In early autumn, above the northern plains of the Qing Kingdom's capital, patches of cloud shadows and sunlight flickered in and out of existence. The peasants working in the fields didn't bother to look up. They weren't interested in appreciating the wondrous spectacle the heavens were putting on with the cloud formations and the refractions of sunlight. They just wanted to harvest the golden crops from the fields before that rain cloud in the distance drifted over. There had been a bit too much rain this year. They heard that the great river in the south was swollen, but for these people living in the north of the kingdom, the safety of the dikes had nothing to do with them. They were more worried that the damned downpour would ruin their harvest for the year.

Occasionally, a few plump field mice, fearless of humans, would dart past the farmers' feet, snatching up scattered grains of rice. The farmers didn't bother using their sickles on these pests, but focused intently on harvesting the rice. In the vast, endless paddy fields on both sides of the official road, the rustling sounds of the sickles gradually merged into one, creating a rhythmic and satisfying sound.

The farmers, stripped to their lean torsos, faced the yellow earth and turned their backs to the sky, exposing the small cuts on their bodies caused by the rice leaves to the indifferent heavens. They didn't notice a long convoy slowly approaching on the official road, so long it seemed to have no end.

The Qing Kingdom's envoy to the Northern Qi had finally fulfilled their promise of going in spring and returning in autumn, arriving back in their homeland in mid-September.

However, the returning convoy seemed even larger than the one that had departed. Besides the return gifts from the Northern Qi, meant to show their sincerity, there were also many officials and honor guards escorting the princess, enough to show how much the Northern Qi court valued the princess's marriage. This was, after all, the first inter-kingdom marriage between the two countries, and no one knew what kind of turning point this "woman diplomacy" would bring to the continent, which had only been peaceful for twenty years.

Besides the magnificent carriage of the Northern Qi's Grand Princess, there was another carriage in the long convoy that was particularly noticeable. Compared to the decorative carriages of the Northern Qi's escort and the black carriages of the Qing Kingdom's court, this carriage looked much more shabby. Although the horse pulling it was a fine steed, even its head bobbed with a hint of listlessness.

The members of the envoy knew that it was because the carriage was too heavy. It was carrying the books that the late Zhuang Mo Han, a great scholar of the Northern Qi, had gifted to the head of the envoy, Fan Xian. These books looked unremarkable, but unexpectedly, they weighed even more than the Grand Princess's dowry of jewels. Every time they saw this carriage, the members of the envoy couldn't help but feel a sense of respect, not only because of the radiant glow on Master Fan's face, but also because they admired Master Fan's scholarly spirit. Everyone knew that since passing through the small countries near Beiwei and entering the kingdom's borders outside Cangzhou, Master Fan had locked himself in that carriage, reading day and night, barely willing to come down even for meals or rest.

"This is unbearable."

Fan Xian sighed, placing the pre-dynastic poetry collection he was holding back into the box behind him. The carriage curtain was blown shut by a gust of wind, plunging the carriage into darkness. It was impossible to see the expression on his face, but from the sound of his voice, one could tell that Master Fan wasn't very willing to stay in the carriage, pretending to be a diligent contemporary literary master.

The journey south had been exceptionally smooth and peaceful. The Grand Princess of Northern Qi, having emerged from the grief of Zhuang Mo Han's death, had regained the composure and self-respect befitting a noblewoman and hadn't caused him any trouble. On the contrary, at the post stations and in the city lord's residences, Fan Xian occasionally had the chance to exchange a few words with the beautiful Grand Princess, chatting about ordinary things to relieve the loneliness of the journey. Although as a subject, he dared not overstep any boundaries, facing a young lady was always better than facing Gao Da's cold-faced swordsmen or Yan Bingyun's icy countenance.

But this situation finally ended after passing Cangzhou. It wasn't that Fan Xian dared not speak to the Grand Princess, his future wife, on Qing Kingdom soil, but because the envoy had suddenly gained a new member. This person had a somewhat special identity, a somewhat strange background, and some unclear entanglement with a certain admirable fellow in the envoy. That person had been staying in the Grand Princess's carriage, and Fan Xian didn't want to see her miserable face, constantly stained with tears, so he had no choice but to hide in his own carriage, leaving the problem to Yan Bingyun, young Master Yan.

Along the way, the Overwatch Council sent some intelligence. Apart from the few strange murder cases being investigated in the south, which still lacked leads, there was nothing particularly unusual. No one expected that the most shocking news would come from the north.

Shen Zhong was dead. On a rainy night, under the protection of thirteen Jin Yi Wei experts, he was assassinated in his sedan chair on the street by Shang Shanhu, a military general wielding a long spear.

The dignified Zhenfu Si commander of the Jin Yi Wei, the Northern Qi's biggest spy chief after Xiao En, had died so miserably! This seemingly absurd news had been confirmed to be absolutely true. Fan Xian rubbed his temples and smiled wryly. Thinking of Wang Qinian's description in the report, he couldn't help but feel a bit alarmed.

