The summer retreat was in chaos. After Princess Danyang emerged from the Emperor's bedchamber, officials swarmed around her, and Mu Wan Yao began directing the defensive battle.
Mu Wan Yao declared, "Prince Qin's forces are certainly stronger than our ordinary guards. We don't need to defeat him or capture him alive—we just need to hold out. When this place is in danger, Chang'an will surely send reinforcements. Prince Qin is a rebel who lacks moral justification for his revolt. If he isn't panicking, why should you be?"
An official said with a worried expression, "Hasn't Prince Qin been in charge of the Ministry of War for many years? Will Chang'an truly send troops to support us?"
Mu Wan Yao replied, "Of course."
Of course not.
If her father, the Emperor, remained in Chang'an, then the battle at the summer retreat would be hers and Yan Shang's to fight. Since Yan Shang had a plan, the Emperor would only care about the outcome and wouldn't easily dispatch troops from Chang'an.
Mu Wan Yao said sharply, "Wipe those expressions off your faces! How can you lose heart before the battle has even begun?"
An official protested, "Prince Qin has controlled the military for years, and we are all civil officials..."
Mu Wan Yao retorted, "What is there to fear? Isn't This Palace here with you?! Now come out with me to reassure the soldiers, to urge them to take up arms and fight the rebels. My order stands—anyone who dares retreat even one step will be executed as a deserter!"
At this point, there was nothing more to say. The officials straightened up and responded, "Yes!"
When Prince Qin's troops entered the summer retreat, they initially advanced as if encountering no resistance. The muffled roar of thunder overhead seemed to encourage his campaign. Prince Qin was filled with ambition: if he could kill the Emperor at the summer retreat, he could seize the throne amidst the chaos, restore order, and who could possibly stop his momentum?
But that was only at the beginning.
When Prince Qin's soldiers scoured the summer retreat but failed to find the Emperor, Prince Qin grew uneasy.
At the same time, thanks to Mu Wan Yao's efforts to steady the army's morale, the guards at the summer retreat organized a counterattack, and Prince Qin's advance was no longer as smooth as it had been initially. Prince Qin gritted his teeth in frustration: that little brat Mu Wan Yao! She was nothing but trouble for him!
He wanted to devour that girl who shadowed the Emperor at every step!
Prince Qin ordered, "Capture the Sixth Princess alive!"
On her side, Mu Wan Yao stood by the window observing the battle and instructed the guards around her, "To capture the rebels, first capture their leader. Third Brother will surely try to kill me first. Fang Tong, it's up to you all."
Fang Tong and the other guards surrounded Mu Wan Yao, protecting her at the center. As the Princess spoke, Fang Tong responded loudly, "Your Highness, rest assured! What is this chaos compared to what we've faced? We will definitely ensure Your Highness's safety!"
Mu Wan Yao nodded.
She didn't understand military affairs, nor did she need to learn them on the spot. Her role was to stabilize the army's morale here, to let the guards at the summer retreat see that she was present, so they could fight with peace of mind. Mu Wan Yao watched as the civil officials issued commands; they kept glancing at her, but she remained silent. Though uneasy, they pressed on with determination.
This battle had a high tolerance for error.
Because, after all, the Emperor wasn't here.
Mu Wan Yao held this confidence, guarding this secret closely. She waited for the right moment, for the best opportunity to spread this news and disrupt the enemy's morale!
Mu Wan Yao issued an order: "Tell everyone that our forces have already dispatched troops to rescue us! Ask the soldiers to hold out a little longer."In the afternoon, Prince Qin's forces had already captured half of the mountain retreat, while the other half remained as impenetrable as an iron barrel. With a favored princess holding the fort, the morale of the mountain retreat's defenders remained unshaken. As Prince Qin grew anxious over his failure to locate the Emperor and questioned the wisdom of his campaign, a scout rushed in, breathless, to report: "Your Highness, a troop is closing in on us! They fly the banner of protecting the Emperor! From the watchtower, we estimate their numbers to be nearly ten thousand!"
Ten thousand!
A wave of shock swept through Prince Qin's camp.
Prince Qin's eyes narrowed sharply, but he calmly declared, "Those are our reinforcements. There is no need for panic."
At the same time, Mu Wan Yao's scouts intercepted the same news. Her beautiful eyes lifted, and she smiled, saying, "It must be my husband coming to aid the Emperor! We must send troops to meet them!"
