Yin Qi had already learned about Zhenzhen from Yin Ti. Though he did not know who had brought her here, he did not ask further, only advising her to rest and recover in his small courtyard. He said it was quiet here, and given his status, it was unlikely anyone would come searching for the time being.
After learning of Pei Shangshi’s tragic fate, Zhenzhen felt her guilt deepen, and her suffering intensified. She wept secretly several times, and her illness fluctuated. During the day, she seemed to improve, but by evening, her fever would return. She discovered that on the night she reunited with her mother, besides changing her clothes, her mother had also tied a small silver-threaded sachet around her waist. Inside was no fragrant medicine, only a single red seed that resembled a bean but was unlike any bean she knew. Whenever sorrow or illness struck, Zhenzhen would clutch the silver sachet, reminding herself to remember her mother’s words, to hold onto hope, and that her mother was still waiting for her.
Yin Qi had his maidservants carefully tend to Zhenzhen while he observed her condition, sought out skilled physicians, and brought back medicine to brew for her. However, Zhenzhen declined, saying that a common cold would heal with a few days of rest. In truth, she secretly hoped she might be carrying the Crown Prince’s posthumous child and feared the medicine might harm the potential baby.
Zhenzhen asked Yin Qi to find her a set of mourning garments so she could observe the mourning rites for the Crown Prince. Yin Qi replied, “You disappeared from the Gathering Scenery Garden. Although The Emperor may think you drowned in the lake, he likely won’t give up searching for you anytime soon. Full mourning attire is too conspicuous; anyone who sees it will ask questions. If you’re discovered, it won’t just affect you—my maidservants, my family, and I would all be implicated. It’s better not to draw attention.”
With that, he plucked a white flower and gave it to Zhenzhen, adding, “You could wear a white flower each day to express your grief instead of formal mourning. Given your current situation, if the Crown Prince’s spirit is watching from above, he would surely pity you and not blame you.”
The flower had a funnel-shaped corolla, with a faint purple hue near the calyx at the top and white at the bottom, resembling a flowing dance skirt. Zhenzhen took it and asked Yin Qi, “What flower is this?”
Yin Qi answered, “Datura.”
A few days later, seeing that Zhenzhen’s complexion had improved somewhat, Yin Qi suggested she copy sutras like he did to calm her mind and nurture her spirit. Zhenzhen also hoped to perform meritorious deeds for the Crown Prince and Pei Shangshi, so she began copying and reciting sutras daily.
Among the sutras Yin Qi borrowed from the Tianzhu Sutra Repository was a set of the Lotus Sutra. Its pages were yellowed, and its appearance was ancient, likely a collection preserved for many years. As Zhenzhen opened the first volume, she accidentally discovered a slip of paper tucked inside, with several lines of small cursive script that looked familiar. She examined it carefully, comparing it with the sutra text, and recognized that it was a copied passage from this volume of the Lotus Sutra: “At that time, the World-Honored One, surrounded by the fourfold assembly, was revered, honored, praised, and venerated. He expounded the Great Vehicle sutra for the bodhisattvas, named the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings, teaching the bodhisattva dharma, guarded and remembered by the Buddha. After the Buddha spoke this sutra, he sat cross-legged and entered the samadhi of the abode of immeasurable meanings, his body and mind unmoving. At that time, heavenly mandarava flowers, great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers, and great manjushaka flowers rained down, scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. Throughout the Buddha worlds, six kinds of tremors occurred.”Beside the words "Manjusaka," a line had been drawn, making the term stand out prominently. Zhenzhen studied it intently for a moment and suddenly realized that the handwriting closely resembled the cursive script of Zhang Yunqiao she had seen before. Then she recalled that Meng Yunxiu had once mentioned that the last time she saw Zhang Yunqiao and his wife was at the Tianzhu Scripture-Reading Monastery. After bidding farewell to Meng Yunxiu, they left Lin'an. If so, this page of scripture might indeed have been copied by Zhang Yunqiao himself.
Zhenzhen immediately sought out Yin Qi and asked him to inquire with the elderly monk in charge of the monastery's library collection whether this page of scripture was indeed Zhang Yunqiao's handwriting. Yin Qi returned with the news: "The monk was initially unwilling to speak, but after I explained that many years had passed, times had changed, and Zhang Yunqiao was no longer being pursued, and that The Emperor now greatly wished to find Imperial Physician Zhang, he finally admitted that this page of scripture was indeed written by Zhang Yunqiao. Back then, Imperial Physician Zhang and Official Liu hid at the Scripture-Reading Monastery for a few days before leaving Lin'an. Before departing, they told the monk they intended to go to Xuanzhou, which is now Ningguo Prefecture."
