Opening (1): Immediate Disembarkation

It was the exact opposite. It reminded him of the wild, untamed weeds outside—a boldness he'd never had, shackled by rules since childhood.

He'd lost track of when he started noticing Zhou Yao's every move. Zhou Yao liked money. That was fine—he had plenty. He had money, so she'd like him. Or put plainly, he liked her, and she liked him back.

They were in love, and with the imperial edict binding them, she was destined to be his wife. Now that his wife was upset, it was his duty to comfort her. So Qi Yanhan decided to rise, embrace Zhou Yao, and offer proper comfort.

But before he could act, Zhou Yao downed her tea in one gulp, sighed deeply, and turned to leave. Leaving Qi Yanhan standing there.

Alas, after what happened at Golden Curtain Pavilion today, Zhou Yao intended to close early. She tallied the day's earnings—not a single sale, not even enough to cover the five-zhu coins she'd spent on zongzi yesterday. A pile of zongzi still sat in the kitchen, meant as gifts...

She cleaned up the mess in silence. The business she'd painstakingly planned had been ruined by others, and she couldn't quite name what she felt.

The laughter that usually filled the pavilion had given way to silence. She dismissed the servants, leaving just her and Qi Yanhan in the spacious hall. Outside, bits of red paper from the explosion lay scattered, stark against the emptiness within.

Qi Yanhan's worry grew at her silence. He moved to comfort her, but standing up close, he caught the redness in her eyes. If he hadn't paid attention, he might have missed the faint tremble of her shoulders. Anyone could see Zhou Yao was barely holding herself together.

For a moment, Qi Yanhan could hardly believe it. Zhou Yao rarely looked like this. From their childhood encounter to her flight to the Western Regions, she'd always been bold and decisive. He'd assumed a woman like her never showed weakness—never cried.

After a pause, Qi Yanhan—normally so fastidious—bent down to help clean up. He said nothing, just lent a hand with the chores.

Before leaving, he frowned, still troubled. "I'll have Duyun take care of today's matter," he said, then hesitated. After thinking it over, he added carefully, "Your Highness has been wronged today."

Zhou Yao glanced up, packing zongzi into a wooden basket. "It's still early. I'll head out with Cuiwei to distribute the leftover zongzi outside the city. As for Golden Curtain Pavilion, I'll manage it myself. No need for you to worry, Master Qi. Better return to the Qi Mansion before you get punished further."

She swung the basket over her shoulder and turned to go, but Qi Yanhan caught her arm. She frowned and shook him off. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Zhou Yao, let me remind you," he said quietly. "Golden Curtain Pavilion is our joint venture. You're pushing me out." He reached for the basket on her shoulder.

She knew he meant more than this—but she refused to accept it. She took a step back, avoiding his outstretched hand again. "It's true that you put up the capital for Golden Curtain Pavilion, but how it's run is my decision. Why can't I do what you men can do!"

"Don't forget, we're only putting on a show for outsiders," Zhou Yao lowered her eyes. "In the end, we're just strangers."

Strangers... Those three words pierced both their hearts like arrows, becoming a chasm Qi Yanhan still couldn't cross. His connection with Zhou Yao was like walking on thin ice, treading precariously.

Zhou Yao left, and Qi Yanhan saw no point in staying at Golden Curtain Pavilion any longer. Right, he should return to the mansion. He would go back to that deep, unfathomable cage of the Qi Mansion, which devoured people without spitting out bones.

"Duyun, let's go." Qi Yanhan's expression was dejected. The fabric at his side had long been clenched in his fist; when he released it, it was hopelessly wrinkled.

The coachman had prepared the carriage, and Zhou Yao had also prepared some porridge and flatbread. Just outside the city walls of Chang'an was the usual gathering place for beggars.