Yan Suchen had arrived!
Wasn't Yan Suchen supposed to be in Taiyuan? His swift appearance here... The officials, observing the princess's smiling expression, instantly understood that this battle had likely been anticipated all along. With preparations already in place, everyone felt more at ease.
Even if Yan Suchen was a civil official like them... since he had quelled the military unrest in Taiyuan, he could certainly pacify the chaos here!
Mu Wan Yao raised her voice: "We have rested all afternoon and ceded half the retreat to Third Brother. From now on, all generals must prepare—we are launching a counterattack. We must rendezvous with the reinforcements!"
Just as the officials were about to argue how their meager forces could manage such a rendezvous, Mu Wan Yao ordered a message to be sent out: "Dispatch a soldier with the loudest voice to stand on the highest pavilion in the retreat and shout for half an hour, as loudly as possible. Ensure everyone in Prince Qin's camp learns—the Emperor is not in the mountain retreat."
Everyone was stunned once more!
As soon as this stratagem was deployed, Mu Wan Yao stood on the high tower to observe. Sure enough, beyond the clearly divided lines, chaos began to erupt in Prince Qin's ranks. Though his side quickly attempted to suppress it, the arrival of reinforcements threw their formation into disarray. The battle between the two sides intensified to a fever pitch. Gazing out beyond the retreat, Mu Wan Yao set a new objective: "Capture Prince Qin alive!"
From Prince Qin's side came a desperate cry: "Capture Danyang Princess alive!"
The speed of cavalry is best demonstrated on the plains. In just an hour, the ten-thousand-strong force led by Yan Shang appeared outside the retreat. Yan Shang's troops began their assault from the outside, while Mu Wan Yao's forces counterattacked from within. Coordinating seamlessly, they pressed forward, overwhelming Prince Qin.
The officials cheered excitedly: "It's Yan Suchen! It's Secretary Yan! Young Master Yan has truly returned! We are safe!"
Another hour passed, and a breach was torn in Prince Qin's defenses. The reinforcements broke through from outside, and Prince Qin's forces crumbled step by step. Yan Shang dismounted and walked through the gardens, now littered with corpses and stained red with blood. Mu Wan Yao, standing on the pavilion, spotted him. After a moment of surprise, she swiftly turned and hurried down.
Her skirts fluttered in the wind, her silken scarves rippling and twisting.
Yan Shang, clad in light attire, had just quickened his pace to the stairwell when a young woman leaped down from two steps above, throwing herself into his embrace.
Startled, Yan Shang hurriedly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight. They gazed at each other and spoke in unison: "Are you injured?"
They both paused, then simultaneously replied: "I'm not."
Another moment of shared surprise passed before they broke into laughter—Mu Wan Yao's radiant and brilliant, Yan Shang's subtle and restrained.Yan Shang held his wife's wrist, his heart filled with lingering fear. He had been terrified that he might arrive too late and something would happen to Mu Wan Yao. Only now, seeing her safe, did he have the peace of mind to whisper to her: "The private soldiers from the Li Family have entered through Jiannan Circuit and will arrive soon.
"Prince Qin will not escape calamity this time."
Mu Wan Yao nodded: "Let us capture him together here!"
On Prince Qin's side, anxiety was overwhelming. The Emperor was not at the summer retreat, and Yan Shang had joined forces with Mu Wan Yao... it increasingly seemed like a trap set for him. By now, how could he not realize that he had been tricked by the Emperor? The Emperor had known from the start that he would rebel... or perhaps hoped he would.
Only by rebelling could the Emperor deal with the Jiang clan.
A bitter taste filled Prince Qin's mouth. He gazed into the distance with sorrow, wondering in which dynasty a prince would be driven to such extremes by his own father... was that still a father?
It was a blade slowly dismembering him.
A scout rushed in to report: "Your Highness! Tens of thousands more troops are approaching the city, divided into two forces—one heading toward us, and the other entering Chang'an from the north..."
After a moment of stunned silence, Prince Qin composed himself and inquired about the troops in detail. This time, joy flashed in his eyes as he said: "They are our men! Quickly, bring them over!"
They were his men!
They were the Crown Prince's men!
