After the caning was completed, Ling Buyi remained silent, the Fifth Prince howled like a ghost, Shao Shang wept bitterly, and the Third Prince's forehead veins throbbed violently from the noise. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed all the eunuchs and palace maids.
Shao Shang scrambled over to Ling Buyi's side, her voice hoarse from crying, "Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Can you still recognize me? Are you dizzy? If you can't speak, don't force yourself! Let's go find the Imperial Physician… Don't be afraid…"
—The Third Prince wanted to curse: Who's afraid? Even if the Capital City were under siege, your man wouldn't be afraid!
Looking at the shocking bloodstains on her fiancé's shoulders and back, Shao Shang recalled her own experience of being beaten. Back then, she had been in excruciating pain even before bleeding. Now, seeing Ling Buyi in this state, she imagined his suffering must be far worse.
Her heart shattered into pieces. Afraid to touch his bloody wounds, she could only cradle Ling Buyi's pale, sweat-drenched head in her arms. The Third Prince rolled his eyes beside them.
Could this silly girl not see that the areas where Ling Buyi had been struck were completely different from the Fifth Prince's? The Emperor had gone to great lengths for Ling Buyi. As for this Lady Cheng—she lacked talent, family influence, and now it seemed she wasn't very bright either. Apart from some beauty, the Third Prince couldn't fathom what Ling Buyi saw in her.
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed Ling Buyi glancing at him from within Cheng Shaoshang's embrace, his gaze tinged with suspicion.
The Third Prince raised an eyebrow. Oh? He noticed? Not bad.
There were indeed many oddities about this caning, but the servants and guards dared not speak up. The only one who might have exposed the truth, the Fifth Prince, was currently too preoccupied with his swollen buttocks, wailing and eager to return to his mother Consort Xu for comfort. He had no energy to spare for other matters.
The Third Prince smirked inwardly, considering saying a few words to cover up the situation. He didn't want Ling Buyi to blurt out something like, "Why is there so much blood but so little pain?" and ruin the Emperor's carefully laid plans.
But the next moment, Ling Buyi tilted his head and slumped weakly into his fiancée's arms, as if unconscious. Shao Shang, assuming he had passed out from the pain, burst into another round of mournful sobbing.
Third Prince: "…"
By now, night had fallen. A biting winter wind howled outside like a beast, signaling the arrival of the first cold wave of the season.
Ling Buyi was taken back to his childhood quarters in the Everlasting Autumn Palace—a side chamber east of the main hall. A fire was lit in the room as Shao Shang continued to weep by Ling Buyi's bedside. The Emperor and Empress sat nearby, watching the Imperial Physician clean and dress Ling Buyi's wounds.
Seeing his plan had succeeded, the Emperor felt quite satisfied: "Shao Shang, Zisheng's injuries are all because of you. From now on, think carefully before you act. As husband and wife, your actions will always affect him."
Shao Shang, her eyes swollen like peaches, replied mournfully, "Your Majesty, this humble woman will surely learn her lesson and never act recklessly again."
The Emperor nodded approvingly. "That's the right attitude. You must take good care of him…" He was about to add more fuel to the fire when the Empress shot him a stern look, forcing him to stop. "Well then, the Empress and I shall take our leave. You may stay."
The Empress interjected, "Stay? Zisheng is a grown man now, and the inner palace is no place for such improprieties. Shao Shang, come with me." She glanced at her foster son, silently cursing how he had inherited his adoptive father's penchant for theatrics.Shao Shang sniffled like a young animal, pleading pitifully, "Your Majesty, Lord Ling hasn't had his evening meal yet."
The Empress nearly shouted, "And neither have you!" She took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing firmly, "...It's getting late. Shao Shang, come back with me for dinner. You've been running around all day and didn't rest properly this afternoon while looking after me. You must be exhausted. Get a good night's sleep and visit Zisheng tomorrow morning." With that, she headed for the door.
Ling Buyi cast a silent, imploring look at his foster father.
The Emperor wanted to help, but with the Empress in such a temper, he could only rub his nose sheepishly and obediently follow her out.
Shao Shang was reluctant to leave, but the usually gentle Empress spoke with such determination that she dared not disobey. With lingering reluctance, she followed them out.
Under Zhai Nanny's watchful gaze, Shao Shang listlessly finished her meal before being ordered by the Empress to wash up and go to bed. With the Fifth Princess no longer a threat, she could finally sleep in her own room tonight.