"But why did he copy this passage? What does 'Manjusaka' mean? And why did he underline it?" Zhenzhen pressed further.
"That, I don't know," Yin Qi replied. "I only know that Mandarava, Mahamandarava, Manjusaka, and Mahamanjusaka are four kinds of celestial flowers. This passage describes how, after the Buddha finished preaching the Mahayana sutra, these four celestial flowers rained down from the sky, scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. Perhaps Imperial Physician Zhang underlined 'Manjusaka' because he was particularly interested in that flower?"
Zhenzhen asked again, "Then do you know what Manjusaka looks like?"
Yin Qi shook his head. "I've never seen it. Some say it's a red flower, while others claim these four flowers exist only in the celestial realm and are not found in the mortal world."
For some reason, the words "Manjusaka" etched themselves deeply into Zhenzhen's mind, lingering persistently. That night, she murmured the name of the celestial flower as she drifted into a hazy sleep. In her drowsiness, she suddenly heard the sound of a pipa, reminiscent of the music she had heard after parting from her mother. She immediately followed the sound, pushing through a thick mist to find a scene of serene beauty: a small bridge over a flowing stream, a gentle breeze under the moonlight. Beneath a willow tree at the bridgehead, a graceful young nobleman in light fur and loose robes was drinking alone, raising a cup to his lips.
As Zhenzhen approached slowly, she realized the nobleman was none other than Crown Prince Zhao Xi, whom she had not seen for many days. Surprised and overjoyed, she called out, "Your Highness," but instinctively noticed the contents of his cup and frowned, asking, "Your Highness, what are you drinking?"
The Crown Prince turned his head toward her with a smile, raising his cup. "This isn't wine. It's a cup of 'Water of Severed Affections' that can make one forget everything in this life. Drinking it allows one to step onto the path of rebirth."
Only then did she remember that he had already left her. Yet the figure before her felt so real, as if he had never disappeared.
She rushed over, snatched the cup from his hand, and threw it into the river beneath the bridge. With tears in her eyes, she said to him, "No, I don't want Your Highness to forget me!"
"Ah, right," he chuckled. "You always taste my food and drink first. This time, you should also taste what the 'Water of Severed Affections' is like."
Then he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace, and lowered his head to press a smiling kiss to her lips.
Fearing the effects of the "Water of Severed Affections," she pushed him away and spat on the ground. "Ugh, I won't taste it. I don't want to forget you."He couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I didn't drink anything. Didn't you realize I just wanted to kiss you?"
If he hadn't drunk anything, then all was well. She felt relieved and thought seriously for a moment before asking in return, "Just wanted to kiss me?"
He laughed heartily, embracing her once more. After a moment, he asked softly, "Do you regret what happened that night?"
"No regrets," Zhenzhen replied without hesitation. "I have no regrets about anything I've done with Your Highness."
"But I do regret it. The separation came so suddenly, leaving you with more sorrow than joy..." He grew somewhat melancholic, yet a faint smile appeared as he added, "I regret pretending to be a gentleman before and not taking advantage of the situation."
She questioned him, "If you had taken advantage, would I still have fallen in love with you?"
"Are you sure you fell in love with the gentlemanly version of me?" he asked seriously, though a flicker of clever mischief still shone in his eyes. "Before our grilled meat appointment, you only saw me as a statue in a temple."
She was momentarily speechless, feeling an overwhelming love for the person before her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, fearing he might vanish suddenly. After a while, she leaned against his chest and whispered, "Your Highness, I want to have a child with you. I hope they will have your eyes and your smile."
But he sighed softly, "Better not... It would be too hard on you."
Then he released her, gazing gently into her eyes. "I want you to have your own smile every day, whether I'm by your side or not."
He took a few steps back toward the bridge.
Zhenzhen grew anxious again, calling out to him with a trembling voice, "Your Highness..."
He smiled and gestured behind her. "Look, Second Brother has brought you another roe deer."