The Crown Prince had not deceived him; he had truly allied with him!—
Yang Si's thirty thousand troops were split into two forces: one to support Prince Qin, and the other, led by Yang Si himself, forcefully entered Chang'an. At the northern gate of Chang'an, the Crown Prince's men had already opened the gates to welcome them. Over ten thousand troops easily entered the city, joining forces with soldiers inside, and marched toward the imperial palace.
"Boom—"
Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, and thunder roared louder.
Before the citizens could react, they heard a rumbling louder than thunder. It was not an impending storm—it was the sound of over ten thousand troops entering the city!
In the imperial palace, upon learning the news, the Emperor's eyes sharpened, and for a moment, he was taken aback. Gnashing his teeth, he exclaimed: "Flying the banner of Youzhou? Led by Yang San? The Crown Prince... the Crown Prince actually dared to ally with the third prince! That unfilial son!"
He had considered that Prince Qin, having overseen the Ministry of War for years, would not have only a small number of troops under his control. Thus, he had made thorough preparations, even using the Li Family's influence to covertly move troops into Chang'an as private soldiers to avoid alarming the public... But despite all his calculations, he had never anticipated that the Crown Prince would join forces with Prince Qin!
The Emperor's hands trembled as he swept the teacup from the table, sending it crashing to the floor. The porcelain shattered loudly, and the Emperor roared in fury: "Is the Crown Prince also rebelling?! Why would the Crown Prince rebel? This empire is destined to be his—what more could he possibly want? I have paved every path for him—what more could he want?
"Send the imperial guards to the Eastern Palace and arrest the Crown Prince!"
But the Eastern Palace was well-prepared. The struggle of killing and counter-killing had begun the moment Yang Si led his troops into the city.
Outside, armies clashed, and blood flowed like rivers. The Crown Princess, her face pale with terror, rushed into the Crown Prince's hall with several concubines and children, all kneeling before him, their faces ashen: "Your Highness..."
The Crown Prince did not look at them. He discarded the chess piece in his hand and, as lightning split the sky, turned to gaze out the window.
The spring scenery was radiant, with lush reeds and verdant plants. It should have been a perfect season for outings and enjoying the spring, yet now it was tainted with the hue of slaughter, everything stained crimson with blood.The Crown Prince said calmly, "How is the cooperation with Prince Qin going? As early as last year, he provoked conflict between me and Prince Qin over that trivial matter of the Nanyang Jiang clan, trying to make us brothers turn against each other... That was when I began collaborating with Third Brother! Who in this world is truly wiser than others, and who would be a fool?
"Why don't I rebel? Is the empire he bestowed truly what I desire? He intends to bury the entire Yang clan, preferably eradicating them completely. First it was the Li clan, now it’s the Jiang clan. Once the Jiang clan falls, he will move against the Yang clan. The great families have no chance to recover, and I can only rely on the common-born factions he has given me. Hah, he plays a clever game.
"He clipped my wings, cut off my path, and still expects my gratitude! He demands that I endure for the sake of the empire and its grand enterprise! I have endured for far too long... He may have granted me the position of Crown Prince, but the true mastermind is him! He claims the future Son of Heaven is me, that I lack nothing, yet this empire is his design, not mine!
"He wants the common-born to rise and the great families to decline. He has his considerations, but he has never considered me. Since he has never considered me, why should I not cooperate with Third Brother?"
The Crown Prince abruptly stood, his wide sleeves overturning the chessboard. In a series of clattering sounds, black and white chess pieces scattered like raindrops, striking the floor tiles with crisp echoes—
"He acted without righteousness first, so do not blame me for lacking loyalty!
"The chess game he set is not the one I want! I will play my own game!"—
Liu Wenji led the Northern Agency troops, standing ready to prevent any unexpected incidents, but instead, he first encountered Yang Si’s forces entering the city.
Now, the traitor was Yang Si. Liu Wenji had received the Emperor’s decree: show no restraint due to the opponent’s status, and execute on sight.
Liu Wenji sneered.
He thought, this is Yang Sanlang! A natural military talent who rose from a common soldier to become a general in Longyou! The Northern Agency may want to kill Yang Si, but can they succeed?
It would only be sacrificing lives in vain!
Though Liu Wenji thought this, he still rushed without delay to intercept and kill Yang Si. At the same time, he instructed a soldier to deliver a message: "Go to the mountain villa and seek instructions from the Princess—when will Yan Suchen’s troops arrive? Chang’an is short on manpower and soldiers. The Yang family has rebelled, and Chang’an needs reinforcements!"—
In the streets of Chang’an, Yan Xiaozhou heard the muffled thunder in the morning and assumed it would rain. Instead of returning home immediately, she stayed at a tavern with a close friend she had met in Chang’an, drinking and waiting for the rain.
