"How are things back in the capital?" Zi-ning asked, raising her teacup to her lips. She was seated with Shengwu at the small pavilion beside the lotus pond that bordered her accommodation, having a casual chat over some freshly brewed pu-er tea and green bean cakes.
"Not much has changed. If you're asking after your family, recently Minister Han received a censure from the chief minister because of a delay in sending food supplies to aid the Yanjiang region. There's been a serious flood in the area, so the damage is quite severe. The fifth prince volunteered to lead a contingent to Yanjiang to survey the situation and lead the relief efforts."
Zi-ning frowned. She remembered the Yanjiang flood. A crack in the dam at the western section of the river had led to violent flooding of the surrounding regions, destroying crops that spanned hundreds of mu of farmland and destroying plenty of homes. Ru-an's seemingly selfless trip to Yanjiang had been a resounding success, resulting in a huge boost in his reputation both among the populace and within the royal court. Back then, the crown prince had died of his illness while Ru-an was away, hence allowing the fifth prince to dodge any potential accusations regarding Ru-quan's death. With his achievements at Yanjiang, Ru-an's star began to rise, until he became the frontrunner to inherit the throne.
"The king agreed?" she asked.
Shengwu nodded. "But the king also asked that the crown prince and the eighth prince go along with him, citing the need for all them to experience the suffering that the people were going through in order to be able to empathise with the masses."
"Ah." That changed everything. This time around, Ru-quan had not fallen seriously ill, hence the position of crown prince was still out of Ru-an's grasp. It made sense for the king to ask the crown prince to make the trip to Yanjiang—after all, would the king not want to help his heir build credibility among the people? But asking for the eighth prince, Ru-wen, to go along made things uncertain. It seemed a little excessive to send three princes all the way to Yanjiang, even if the situation there was dire.
Regardless, it pleased Zi-ning to know that Ru-an's plans would not go as smoothly this time. If he was not the only prince sent to provide aid to the region, then the rewards would also not belong to him alone.
"How has it been adapting to your new job at the ministry?" she asked, giving Shengwu a warm smile.
He shook his head, chuckling wryly. "Much harder than I expected. Most of the officials are beleaguered with menial administrative tasks, which leaves hardly any time for actual discussion and handling of more critical matters. The minister is more concerned with ensuring that he gets to go home on time every day, and so he never has anything to raise in front of the king, lest it earns him more work."
Zi-ning's smile broadened. It seemed that becoming a court official had helped Shengwu open up a lot more. He had possibly said more to her in the past hour than he ever had in all the years they had known each other. When they were younger, Shengwu would spend all his time buried in his books and scholarly pursuits, never having any time to bother with the more frivolous pastimes that his younger siblings had. Zhenzhu used to joke that her older brother was a block of ice, and that he would have to find her a sister-in-law that was like a ball of fire, so that she could thaw his cold, frigid heart.
Thus far, no such sister-in-law had appeared, even though there had to be plenty of young ladies in the capital who would be more than willing to marry the newly minted top scholar.
"Such is the world of politics," she replied. "Take it slow. I'm sure you'll be able to make a difference in the way things are run one day."
"I hope so. Unfortunately, there are many practices that are already deeply rooted within the court. It will take more than one junior official to be able to shift a mountain."
"You won't always be a junior official, will you?" she teased. That was one thing in her previous life that she was glad for, that at least someone like Shengwu had achieved everything he dreamed of. Or at least she hoped he had.
Her brows dipped in a slight furrow. With his daring suggestions and righteous demeanour, Shengwu had quickly rose in favour with King Shunde, allowing him to be promoted several times over the next few years until he reached that pinnacle. However, he had always been at loggerheads with Ru-an. This much she knew because Ru-an frequently complained about Shengwu in front of her, showing disdain for the other man's seeming naïveness and unyielding nature. Ru-an was an eel in the water, while Shengwu was a firmly rooted tree. If Ru-an had succeeded in his coup after her death, then she feared that Shengwu's future would not have been a smooth one.
No matter. They all had a second chance now. A chance to rebuild the future without Ru-an's insidious machinations.
"How is Zhenzhu? I didn't have time to bid her farewell before I left. I hope she's not upset with me," Zi-ning said.
Shengwu laughed. "There's no need to worry. You know what Zhenzhu is like. She barely has a temper to speak of. She has complained that she misses you though. Without you around, she no longer has any excuse to run out of the house, which means she has no choice but to sit through the many sessions of matchmaking that our mother has arranged for her."
Zi-ning sighed. That would likely be her fate as well, if she were in the capital. Once a girl had come of age, it was common for matchmaking to begin. Her grandmother had already brought it up several times, but the interest from the princes had, for better or worse, seemed to have delayed that process.
"What about yourself?" she teased. "Surely Lady Bai isn't only fretting over Zhenzhu's match. Is that why you volunteered to come all the way here to Anyang?"