Zhenzhen turned to look, but there was nothing behind her. When she turned back, she saw that the Crown Prince had already crossed the bridge, his robes fluttering as he walked away, still glancing back at her with a smile.
She rushed forward, wanting to follow him, but the bridge suddenly shattered and collapsed into the river, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
Looking down, she realized the river was not a river at all but a sea of red flowers. Each plant had no leaves, only bright crimson blossoms on its branches. Thousands upon thousands of them swayed in the breeze, creating ripples across the floral sea. For a moment, it looked like a river of blood.
When she awoke from this dream, the moon hung high outside her window, casting a pale glow through the lattice onto her bed. She lay there, staring blankly upward, unable to fall back asleep. The next day, she discovered that her delayed monthly cycle had finally arrived, meaning she would no longer have the possibility of continuing her lost lover's bloodline.
Zhenzhen expressed her wish to leave Lin'an to Yin Qi, who decided to seek his younger brother Yin Ti's help. She sincerely thanked Yin Qi for his past understanding and present care, offering heartfelt blessings to him and Shen Rouran. She advised Yin Qi, "You should personally propose to the Shen family and bring the calligraphy you practiced together with Miss Shen to show her father, Councilor Shen. Tell him that sharing a boat by fate is a blessing cultivated in a past life. Fame and fortune can be lost and regained, but once lovers part, it is for a lifetime."
Yin Qi nodded in agreement, praising her, "Your last words were truly well spoken."
Zhenzhen replied sorrowfully, "Those words were not mine."
"Whose were they, then?" Yin Qi asked.
Zhenzhen did not answer, her eyes already reddening.Yin Qi understood the situation and sighed, "At the banquet in the Eastern Palace that year, it was the Crown Prince who saved you. Later, when I heard about your story, I thought to myself that this might be a sign of your destined connection with the Eastern Palace for three lifetimes. I never expected things would turn out this way... Had I known you would suffer so much now, I wouldn't have let you go back then."
Zhenzhen asked him, "If you had kept me back then, you wouldn't have met Miss Shen. So, would you have kept me or let me go?"
Yin Qi thought for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Then you'd better go."
Zhenzhen couldn't help but smile as well. This was the first genuine smile she had shown since the Crown Prince's passing.
Not long after, Yin Ti came to Yin Qi's small courtyard and told Zhenzhen that after her disappearance, the palace servants at the Gathering Scenery Garden reported she had been swept away by the flood. The officials overseeing the lake embankment said the sluice gate had malfunctioned that day, causing it to open at an unexpected time. The Emperor punished several related officials and ordered a search for Zhenzhen's whereabouts, insisting on seeing her alive or dead. But Yin Ti reassured Zhenzhen not to worry, saying he had arranged for her to receive a patrol badge from the Imperial City Department, allowing her to disguise herself and leave the city.
Yin Ti asked Zhenzhen where she wanted to go. Zhenzhen said she hoped to go to Ningguo Prefecture. Yin Ti replied, "That's not too far. I'll make arrangements for you along the way."
Zhenzhen thanked Yin Ti repeatedly for his generous assistance. Yin Ti said, "No need for thanks. I'm helping you like this partly because I can't ignore my elder brother's request, and also... because I was entrusted by someone who repeatedly urged me to help you escape."
Zhenzhen immediately thought, "Is it Second Great King?"
Yin Ti confirmed it, saying, "Actually, his situation is also very precarious. There are rumors in the palace that he is involved in the Crown Prince's matter... After all, he has always treated you too well, and it was indeed without concealment. The Emperor has heard too much and inevitably been influenced by the gossip, keeping him confined to Qinghua Pavilion. Fortunately, he still allows me to visit him... When he heard about the Crown Prince and your situation, he cried until his eyes were swollen, but he still insisted I find a way to help you escape from Lin'an."
Zhenzhen was lost in thought for a while before asking Yin Ti, "The Emperor only confined Second Great King, with no intention of punishing him, right?"
"Court officials say the Emperor intends to send him out of the capital to serve in an outer prefecture," Yin Ti replied.
"How is that possible!" Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise. "In our dynasty, imperial princes have always resided in the capital; there has never been a precedent for sending them away."
"So if the rumors are true, it would be an extraordinary decision. Who would send a prince, especially one who should be next in line for the throne, away from the capital?" Yin Ti said gloomily. "This would be tantamount to announcing to the world that Second Great King is no longer a candidate for the throne."
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