By the afternoon, the rain still hadn’t come, so Yan Xiaozhou parted ways with her friends. Feeling uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen, she hurried back to the Princess Residence with her maid. Just then, the city gates were opened from within and without—amidst roaring sounds, Yang Si’s troops launched a large-scale attack on the city, and the common people fled in panic!
Yang Si issued a loud order: "Attack only the imperial city! Do not harm the common people! Violators will be executed on the spot!"
At the residence of Censor Zhao, Zhao Lingfei paid no mind to matters of marriage. When the streets of Chang’an filled with soldiers, she refused her parents’ request to stay at home. She climbed over the rear courtyard wall to observe the situation in Chang’an.
With large numbers of troops surrounding the city, she grew anxious about Wei Shu’s safety in the imperial city. Avoiding detection, she quietly made her way toward the imperial city.
Chaos reigned in the imperial city as well. The rebels’ attack would inevitably target the imperial city first, then the palace. The Six Ministries of the Secretariat, the Secretariat itself, the Chancellery, and the Censorate were all located in the imperial city. What should have been an ordinary afternoon of work turned into a scene of unease, with all the officials anxiously seeking news of the battle.The eunuch dispatched by the Emperor was sweating profusely as he scurried about delivering the imperial decree: "His Majesty declares the Yang family has rebelled! All young masters from prominent families must dispatch messengers to your respective households, requesting your private militias to be handed over to the Northern Agency to assist Gong Liu in intercepting Yang Sanlang!
"Young masters, every one of your families maintains private troops. If you withhold them now and Chang'an falls, your futures will be bleak!"—
At the mountain retreat, after Yan Shang reunited with Mu Wan Yao, Prince Qin's forces began showing signs of decline. Yet having come this far, no one would retreat. Prince Qin was determined to fight to the death, refusing to yield even a step and instead intensifying his assaults.
The enemy attacked with fire arrows, forcing Yan Shang and Mu Wan Yao to abandon the wooden pavilion engulfed in flames. They moved toward a rockery, still seeking elevated ground to observe the enemy's movements.
Battle reports continuously reached the couple. Yan Shang halted and said, "Prince Qin refuses to retreat—he must have another strategy... The southern private troops will arrive soon. With no escape route left, why does he fight more fiercely instead of fleeing? It's as if... as if..."
Mu Wan Yao met his gaze: "As if buying time for someone."
They stared at each other in stunned realization.
Then Yan Shang blurted out: "The Crown Prince in Chang'an!"
Mu Wan Yao's eyes widened.
The Crown Prince and Prince Qin... these sworn enemies were cooperating?! How desperate had the Emperor driven them?
Both felt their hearts clench, realizing that if the Crown Prince was involved, the Yang family would be too. If the Yang family participated, would Yang Sanlang also join? Setting aside Yang Si's personal ties with them, his military prowess was unmatched... The battle in Chang'an would inevitably be more brutal than the mountain retreat!
The southern private troops shouldn't be reinforcing them—they were needed in Chang'an!
Realizing this, Yan Shang immediately ordered: "Relay my command to—"
Fang Tong suddenly shouted urgently: "Your Highness, Imperial Son-in-Law!"
Yan Shang looked up to see several burly soldiers hidden unnoticed atop the rockery where he and Mu Wan Yao stood. As he glanced upward, the men smirked coldly and roared while violently striking the rockery. Stones cascaded downward amid clouds of dust and earth.
Fang Tong and others leaped forward to engage the enemies.
The entire rockery, sabotaged in advance, collapsed, sending stones crashing toward Yan Shang and Mu Wan Yao below.
Mu Wan Yao reacted slower. By the time she looked up, Yan Shang had already embraced her, shielding her face against his chest. A boulder twice a man's height hurtled toward where Mu Wan Yao stood. With no time to evade, Yan Shang could only spin with her in his arms, letting the massive stone slam into his back.
Yan Shang grunted in pain, staggering several steps while holding Mu Wan Yao.