Her bed canopy was made of ginger-colored interlined brocade, embroidered with gold and emerald threads depicting kingfishers perched on forest treetops—a delicate, intricate design. This was newly arrived tribute brocade this year, which the Empress had specifically reserved for her before distributing the rest. Such soft, thick, and precious fabric was something ordinary officials would scramble to use for winter coats, yet here she was using it for a bed canopy. Ah, the privileges of high society indeed.
She wondered what kind of canopy Ling Buyi had. Was it warm? Or did his room even have one?
Though it was his childhood residence, it had been uninhabited for years. In such haste, who knew if the dampness had been properly aired out or if the bedding was soft and warm enough. Tonight was unusually cold, and he was still injured. The last thing he needed was to fall ill again before his wounds had fully healed.
Troubled and worried, Shao Shang tossed and turned in bed like a pancake on a griddle, nearly waking the young palace maid sleeping in the outer chamber. After flipping herself "well-done" three times over, she still couldn't sleep. Finally, she threw off the covers in frustration, swiftly dressed in a thick robe, tied her long, soft hair into a ponytail, bundled up her quilt, and tiptoed out.
Before leaving, she hesitated briefly by the warm stove, where the Empress's soothing sweet soup still sat. After a moment's thought, she struggled to free a hand from her plump quilt bundle, used her sleeve to grab the clay pot, and then slipped out on tiptoe.
...
Ling Buyi lay on his bed resting, with Liang Qiu Fei keeping watch beside him, rambling about how difficult it had been to sneak in to care for the Young Master—almost to the point of needing to become a eunuch.
"...Enough. You should rest too," Ling Buyi murmured, eyes closed.
Liang Qiu Fei promptly shut his mouth and was about to doze off when uneven, shuffling knocks sounded at the door.
Ling Buyi's eyes snapped open. Liang Qiu Fei, startled and amused, joked, "Maybe it's some little creature from the garden seeking shelter from the cold." He went to open the door and check.
As soon as the door cracked open, a gust of icy wind hit Liang Qiu Fei, followed by a small figure stumbling in, clutching a round bundle. Fine snowflakes, like willow catkins in spring, swirled into the room on the moonlight and winter breeze.
Pulling aside the quilt, the visitor revealed a flushed little face.Ling Buyi abruptly propped himself up, a surge of warmth flooding his chest like a mighty torrent from ancient times—swift and intense. He cried out involuntarily, "—Shao Shang! What are you doing here?"
"Shut the door already!" Shao Shang shouted at the dumbfounded Liang Qiu Fei. "Do you want your Young Master to freeze to death?" As she spoke, she bent down to place the clay pot on the floor beside her.
Liang Qiu Fei snapped out of his daze and quickly turned to close the door.
Ling Buyi sat on the edge of the bed, clad only in thin, snow-white underwear, his eyes brimming with joy. Before he could rise to greet her, Shao Shang had already rushed forward in a few quick steps, exclaiming, "Don't get up, don't get up! Be careful of the wounds on your back...!" With a vigorous shake of her arms, she unfurled a soft, thick quilt and draped it over Ling Buyi's head.
Ling Buyi sat there as if in a dream, enveloped in the gentle warmth and sweet fragrance of the young girl.
"I knew it—the bedding here is still from autumn, thin and cold!" The girl shot a disdainful glance at the bed. "Who knew the weather would turn so chilly so fast! Here, use my quilt. Zhai Nanny sunned and baked it for days... Isn't it warm?"
Liang Qiu Fei opened his mouth, then closed it again under the Young Master's sharp gaze.
To avoid becoming accustomed to comfort and thus unable to endure the hardships of military life, the Young Master had always avoided using stoves, even in winter. Unless it was freezing cold, he would sleep with only a thin quilt.
"...I didn’t know it was snowing outside. Going back for an oilcloth would’ve risked waking the Palace Maids attending me, so I just came as I was. Luckily, it was only light snow, not too dense. I ran against the wind, so the quilt shouldn’t have gotten too wet." Shao Shang chattered away, her small hands tugging at the quilt, trying to wrap it tightly around him.
Unfortunately, Ling Buyi was tall and broad-shouldered. The quilt, which could easily wrap around her twice, barely covered his frame, leaving Shao Shang somewhat frustrated. Unexpectedly, Ling Buyi stretched out his long arms, gathered the quilt, and in one swift motion, pulled the girl into his embrace, wrapping both her and the quilt in his arms.
Liang Qiu Fei smacked his lips. Even without four romantic partners like his elder brother, he knew he was superfluous here. So, with great discretion, he pushed the door open and slipped out quietly.