Cuiwei was restless the whole way, alternating between looking outside and looking at Zhou Yao. But Zhou Yao's mind was also unsettled; after saying those things to Qi Yanhan, she felt something wasn't right. Although they had maintained a decent facade on the surface, in the end, during their collaboration, strained relations were bad for both sides. Moreover, he had been helping her all along, though she didn't know how much was sincere and how much was mere politeness...

As soon as the carriage stopped, groups of refugees swarmed around. Zhou Yao looked up to see many elderly, women, and children. Some poorly dressed old women held emaciated children in their arms; some were aged men who had lost the ability to work. This time they had brought only a few helpers. Several guards held the refugees back to maintain order and prevent a frenzy. Zhou Yao and Cuiwei unloaded the food from the carriage and began distributing it.

The number of people coming for food was much higher than Zhou Yao had anticipated. The zongzi went quickly, and many people at the end didn't get any. "Slow down, slow down. Don't grab. Everyone will get some," Zhou Yao comforted the refugees while picking up her pace.

While she was still handing out porridge, before she could react, a loud clatter sounded beside her—it was the sound of a clay bowl hitting the ground. Zhou Yao turned to look. It was Cuiwei. She was trembling, staring fixedly at the person before her. Zhou Yao followed her gaze.

It was Su'er, the one who had shouted at her on the estate, accusing her of deception. Su'er looked completely different from before. Her once bright and pretty face was now covered in a thick layer of dirt, and her gray clothes were torn in many places, as if they had been ripped.

"What happened?" Zhou Yao frowned slightly, puzzled. Su'er looked much thinner. It had been only half a month, yet the change was so great. Zhou Yao looked at Cuiwei. She guessed that Cuiwei and Su'er had once shared a deep friendship; otherwise, Cuiwei wouldn't have warned Su'er to watch her words in front of Zhou Yao that day.

Su'er hastily picked up the flatbread that had fallen to the ground and wolfed down a few mouthfuls. Once her stomach was a bit fuller, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and before she could speak, tears started falling. She sobbed loudly, then knelt hastily. "Noble one! Noble one, please be merciful and take me back! Wuwuwu..."

"After I left, everything went smoothly. I still had a lot of the money you gave me when I reached home. I thought I could use it to improve my family's situation, but unexpectedly, my father, who's always loved drinking, got into gambling again..." She choked. "I finally got freed from my base status, but now he wants to sell me into a brothel."

She covered her face in pain, only letting herself cry aloud when she couldn't hold back any longer. Zhou Yao couldn't bear to watch. She crouched down, took a neatly folded silk handkerchief from her sleeve, held Su'er in her arms, and wiped her tears, comforting her. The rest didn't need to be said—everyone understood. After a life of drifting, she was fortunate to have escaped back to Chang'an.

Zhou Yao looked up at Cuiwei. Seeing her evasive gaze, she knew there was definitely still some communication between them. She signaled Cuiwei with her eyes to speak. Cuiwei stammered, afraid to speak. After hesitating for a long while, she lowered her head and said, "Su'er's family has always been poor. When she first returned to Chang'an two days ago, she came to find me. At that time, Golden Curtain Pavilion had many matters to handle, and I didn't want to disturb you. Also, Su'er's household registration was still held by her father, so she couldn't enter the city, so... so I had her stay outside the city. I didn't report it to you, madam. It's my fault."

"First, help Su'er into the carriage." Zhou Yao handed Su'er over to Cuiwei, and entrusted the distribution duties to the remaining guards.

In these unstable times, the common folk were burdened with heavy taxes. Even with a year of toiling from start to finish, they still couldn't fill their stomachs by the year's end. Charity porridge and grain might relieve the immediate crisis, but it was no long-term solution. Even this great nation had reduced its people to a state where the elderly had no one to lean on and the young had no one to raise them. Now the Emperor was advanced in years and pursued immortality. The Crown Prince had been in charge of the state—was that how that good-for-nothing governed? However dissatisfied Zhou Yao was, she couldn't voice it. She could only grumble inwardly.