The report said that on that rainy night, Shang Shanhu, clad in black armor, wielding a long spear, galloped through the streets on horseback. With one thrust, he pierced Shen Zhong's head in the sedan chair. With another sweep of the spear, he tore apart the bodies of Shen Zhong's guards. When he sheathed his spear and rode back to his mansion, the rain on that long street seemed to dare to fall—such momentum was truly terrifying. A peerless expert of the ninth rank, using such powerful means, directly shattered all conspiracies and calculations, purely challenging the authority of the entire court with force. This couldn't be described as recklessness, but rather as violence!

He hadn't expected Shang Shanhu to be such a domineering figure. Fan Xian knew that he had underestimated the iron-blooded nature forged in the army on the battlefield. He couldn't help but feel his head ache even more. No matter how hard he rubbed his temples, he couldn't alleviate the pain. After all, many people knew that he had played a less-than-honorable role in Xiao En's escape. Even if Tan Wu hadn't shouted "Fan Xian killed me!" before committing suicide, it was estimated that Shang Shanhu would have blamed him for both Xiao En's death and the betrayal of the Southern Qing.

Fan Xian could only hope that Southern Qing and Northern Qi would remain friendly for generations to come, never fighting again, and never giving Shang Shanhu the opportunity to confront him on the battlefield.

Of course, there were many doubts surrounding Shen Zhong's death. After all, he was a Jin Yi Wei leader with immense power. Even if Shang Shanhu was violent and the military was enraged, it wouldn't be easy to assassinate him on the street. Moreover, the Northern Qi court's reaction afterward seemed to confirm this. After a night of silence in the palace, they only confined Shang Shanhu to his mansion, stripping him of all titles. Another imperial decree shockingly pointed directly to Shen Zhong's numerous illegal and forbidden acts over the years. The strokes on that decree directly threw the newly deceased Shen Zhong into a sewage pit, making it impossible for him to ever rise again.

Shen Zhong's residence was then searched, and there was a major purge within the Jin Yi Wei. The military rejoiced. The young emperor remained silent, but he must have been happy in his heart, because through this incident, Shang Shanhu's resentment toward the imperial family should have lessened. However, a tiger like Shang Shanhu was not easy to control. Just looking at how the palace still confined Shang Shanhu in the capital, one could tell that they were still having a headache about how to deal with him. Killing him was naturally impossible. No one wanted to bear the backlash from the military. Letting him go was also impossible. Who knew what the consequences would be if a tiger returned to the mountains.

Fan Xian shook his head. He hadn't expected Haitang to act so quickly and violently against Shen Zhong after listening to his words. But after conjuring up the scene of Shang Shanhu suddenly killing Shen Zhong in the rain, instead of worrying about his own safety, he inexplicably felt a sense of pleasure and admiration. Ruthless and decisive, gratifying vengeance, when Shang Shanhu slowly raised his black spear on horseback, preparing to reap Shen Zhong's life, it was feared that there was no longer any reverence for heaven and earth in his eyes. How arrogant should that night rain have been falling on that long street?

He lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down without telling the coachman to stop, standing on the official road. He waved his hand to fan away the yellow wind blowing in his face, looking at the farmers working hard on both sides of the official road. His heart stirred slightly, and he put all the things in the north out of his mind. Those things could no longer affect him, and he couldn't affect them for the time being, so he had to let them go.

He looked up at the intermittently bright sky and narrowed his eyes. He knew that he should be able to reach Longquan Post Station today, and he felt a little relieved. The princess's marriage should be much slower than the current speed, but Fan Xian had a hidden worry in his heart, so he took advantage of the fact that no one in the envoy dared to say anything and sped up the journey a lot. Seeing that he was about to enter the capital, he finally stopped missing his relatives at home. He should be able to see Wan'er tomorrow. He didn't know if her health was getting better. As for his sister, if Wu Zhu was in the capital, she should be safe for the time being.

Getting into the next carriage, he glanced at Yan Bingyun, who was pretending to be asleep, frowned, and scolded: "The things you caused will eventually have to be resolved by you. We're about to enter the capital. Are you going to let her follow Princess Consort all the time? If Northern Qi knows that we're protecting their wanted criminal, how will the court explain it?"

Yan Bingyun opened his eyes, but turned his head away from his superior, looking at the golden rice fields outside the carriage window. A trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, but in the end, he just said faintly: "Shen Zhong's death was just a step in the Northern Qi emperor's power grab. As for her life and death, I believe Northern Qi won't care."

Fan Xian looked at him and suddenly softened his tone: "If you don't care about her life and death either, then leave it to me to deal with."

Yan Bingyun slowly turned his head, a fierce glint flashing and disappearing in his eyes: "Killing her won't benefit us."

"If you can't bear to part with her, then you can't bear to part with her." Fan Xian shook his head: "I thought you were no ordinary person, but I didn't expect you to be so self-deceptive."

Yan Bingyun didn't answer, silently turning his head away, watching the farmers outside the window harvesting the heavy harvest.

……

……

In the luxurious and precious carriage in front of the convoy, the Grand Princess of Northern Qi sighed, looking at her sister, with whom she had been very close since childhood, without saying anything. The eldest Miss Shen, who had luckily escaped from Shangjing City, was now blankly leaning on the window sill, looking at the same scenery outside the window as Yan Bingyun, but she didn't know if she was thinking about her lover's heartlessness, the tragedy of her family's destruction, or the sorrow of leaving her country and hometown.