Chapter 11

A chill ran down Lin Yu's spine. No one knew the child was stricken with plague!

She couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if he wasn't found. The plague would sweep through Liangcheng in no time, and Zhang Dian's plans to conquer the city would only proceed more smoothly.

*Bang, bang, bang!* The door was knocked on again. The maid hurried over and pressed herself against the door, cracking it open just a sliver. After glimpsing what was outside, she slammed it shut as if she'd seen something terrifying.

Lin Yu could tell from the maid's panicked expression that the bridal procession had arrived at the gate.

Fu Ming and his guards were still out, and there was no telling when they'd return or whether they'd find the plague-stricken child. And now the wedding procession was blocking the entrance to the Dudu Mansion.

The impostor princess that Zhang Dian had sent to replace her must already be waiting in the carriage outside.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The knocking continued.

Lin Yu stayed silent for a moment, then told the maid to open the door and let the sedan bearers in.

The maid seemed hesitant, her little face scrunched up. "But..."

But the Commander had instructed her not to let the wedding procession into the mansion before he returned. What was she supposed to do?

Lin Yu's tone grew firmer. "Open the door. Let them in."

The maid hesitated a moment longer, then steeled herself and flung the door wide open.

The moment the door swung open, a magnificent carriage stood at the entrance. It was wrapped in layer upon layer of red silk, with festive crimson flowers adorning the top, and even the horses pulling it were draped in red bows.

Lin Yu stared at the horses' fiery red coats. This was the Sun-Chasing Horse that the old woman had mentioned the night before. She understood now—these were all Zhang Dian's people.

An old woman with a mole between her brows appeared at the door. Seeing it open, her face lit up with joy, and she turned to wave at the coachmen and envoys behind her to carry the dowry into the mansion first.

A woman in bridal attire descended from the carriage. Two maids helped her into a sedan chair, which was then carried through the gates.

The maid's brows furrowed in confusion as she caught sight of the bride stepping down. Weren't these people supposed to be here to take Lin Yu away?

Lin Yu quickly retreated behind the maid and bowed her head slightly. She scanned each face as they filed in, only relaxing once she confirmed none were familiar.

None of these people had seen Lin Yu before. That made things easy.

Putting on a harmless, innocent smile, Lin Yu stepped forward to greet the coachmen and envoys, fussing over them warmly. "The Commander has gone out on business and hasn't returned yet. Such a heavy sedan chair—you must all be exhausted."

"Come, Xiao Hua." Lin Yu beckoned to the maid. "Take them to collect their reward."

The coachmen's spirits lifted at the mention of a reward. They cheerfully hauled the remaining chests into the mansion, moving with renewed vigor.

"Oh my, sending the princess to the capital is such a joyous occasion—we've simply borrowed the princess's good fortune. How could we accept a reward..." The leading matron demurred, though she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Lin Yu smiled warmly as well. "The Commander instructed me to take good care of you all. Please be patient—he should be back shortly."

Who would refuse to wait once they'd been given a reward? The coachmen carried everything to the empty space in the back courtyard, and Lin Yu told the maid to arrange for them to rest and have some tea in the front hall.

Lin Yu was gracious and composed, handling everything with perfect order. Everyone wore beaming smiles as they headed off to the front hall.

After watching the last maid disappear, Lin Yu's gentle gaze turned cold. She swept her eyes across the courtyard once more, and only after confirming it was completely empty did she walk back to the sedan chair.

Dozens of dowry chests filled nearly half the courtyard, the sedan chair surrounded on all sides. Lin Yu circled the chests with a puzzled frown. Her own dowry and the gifts from the Jiang Kingdom had been lost when she was attacked.

She was alone in a foreign land now—who would have prepared a new dowry for her?

Fu Ming? The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. Fu Ming had spent the entire night dealing with the plague child, sending men out in the dead of night to capture him. He wouldn't have had time for this.

Could Zhang Dian have prepared all this for the fake princess in the carriage? Even that seemed impossible. Lin Yu casually opened a couple of chests—night pearls on top, and beneath them, endless pearls and jade.

Zhang Dian was in dire need of money to recruit soldiers and buy horses. Even if he'd prepared a dowry for the fake princess, it wouldn't have been this extravagant.

Unable to figure out who had sent the dowry, Lin Yu stopped puzzling over it. She strolled casually through the piles of gold and jewels, her hands clasped behind her back, until she came to a stop before the luxurious sedan chair.

She stood before the curtain, the short knife she'd taken from the old woman at the inn gripped in her hand behind her back.

The person inside was quiet. A cool breeze lifted the corner of the curtain, and phoenix patterns embroidered in several colors of gold thread shimmered in the wind.

Lin Yu fixed her gaze and used the tip of her blade to lift the curtain's edge. Sensing something, the figure inside raised a hand to push aside the bridal veil and looked up. The moment their eyes met, Lin Yu remembered those brows and eyes.

Her memory flashed back to two days ago, on the road to the Shaman God Pavilion—the man and woman arguing at the roadside. Her name was... Zhang Han?

Lin Yu remembered she'd said her mother had died and she had to observe mourning for her.

