperor, sitting high in the golden hall, could not see the suffering of the people, and that was understandable.

But... to call his compassion weakness, and to label the displaced people blocking the roads as troublemakers...

That was somewhat hasty.

After a long while, Emperor Hongyou on the steps sighed slowly and said, "My dear minister, if it weren’t for Fang Duo’s sake, we really should punish you..."

Fang Linyuan's hands on the ground slowly clenched.

If he deserved punishment, why bring up his father’s reputation? If he truly deserved punishment, he wouldn’t even blink if sent to the execution ground today.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath and said, "Since Your servant is guilty and deserves punishment, I beg Your Majesty to punish me first, and then allow me to go to Jibei to make amends."

At that moment, a eunuch entered to report that Shi Shen from the Eastern Depot had brought the confessions of the Jibei officials and was waiting outside the door.

Emperor Hongyou glanced at Fang Linyuan at the foot of the steps with an inscrutable expression and sighed, "Why are you so stubborn, child? We haven’t said anything yet." He then raised his hand and said to the eunuch in front of the hall, "Summon Shi Shen inside."

Fang Linyuan slowly stood up.

A moment later, the eunuch in embroidered robes, with a crane motif, entered the hall with a respectful and elegant demeanour. After performing a grand bow before Emperor Hongyou, he took the confessions from the eunuch beside him.

"The confessions of the fourteen officials from Jibei have been reviewed by this servant for Your Majesty’s studying," he said.

Bowing, he raised the confessions above his brow and smoothly presented them to Emperor Hongyou’s desk.

Unlike the civil and military officials of the court, this eunuch, born from the inner palace, was utterly spineless, his every movement servile and obsequious.

Even Emperor Hongyou, who had always disliked the Eastern Depot, now relaxed his expression slightly and hummed in acknowledgment, casually flipping through the confessions: "Did you find anything useful in the confessions?"

"Nothing particularly special. Falsifying grain production, embezzling taxes—it’s all just lining their own pockets while blocking Your Majesty’s ears to seek praise," he said with a faint smile, his tone light and airy, which even drew a slight smile from Emperor Hongyou.

"You cunning servant," the Emperor chided lightly. "Just for a bit of praise, would they go to such lengths?"

As he spoke, he tapped the confessions, his tone taking on a lecturing edge: "What are they doing? Waiting for us to promote them to high positions and grant them titles?"

"Ah," Shi Shen feigned sudden understanding, his eyes subtly flickering toward Fang Linyuan beside him as he smiled. "This servant is short-sighted and cannot see so far."

Emperor Hongyou on the throne chuckled faintly and continued flipping through the confessions.

Shi Shen then stepped forward, his expression relaxed, and said, "Apart from that, there is one more matter. But it’s a small thing. Your Majesty could just send a couple of people to handle it."

Emperor Hongyou didn’t even look up: "What is it?"

Shi Shen slowly bowed and said, "Near the border between Jibei and Chongzhou, there has been a surge in bandit activity recently. Bandits are blocking roads, looting, and plundering. The magistrates of those two prefectures dared not report it and sent constables and garrison troops to suppress the bandits several times, but so far, there have been no results."

Emperor Hongyou didn’t react, but Fang Linyuan immediately looked at Shi Shen.

Looting, bandits blocking roads—wasn’t this exactly the same situation as the "displaced people" described in the memorial that the imperial envoy encountered?

"Are the prefectures bordering Chongzhou Pingjin and Lingxi?" Fang Linyuan asked immediately.

Shi Shen, however, acted as if he didn’t recognize him.

He turned his head, his gaze toward Fang Linyuan arrogant and cold. After looking him up and down, Shi Shen finally spoke slowly, his tone devoid of respect.

"Yes," he said. "Does General Fang have any insights?"

Fang Linyuan immediately flipped open the memorial in his hands, quickly finding the relevant passage.

The imperial envoy had been attacked precisely in Lingxi Prefecture.

"Your Majesty!" Fang Linyuan knelt at once, holding up the memorial with both hands. "When I led the troops into Jibei, the bandits likely heard the news and went into hiding, leaving no trace. I fear that the attack on the imperial envoy mentioned in this memorial was not caused by displaced people but by bandits!"

He bowed his head in respect, not seeing the momentarily strange expression on Emperor Hongyou's face.