Shao Shang found herself pressed tightly against him. In her struggle, she accidentally tugged open Ling Buyi’s collar, revealing the young man’s sculpted, marble-like chest. Ling Buyi looked down at her with a faint smile. "Whatever you want to do, it’s up to you!"
"Up to you, my foot!" Shao Shang’s face flushed crimson as she hissed, "Let go of me! You scoundrel! I bring you a quilt out of kindness, and you dare to tease me?"
Ling Buyi spread his arms, baring his chest, and chuckled lightly. "Why don’t we call someone to judge who’s teasing whom?"
"Fine, let’s call them!" Shao Shang shoved him away forcefully.
Ling Buyi suddenly winced, his brows furrowing as he slumped weakly. Shao Shang panicked and caught his tall frame. "Did you pull your wounds? Does it hurt? Don’t move, don’t move! Should I fetch the Imperial Physician...?"
Ling Buyi leaned against the girl, his arms encircling her as he buried his face in the warm, delicate curve of her neck, nuzzling gently.
Shao Shang’s face burned from the contact. She lifted his head firmly and scowled. "Are you faking it? Is this some kind of sympathy ploy?"
Ling Buyi asked, "What’s a sympathy ploy?"Shao Shang earnestly explained, "It means you hurt yourself to make me feel sorry for you, just to get your way."
"Why would you feel sorry for me if I hurt myself?" Ling Buyi leaned on her shoulder, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "If you don’t feel sorry, then this tactic wouldn’t work, would it?"
Shao Shang was left speechless. In a fit of anger, she pushed him onto the bedding and stood by the bed, fuming.
Ling Buyi buried his face in the covers, chuckling, then lifted his head with a warm smile. Gently pulling the girl’s hand, he whispered, "To have Shao Shang’s sympathy is Zisheng’s greatest fortune."
Pouting, Shao Shang let herself be pulled down to sit on the floor, facing him closely.
As her gaze wandered back, she saw Ling Buyi lying on the bedding, his face pale, contrasting sharply with his raven-black hair, damp with tiny droplets from melted snowflakes. His youthful, handsome face bore traces of exhaustion. Her heart softened like cotton, dissolving into tenderness.
Almost unconsciously, she leaned in and kissed his temple. Then, under his disbelieving gaze, she pressed another gentle, comforting kiss to his forehead.
Ling Buyi’s breath grew suddenly warm and heavy. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, first pecking her small, cold-reddened lips. When he pulled away, he saw her dazed expression, as if she hadn’t fully processed what had happened. He smiled, thinking she was more adorable than anything else in the world, utterly irresistible to him. Then he kissed her again.
Shao Shang felt his long, strong fingers clasping the nape of her neck, his cool, sandalwood-like scent enveloping her completely. He was such a brilliant and wise man, yet in this matter, he was surprisingly clumsy—only knowing to suck and lick repeatedly. Yet it felt incredibly tender and intimate to her.
After a while, Ling Buyi broke the kiss, panting, and put some distance between them. His voice was low and husky as he said, "...Some things should wait until after we’re married."
Shao Shang giggled. "Shouldn’t that be my line?"
Ling Buyi stared at her flushed cheeks. "Then let me kiss you once more, and you can say it afterward."
"In your dreams!"
Laughing, Shao Shang pushed him away, but Ling Buyi effortlessly caught her and pinned her to the bed. They tussled playfully like children for a while before Shao Shang remembered the pot of soup she had painstakingly brought over. She warmed the clay pot by the fire pit and poured a bowl for Ling Buyi.
Though Ling Buyi wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, he accepted it with a smile.
The room was heavy with the scent of charcoal. Slipping over to the window, Shao Shang pushed it open slightly. When she turned back, she saw Ling Buyi reclining against the headboard, draped in his robe, holding the bowl with an air of dignified elegance. Smiling, she took out a short flute from her sleeve and said softly, "Drink slowly—don’t burn yourself. Let me play you a tune."
"Is it a new piece by your Uncle and Aunt?"
"Yes."
The flute’s melody began, light and lonely, like a quiet sigh of solitude.
Before meeting Sang Shunhua, Cheng Zhi had lived a smooth and happy life for over twenty years, never feeling anything was amiss. Before falling in love with Cheng Zhi, Sang Shunhua had grown cold toward romance, resolved to live out her days in quiet serenity. By heaven’s grace, they were fated to meet and not miss each other.