After distributing the rest of the porridge and flatbread, Zhou Yao returned to the carriage. Su'er immediately knelt and grabbed the hem of Zhou Yao's skirt, pleading, "I beg you, miss, please take me in! I'm willing to work like an ox or a horse to repay you!"

"Do you know how many strings of coins it will take to retrieve your household registration?" Zhou Yao looked down at her from above, showing no reaction. She now had to draw a clear line between herself and Qi Yanhan, which meant repaying the money she owed him. Other wealthy households had fortunes; she? Now she was also tens of thousands in debt...

"Miss, miss, have mercy. In the past, when I was at Qingyun Terrace, my specialty was blending incense. If you take me in, I'll help you earn money to slowly repay the debt."

Blending incense? Zhou Yao's thoughts turned. She felt Su'er's skill was reliable. Su'er had already learned a lesson from her previous recklessness; taking her in now would likely make her more obedient. "Fine. Then you'll come into the city with the carriage. I'll handle the rest."

"Thank you, madam!" Cuiwei quickly spoke before Su'er, giving her a look. Su'er immediately understood and changed her address, quickly adding, "Thank you, madam."

Madam. That title was so ironic. Zhou Yao disliked it, but there was no choice now. There were too many spies in Chang'an; she was afraid any misstep might be seized upon. If the Emperor learned that she and Qi Yanhan hadn't yet completed the ceremony, she would probably be sent back to the deep palace. Then only death awaited her. Having her maids call her "madam" was also a last resort. If they used other titles on normal days and slipped up at a critical moment, it would be better to change from the start to prevent trouble.

"Don't say useless things." Zhou Yao went outside again to arrange for the vulnerable people to have enough to last a few days until the next porridge distribution.

At dusk, when the sun had begun to set, Zhou Yao packed up and returned to the city. The guards at the city gate were about to inspect the carriage as usual. Zhou Yao noticed Su'er shrinking fearfully into the corner, wishing she could hide entirely in the cracks of the carriage. Seeing this, she lifted the carriage curtain with one hand and scolded the guards with feigned anger, "How dare you! Do you dare to stop my carriage?"

The two guards froze, hastily bowing to Zhou Yao. "We didn't mean to disturb you, noble one. We're just conducting routine inspections..."

Zhou Yao pressed on, intending to scare them a bit more and then pass through. But she hadn't expected that today, perhaps she hadn't checked the almanac, and her actions attracted the attention of the general on duty at the gate. The man walked toward her carriage and bowed. "Does the noble one have an identity token to prove her identity?" he asked sternly.

Zhou Yao's heart tightened. Her princess token and her fief had been confiscated. To put it bluntly, she was now nothing but a princess in name. All this time, she had been like a fox borrowing the tiger's might. Without Qi Yanhan's backing, she might even be worse than a low-class prostitute.

Her palms were slick with sweat. The hand hidden in her sleeve nervously pinched the skin by her thumb. Zhou Yao feigned composure. "In the past, when I returned to the city, there was no need for this. Why do you insist on checking today?"

"Recently, there's been a surge of refugees outside the city. I do this to protect the city's order. I hope the noble one will cooperate."

Zhou Yao's gaze shifted to Su'er beside her. Su'er looked terrified, on the verge of tears. She clutched at Zhou Yao's sleeve tightly, wordlessly pleading. This was an arrow already on the string—it had to be released. Zhou Yao couldn't pretend everything was fine, especially since she noticed the change in the general's tone. His hand, which had been in salute, moved silently to the sword hilt at his waist, as if telling Zhou Yao that if she couldn't prove her identity and still refused to cooperate, the next thing coming... At the least, she'd be arrested; at worst, she'd be taken for a rebel and executed.

"You're so rigid. Aren't you afraid I'll report you when I return?" Zhou Yao tried to buy more time, but the man turned out to be inflexible, unable to adapt!

"I'm not afraid. I'm acting on orders. If the noble one blames me, please forgive me. Since you can't produce identification, please step down and accept inspection along with everyone in the carriage!"