So it was her. She was the spy Zhang Dian had sent?

Zhang Han, dressed in fiery red bridal attire, her eyes shimmering as she silently studied Lin Yu.

Lin Yu froze for an instant. Then, all of a sudden, Zhang Han drew a long sword from the wooden ornaments beside her seat and thrust it toward Lin Yu!

Lin Yu dodged backward. Zhang Han shot out of the carriage and chased after her, and the two clashed in the back courtyard!

The short knife was only suited for close combat, but Zhang Han held a long sword, so Lin Yu couldn't get near her.

After a few exchanges, Lin Yu could tell from Zhang Han's technique that she didn't actually know how to use a blade. Her moves were hastily learned—flashy, but nothing but a bluff.

A smile curled at the corner of Lin Yu's mouth. Just as Zhang Han lunged at her with all her might, Lin Yu sidestepped and gave her shoulder a light flick. Zhang Han panicked, and in her fear, she suddenly let go of the sword!

The blade clattered to the ground with a clang. She bent down to grab it, but Lin Yu kicked it hard, sending it flying toward the lake in the courtyard!

*Splash!*

The sword sank into the water. Zhang Han's face went pale, and she stood frozen in terror. Smiling, Lin Yu twirled the knife casually and advanced on her step by step.

"You! Don't kill me—I was forced into this—please, don't come any closer—" Zhang Han's legs wobbled, and she nearly collapsed.

"I won't kill you." Lin Yu approached her with a smile, her tone gentle.

Before Zhang Han could even breathe a sigh of relief, Lin Yu suddenly produced a club from somewhere and knocked her out with a single blow!

The maid, who'd been hiding in the shadows, ran out, bewildered. "Who... who is this? Why did she come out of the bridal sedan?"

The maid naturally knew that the Lin Yu in front of her was the real peace bride, so who was this other woman in wedding clothes who'd been knocked out?

Lin Yu didn't explain. "Give me a hand. Carry her to the side chamber. When the Commander returns, give her some money and let her go."

The maid nodded dumbly and hurried over to support Zhang Han, helping Lin Yu carry her into the side chamber.

...

Lin Yu changed into the bridal attire and sat down in the sedan. Just then, the wedding envoys returned from their tea, and everyone waited in the courtyard for a long while, but Fu Ming still hadn't shown up.

Since the Commander had gone through the trouble of finding the princess and had even intended to see her off, etiquette dictated that the princess thank him before departing. But he still hadn't returned, and the envoys were growing a bit impatient, though they didn't show it.

Panic flickered across the maid's face as she made up some excuse to stall them, pacing restlessly in the front hall.

It was already the hour of the rabbit. Worried about delaying the auspicious time, the group discussed among themselves that they ought to set off. "If we don't leave now, we won't make it out of the city before noon, and we'll never reach Jincheng in three days. If we miss the deadline and the new emperor holds us accountable, that's our heads."

The coachmen all felt the same way and grew anxious. "Let's go, let's go. If the Commander isn't back today, are we supposed to wait for him all day? Missing the deadline and angering the emperor will cost us our lives!"

Fu Ming still hadn't returned, but they couldn't wait any longer.

Someone raised their voice: "Lift the sedan!"

With a loud call, the group hoisted the bridal sedan and began to head out. Only a few maids were left in the mansion, frantic with worry, but there was nothing they could do to stop them, so they had to let them go.

The coachmen didn't walk fast, as if still holding out hope that Fu Ming would come. But before they'd gone far, the noise of the streets began to filter through.

Lin Yu sat in the sedan and lifted the curtain by the window. She watched the passersby hurry by with grave expressions while street vendors' cries wove through the clamor of the crowd. She wondered uneasily whether the plague-stricken child had been found, her gaze restless as she surveyed this bustling border town.

...

Three days later, at the hour of the monkey, the carriage rattled to a stop beneath the gates of Jincheng. The gates swung open, and the carriage rolled into the city. It stopped and started, and before long, it came to a halt before a palace. Lin Yu looked up and saw nothing but red walls on every side, blotting out the sky.

"Princess, His Majesty is busy with state affairs and cannot receive you. He has ordered that you take up temporary residence at the post station." A palace maid came forward to greet her.

"What did you say?"

The words hit Lin Yu like a blow to the head. The Xianzun was sequestered in the palace, obsessed with alchemy, and never went out. If she couldn't get into the palace, she'd never get to see him.

Zhang Ni must still be wary of the Jiang Kingdom allying with Zhang Dian to attack Liangcheng. Ordering her to move to the post station was his way of putting her in her place.

Lin Yu couldn't be bothered with what the new emperor thought of her, but she did not want to leave the palace. Once she left, getting back in would be nearly impossible, and she was already out of time.

Lin Yu pressed her lips together, her gaze resolute. "I want to see the emperor."

The maid looked troubled. "His Majesty is busy with affairs of state and cannot see you."

"Oh, I wonder who this could be, making such a fuss the moment she enters the palace. Why, it's the princess of that tiny, vanquished kingdom that fled in defeat..."