The melody slowly circled back, as if crossing mountains and rivers. Finding love in each other didn’t require wild elation—it was more like reuniting with an old friend. From then on, they would walk hand in hand, growing old together, never to part again.The flute's melody, poetic and plaintive, drifted softly through the air, even the biting cold wind outside the window seemed to mellow. Carried by the breeze, the music reached the Inner Chamber of the main hall. The Emperor pushed open the window and listened intently.
At first, the Empress ignored him, but after a while, she couldn't resist standing by the bedside to quietly savor the flute's song. After a long while, she smiled. "This tune should only be heard in heaven. Hmm, it must be composed by Shao Shang's Third Uncle and his wife."
After a pause, she praised, "What a beautiful melody. Truly as clear as a mountain stream, as elegant as snow on plum branches—both tenderly restrained and freely unrestrained, known only to two hearts... What an immortal couple."
As the flute gradually faded, the Emperor closed the window and turned around, sighing with a smile. "That girl is actually clever and sharp, pure at heart, just a bit too unruly in temperament."
The Empress laughed. "Why don't you say these words to Shao Shang's face? Every time you meet her, you scold her. Now she avoids Your Majesty like a mouse dodging a cat."
The Emperor shook his head. "She's not like Zisheng. Zisheng is mature beyond his years, knows self-reflection in all matters, and understands propriety. But her temperament is lacking and needs proper guidance. A strict father and a doting mother—you can spoil her enough. Let me play the villain... After all, that stubborn boy has set his heart on her. Sigh, if she learns well, Zisheng will have someone to cherish and care for him in the future. And when the time comes, I’ll have the face to meet Brother Huo Chong in the afterlife."
...
After finishing the tune, Shao Shang lowered her short flute and said proudly, "Well? It really is a good melody, right? I’m not boasting."
Ling Buyi stared at her blankly. Finding it strange, Shao Shang asked three times what was wrong before he replied, "Nothing. I was just remembering the first time I saw you."
Shao Shang tilted her head, recalling the past. "Hmm, now that you mention it, when we first met at Uncle Wan’s house, my face was bruised and swollen beyond recognition. Of all times to run into you, it had to be when I looked my worst—how unlucky."
Ling Buyi looked surprised. "What are you talking about? Our first meeting wasn’t at the Wan family’s. It was during the Lantern Festival."
"Ah? What?" Shao Shang was stunned, her face blank. "I saw you that night?" Someone like Ling Buyi—no one could forget meeting him.
The two stared at each other for a long moment before Ling Buyi spoke slowly, "That night at the festival, you were with Cheng Xiaowei, Madam Sang, and a few brothers, watching street performers. I stood across the street, watching you from the other side."
"Ah!" Shao Shang suddenly understood, finally remembering. "So you were that 'revolving lantern'?"
"Revolving lantern?" Ling Buyi thought for a moment. "That’s right. There was a revolving lantern hanging under the eaves beside me at the time. You didn’t see me? But you stared in my direction for a long time." She remembered the lantern but not him?
Shao Shang hurriedly explained, "I did look over for a long time, but I didn’t know it was you!"
Ling Buyi was puzzled.
Shao Shang continued, "What I mean is, I saw you, but I didn’t see your face clearly. You’re tall, and that revolving lantern happened to block your face. I had no idea it was you."
This was awkward. Ling Buyi’s face darkened. "I watched you for so long, and you weren’t even curious about who I was?" Any other young lady would have come over to introduce herself.
Shao Shang chuckled sheepishly. "So... you were looking at me? Heh, heh..."
"Who else would I be looking at?""Here’s what I think," Shao Shang began. "The revolving lantern beside you depicts a scene of family reunion. With Father, Aunt, and my brothers, don’t we look like a happy family? I thought you were moved by the sight, watching us together..."
"Nonsense!" Ling Buyi scoffed, so exasperated he nearly laughed. "If I wanted to be moved by such a sight, why would I do it in the middle of the marketplace? During the palace’s Lantern Festival banquet, Your Majesty’s family was the picture of harmony. I could have been moved there just as well!"
Shao Shang considered this and found it amusing too. "If you were watching me for so long, why didn’t you come talk to me?"
Ling Buyi’s gaze turned wistful as he murmured, "At the time, I hadn’t yet decided whether I should marry at all."
Shao Shang was torn between laughter and disbelief. "Lord Ling, it was just a casual greeting. Marriage was hardly the topic yet." First, they’d meet, then court, and only then discuss marriage.