Indeed, it was he who had come to demand an explanation, yet it was the very official he had reprimanded who had keenly identified the inconsistencies.

As a ruler, he was supposed to be wise and discerning, but this situation inevitably made him appear somewhat embarrassed.

Shi Shen's gaze, however, swept lightly past, as if completely oblivious to the Emperor's displeasure. Then, he slowly feigned a look of surprise.

"An attack on the imperial envoy?" he asked. "Who would dare attack an envoy sent by Your Majesty?"

He acted as if he had no knowledge of the matter, as though his report to the Emperor had coincidentally overlapped with Fang Linyuan's presence.

Indeed, with just one sentence, Shi Shen diverted Emperor Hongyou's attention, and the Emperor's slightly darkened expression shifted toward him.

"Yes," the Emperor said. "If it truly was bandits, then they are truly despicable."

He paused, his expression softening slightly as he looked at Fang Linyuan: "Disguised as displaced people, they nearly led us to misunderstand Fang Qing, thinking he had failed to properly resolve the issue of the displaced."

With these words, he gracefully stepped down from his earlier stance, offering a slight concession to Fang Linyuan at the foot of the steps.

"Your servant does not deserve such praise!" Fang Linyuan quickly responded.

Beside him, Shi Shen also chuckled lightly and said, "Indeed, it was the foolishness of those corrupt officials who sought to deceive Your Majesty."

"Those people deserve severe punishment," Emperor Hongyou nodded in agreement.

Fang Linyuan, however, was not focused on their conversation.

"If the bandit threat is not eradicated soon, not only will the people suffer, but the bandit strongholds will grow stronger, making it increasingly difficult to root them out. It will only lead to more effort and resources being wasted," Fang Linyuan immediately petitioned, thinking of the still-devastated Jibei.

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to volunteer to eradicate the bandit threat for Your Majesty."

*

Emperor Hongyou naturally refused him.

He had already said that Fang Linyuan should rest in the capital and could not go back on his word now.

"We will send others to suppress the bandits. You need not worry, my dear minister," Emperor Hongyou said.

"However... in a few days, the Turkic princess will arrive at the border of Chongzhou. Chongzhou may not be entirely stable, so we will have you lead five hundred soldiers to the border to welcome the princess."

Shi Shen watched as Fang Linyuan accepted the imperial decree and said nothing more.

After all, the Fifth Princess had sent him to the palace with the confessions to protect this young general in front of the Emperor. Having said what needed to be said according to the Fifth Prince's instructions, his task was complete, and there was no need to involve himself further.

However...

Thinking of the young marquis's demeanour earlier, Shi Shen, standing at the palace gates, sighed softly.

The current Emperor was not a tolerant ruler, and this general had achieved too much at too young an age, his brilliance dazzling enough to blind others. Such a towering tree would inevitably be toppled by the strongest winds.

And him? With nothing but unwavering loyalty, how could he possibly survive under this Emperor's rule?

Shi Shen remained silent, only shaking his head lightly.

No wonder the princess was so anxious, to the point of writing him an entire letter filled with instructions on how to handle the situation, despite her usual trust in him.

The word "love" truly harms people. What's even more harmful is that the princess exhausted all her efforts, yet insisted on keeping it a secret from the other party.

A subordinate had already prepared Shi Shen's horse, and without further ado, he mounted it and set off back to the Eastern Depot.

Unexpectedly, as he rode down the long street, the faint sound of rolling wheels came from behind him. Turning his head, he saw the carriage of the Marquis of Anping.

He slowed his pace, and as the carriage passed by, he caught a glimpse of the Marquis of Anping's face through the raised curtain.

"Eunuch Shi, did the princess send you to the palace?" Fang Linyuan asked.

How did he know?

Shi Shen was slightly taken aback.

But Fang Linyuan in the carriage had already quickly cupped his hands in salute and said, "I understand. Thank you, Eunuch."

He... understood just like that?

Watching the carriage speed away, Shi Shen, who was usually as sharp as a demon, was momentarily stunned.

Well...

Maybe it was because they were a married couple. There’s always some unspoken understanding that outsiders can’t quite comprehend.

--

The author has something to say:

Shi Shen: I’ve always said it, I won’t work for young couples!!

Zhao Chu: What young couple? What? Who's with whom? Please explain, quickly, this is important!

Translator : DarNan