"Oh, no—she's not even a real princess. Just a relative who received a last-minute title and was sent here for peace." A consort approached, covering her face with a handkerchief. Seeing Lin Yu, she let out a tittering laugh, clearly delighted, her expression dripping with mockery.

Lin Yu watched them laugh, her face expressionless. The consort was dressed in red as well, so she must be a high-ranking one.

Ignoring whether or not the consort was mocking her, Lin Yu cut straight to the point. "Alright, stop laughing. You're being noisy. Tell me, where's the emperor? I have business with him, and it's urgent."

The consort's smile froze, as if she couldn't believe her ears. "How dare you speak to me like that! You dare call me noisy?! I'm His Majesty's favorite! Do you believe I could have you thrown into the cold palace with a single word?!"

Lin Yu couldn't be bothered to argue. In a few hours, at midnight, she'd be dead. Here she was, wasting time quarreling with this woman.

"Fine, fine, throw me in the cold palace if you want. Go tell His Majesty, then." Lin Yu eagerly went along with her. Being in the cold palace was at least still inside the palace proper—close enough to the water to wet the moon, as they say. Being chased out to the post station, though, that would be a real disaster.

The consort was utterly shocked. Who begs to be sent to the cold palace?! She tossed out a "Just you wait!" and wobbled off with a sway of her hips, while Lin Yu smiled after her and shouted her thanks.

The consort had barely gotten a few steps away when Lin Yu turned to the maid beside her. "Where's the cold palace?"

The maid's face turned as green as vegetables, and she stuttered for ages without managing a single word.

Just arrived at the palace and already acting like this—begging to be thrown in the cold palace with such confidence. This one definitely wasn't someone to mess with!

The young maid weighed her options internally. Though His Majesty hadn't yet ordered the peace princess to the cold palace, the consort was his favorite, and offending her would surely bring severe punishment.

Seeing that the decree for the cold palace would be arriving any moment, the maid said nothing more and simply led the way.

Just as Lin Yu had expected, now that Zhang Ni had just taken the throne, the cold palace was completely empty. There wasn't a single guard in sight. Aside from being a bit dirty and run-down, it was the perfect place to lie in wait.

Lin Yu surveyed the palace walls around her and was quite pleased.

...

The news spread quickly: the princess of the Jiang Kingdom had been cast into the cold palace less than half an hour after entering it. Lin Yu had no idea how she was being talked about among the eunuchs and maids, but she'd certainly made a name for herself.

By now, Lin Yu had already changed into a set of black clothes and was perched atop the palace wall, standing right above their heads as she listened to them gossip about her.

"That newly arrived princess—I hear she's incredibly crude. She came in swinging her fists at Lady Xi, and sure enough, she was in the cold palace within the hour," a eunuch said in his high-pitched voice.

"That's not it—the maid who received her said she looked positively smug on her way to the cold palace. Maybe she's got someone backing her!"

"Who could she have? Isn't this about the war with that tiny kingdom? She's just a woman—what trouble could she possibly stir up?"

"..."

Lin Yu swept past the eunuchs and maids above their heads, puzzling for a moment over why everyone was talking about her, but she didn't linger. She climbed up to the tallest building in the palace—the Star-Plucking Tower—and stood at the top, gazing over the grounds below.

Soon, she found her target.

In the southeast corner of the palace, a blue-purple palace stood tall, with wisps of smoke rising endlessly from its roof. That had to be the alchemy chamber.

Lin Yu tugged her mask and hood lower, making sure not a single strand of hair or hint of her features was visible, then dove into the night, racing toward the alchemy chamber.

The further southeast she went, the sparser the foot traffic became. By the time she neared the alchemy chamber, there was hardly anyone around.

She dropped from the base of the wall and crept carefully toward the chamber. Pressing herself against the wall, she spotted a young maid cleaning up inside. Lin Yu gave the hall a quick scan—only the maid was there. The Xianzun didn't seem to be around.

The maid leaned against the alchemy furnace as the fire crackled beneath it. Before long, she carried out a tray of leftover dregs.

The hall was empty now. Lin Yu slipped in as quietly as she could, but the moment she entered, before she could even see what was inside, the bookshelf beside the furnace came crashing down toward her!

The bamboo scrolls on the top shelf scattered across the floor with a loud crash!

Lin Yu flinched at the noise. At the same time, with the bookshelf no longer blocking her view, she spotted an old man with white hair sitting in the far corner, radiating an air of otherworldly elegance.

Lin Yu's heart sank. She'd been caught red-handed. She was just about to think of an excuse—the shelf fell on its own, she'd only just stepped inside and hadn't done anything—

But the old man spoke first, and Lin Yu knew she was truly done for. Anyone with half a brain could tell she was up to no good, sneaking into the palace's alchemy chamber dressed like that in the dead of night.

But contrary to her expectations, after the bookshelf fell, the old man in the corner didn't move at all, as if he hadn't noticed the commotion.

Perplexed, Lin Yu was about to step closer when the Xianzun's body suddenly stirred.

He propped his head on one hand, idly examining a medicinal herb. Without even raising his eyelids, he said, "You're late. I've been waiting for you here for quite some time."