Ling Buyi fixed her with a cool stare. "If not for marriage, why bother greeting you? Isn’t that how you see it too?"
Noticing her fiancé’s displeasure, Shao Shang quickly straightened and declared righteously, "You’re absolutely right. I’ve always despised men and women mingling pointlessly. If they’re not considering marriage, what’s the use of idle chatter?"
Ling Buyi gave her a sidelong glance before straightening with a sigh. "Ah, so we started off wrong from the very beginning. Fine, let’s properly sort through the past."
Eagerly, Shao Shang scooted closer to listen.
"So, at the Wan residence, that was the first time you saw me. When I immediately helped you with your horse and stirrup, you must have found it quite abrupt?"
"...A little." When he had grasped her calf back then, her entire body had gone numb.
"Later, we met again in the outskirts of Hua County. I thought three encounters were rare, but you didn’t share that sentiment?"
"Well... saving someone’s life is also a kind of fate, isn’t it?"
"At the time, you treated my wounds, spoke earnestly, and looked at me so tenderly. I thought you held affection for me, but it seems I was merely deluding myself?"
Shao Shang stayed silent—this time, you’re absolutely right.
"And later, when I became engaged to A Yao, what did you think?" She recalled some unpleasant implications.
Ling Buyi’s expression turned icy. "I thought you were fickle, that after Lou Yao seduced you, you cast me aside without a second thought."
So that was it! Shao Shang’s face cycled through a spectrum of colors—dark as ink, tinged with blue, then twisted with green.
"Yet you still treated me so well afterward?!" she exclaimed indignantly. Unbeknownst to her, she had already been branded as capricious.
"Since I never expressed any intention to marry you, and Lou Yao had already proposed, you were free to choose him... I never blamed you." Ling Buyi sighed wistfully.
Though it had only been a few months ago, recounting it now felt distant, as if it belonged to another lifetime. Shao Shang sighed. "You never mentioned it, so how was I to know...?"
Ling Buyi gazed at the candlelight. "Had we known each other earlier, perhaps we wouldn’t have quarreled so much."
After a moment’s thought, Shao Shang dismissed the idea. "No. It’s in our nature—we’d have fought just the same." Without the filter of life-saving gratitude and heroic admiration, things might have been even worse.
Ling Buyi seemed to realize this too and shook his head helplessly.
Then, they looked at each other and laughed.
"Hey, what was I like when you first saw me?" Shao Shang asked, brimming with curiosity.Ling Buyi said, "That night, you were wearing a green Wrapped Robe with a white fox fur cloak, your hair styled in double buns adorned with a pearl on each side, looking just like a doll. You were still quite small back then, barely reaching my chest."
Looking back, the surroundings were ablaze with dazzling lights, the air buzzing with voices. The girl stood at the shadowy street corner, solitary and stubborn, exuding a peculiar desolation.
When her gaze met his, those large eyes—dark, bright, innocent, and curious—seemed to pierce straight into his heart. The shimmering brilliance of the entire street paled in comparison to the beauty of her eyes.
He stood there watching for a while, then walked away.
Since childhood, he had been steady and composed, meticulous in all things, disliking anything sudden and unforeseen. So at the time, he dismissed it as a fleeting emotional ripple, giving it no further thought.
Now, looking back, perhaps deep down, he had always been drawn to that kind of girl.
[End of Volume]
Author's Note:
This volume is finally complete! I’ll be taking a four-day break and plan to return at the usual time on Sunday. If you have time, you might want to revisit previously introduced characters—they’ll all be relevant later.
Minor typos that aren’t critical can wait; I’ll fix them slowly after the story is finished.
This volume focused on emotional entanglements. Some readers didn’t enjoy it, but it was a necessary phase.
As planned, Volume 4 should be the climax, followed by Volume 5 for the conclusion—then it’s a wrap!
Also, please refrain from drawing definitive conclusions about any character before the story ends. The tale isn’t over yet—thank you!
Finally, addressing the most sensitive topic—progress. Some readers complain, "Author, you have an outline, so why the writer’s block?"
Let me explain—suppose one day, you heroically help an elderly person on the street. How should this event be narrated? You could tell it from your own perspective, delve into the old man’s inner thoughts, recount it through bystanders’ fragmented testimonies, or even use a traffic officer’s retrospective analysis.
An outline only dictates what plot points to cover and when, but translating that into smooth, coherent prose requires extra brainpower.
So next time I’m stuck, please forgive me.
That’s all for now. See you Sunday—bye!
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