Shengwu blanched, his jaw stiffening in embarrassment. Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, he said, "Looks like you've figured it all out. My mother has indeed been harping on the issue a little more frequently of late, so it's been nice having some time away from her nagging."
"While your career in the royal court is important, there's no reason to neglect starting a family either."
"You sound exactly like my mother!"
The two of them shared a laugh as they imagined the anxious Lady Bai pacing about in her home, worrying over the marriage prospects of her two incorrigible children.
"Looks like someone's having a good time. It's quite a lovely day for a catch-up over tea, isn't it?" a snide voice interrupted.
Zi-ning turned, seeing Enling, Aiwei and Zixi strolling through the moon gate. She almost felt tired on Enling's behalf, seeing as how the girl seemed determined to be sour and resentful all the time.
Zixi looked surprised to see another man in the manor. She turned to Aiwei and whispered, "Who might this be?"
"Official Bai, from the capital. He's staying on business for a few days," the other girl replied.
"Shengwu-ge, this is Yu Zixi, daughter of the mayor of Anyang. Du Aiwei, one of General Du's daughters, and Li Enling, Lady Du's niece," Zi-ning said, introducing each of the girls in turn.
"Bai Shengwu, from the Ministry of Protocol, at your service," Shengwu said with a polite tip of his head. He quickly stood up. "I apologise if I am intruding. Perhaps I should take my leave and—"
"No! There's no need for that," Zixi interrupted. She smiled. "There aren't so many rules to abide by around here, unlike the capital. You must have plenty to say to Zi-ning, so please, carry on. We are the ones who are intruding."
"Zixi-jie, why are you being so courteous? They're having an illicit meeting in broad daylight! Even if the protocol in Anyang isn't as strict as Huangcheng, surely people should still have some shame," Enling said.
Shengwu opened his mouth to retort, but Zi-ning met his gaze and subtly shook her head. There was no need to get angry with the likes of Enling, else they would be falling for her trick. Compared to Meiyan and the other noble ladies in the capital, Enling's petty little games were hardly worth addressing.
"Enling!" Zixi scolded. "Official Bai was sent here by the king. You musn't be rude."
Faced with a rebuke, Enling's entire expression turned stormy, her eyes shooting vicious daggers in Zi-ning's direction. Zi-ning recognised that look, because she had seen it from her own sisters when they thought she wasn't looking.
Even if she didn't think much of Enling, she would probably still need to be cautious while she was here, in case she ended up stepping into one of the girl's traps.
"Official Bai—" Zixi started.
"You can just call me Shengwu. Like you said, we're far from the capital, so there's no need for all these formalities," Shengwu interrupted.
"Shengwu?" The term of address sounded a little awkward as it rolled off Zixi's tongue, but she merely brushed it off with a smile. "When my father was last in Huangcheng, he brought back a painting of a bamboo grove by a river, with a poem about the evergreen nature of the bamboo even in the deepest winter. That poem was written by you, wasn't it?"
Shengwu blinked back his surprise. "Yes, yes I believe so. Although it was already many years ago. I'm surprised someone even kept that painting."
"I have it hanging in my room! I love those two lines so much that I use it to practice my calligraphy. You shall have to leave behind a few more poems before you return to Huangcheng."
"Certainly, although I'm not sure my poetry is much worth shouting about," Shengwu replied.
"Shengwu-ge, there's no need to be humble. Everyone knows that you are one of the best poets in the capital," Zi-ning said. From the tender age of ten, Shengwu had already made a name for himself by being one of the most well-versed in the literary arts. A true child prodigy, according to all his tutors.
Shengwu and Zixi would get along, she reckoned, considering how the latter was also deemed to be one of the most learned young ladies of their generation.
"It's Cousin Zhenghuan!" Enling suddenly exclaimed. The dour expression was immediately wiped off her face, replaced with a bright smile as she waved to catch his attention.
Zhenghuan and Mingshen were both dressed in their dark military garb, and had been marching past the moon gate, looking as if they were headed out of the manor. Zi-ning's fingers tensed when she noticed the grim expression on Zhenghuan's face. He paused when he heard his name, glancing in their direction. Then, he made a detour and came over to the pavilion instead.
"Zhenghuan-ge, where are you going? To the camp?" Enling asked, using her sweetest tone.
Zhenghuan ignored her completely, brushing past and coming to Zi-ning's side. Lowering his voice, he said, "There's been a situation with the training exercise. They've met with an ambush."
"What!" The colour drained from Zi-ning's cheeks.
"Don't worry. They've already sent reinforcements. I'm going down now to check on the situation. I'll update you on your brother's status once I have a better idea of what's happened." Zhenghuan placed one hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring pat, then he swiftly turned on his heels and headed back to join Mingshen. The two men disappeared, their urgent footsteps quickly retreating into the distance.
Zi-ning's heart raced within her chest as she continued to process what she had just been told.
An ambush.
Could her brother not avoid his fate after all? What if history repeated itself, and she still could not save him?