Fang Tong and his men rushed to rescue them but were too late. In the blink of an eye, the entire rockery collapsed, burying the Imperial Son-in-Law and Princess beneath it. In the deathly silence, Fang Tong bellowed: "Rescue Their Highnesses now!"—
While the mountain retreat scrambled to save Yan Shang and Mu Wan Yao, the battle in Chang'an raged as fiercely as they had predicted.
Every available soldier in Chang'an had been deployed. Though Yang Si commanded merely ten thousand troops, the Northern Agency couldn't withstand his assault, retreating step by step. With reinforcements delayed indefinitely, they were nearly pushed into the imperial city. Any further retreat would mean the coup might succeed today!
What should have been a well-laid plan had become this arduous due to the Crown Prince's involvement.Sweat beaded on Liu Wenji's forehead as his forces retreated step by step, his agitation growing with each withdrawal. Unable to await reinforcements, frustration festered in his heart, suspecting that Mu Wan Yao had deceived him, deliberately engineering his defeat. Or perhaps Yan Shang had other schemes? Yan Shang no longer regarded him as a friend but, like other scholars, viewed him as a lackey and an outsider.
The scholars all looked down on him, and Yan Shang was one of them.
He had overestimated himself, foolishly believing Yan Shang would remain constant and never turn against him.
A cold, bitter laugh escaped Liu Wenji as he realized the harsh truth of the world—no one could be relied upon except himself.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, a general rushed over, drenched in sweat and panting: "Eunuch Liu, we cannot hold back Yang San's army... What should we do?"
Liu Wenji's voice turned sinister: "Drag all the commoners out of their homes in Chang'an, haul them into the streets, and herd them in front of the imperial city! For every step Yang San's army advances, let them trample over these civilians. Let's see today whether he kills more of the people or more of us.
"Isn't it said throughout Chang'an that Yang San is a spirited young man? Well, now I want to see... whether that youth of yesteryear will slaughter innocents to seize the city!"
The general was aghast: "How can we involve innocent civilians..."
Liu Wenji turned to him, eyes filled with malice: "Otherwise, should we stand in the streets waiting to be crushed by his troops? Issue the order!"
Thus, under Liu Wenji's command, the people of Chang'an were forcibly dragged from their homes, driven like livestock into the streets, and compelled to stand as human shields against Yang Si's advancing army.
Amid the chaos, Yan Xiaozhou swiftly hid in a shop, avoiding capture. Yet she stared in stunned disbelief as innocent civilians—even children—were hauled out by soldiers, the streets filling with wails and cries. Before Yang Si's forces could claim any lives, the soldiers had already painted the roads with trails of blood from their brutal handling.
Yan Xiaozhou's face turned ashen as she murmured, "They've gone mad, all of them..."
The shopkeeper trembled, urging her, "Miss, quickly come with us to hide in the cellar. It would be terrible if they caught you."
Biting her lip, Yan Xiaozhou initially intended to follow the kind shopkeeper to safety. But through a crack in the door, she spotted several terrified children weeping in the street, unsure when more soldiers might arrive. After a moment's hesitation, she apologized to the shopkeeper, pushed open the door, and dashed outside.
The children had been separated from their parents in the confusion. As mounted soldiers approached to seize them, they cried in terror, awaiting their cruel fate. Suddenly, a pair of delicate pale hands reached from the side, scooping up one child and pulling them back.
A gentle woman's voice whispered from behind a wall, "Come with me."
The children turned bewildered to see a young maiden standing in a narrow alley corner, holding the rescued child. She beckoned to them, placed a finger to her lips with a soft "shh," and quietly gestured for them to approach.
Her face was kind, her smile gentle. Sobbing softly, the children followed her.Yan Xiaozhou sighed, ruffled their hair, and whispered to them: "I don't know where your parents are, nor can I take you to find them. But I know a place where the soldiers absolutely dare not search or arrest anyone. If you want to stay alive long enough to see your parents again, come with me and try hiding there. If you're unwilling, I won't force you."
She was referring to the alley where Danyang Princess' Residence stood.
The soldiers would never dare search a princess's territory, even if this particular princess wasn't currently in Chang'an.
The children exchanged glances through their tears and nodded: "Sister, we'll do whatever you say. Please don't abandon us. They said there's a terrifying big brother who wants to kill us... We don't want to die..."
A terrifying big brother.
Yan Xiaozhou's eyes held a sorrowful hue, yet she smiled at them and gestured for them to follow her. Though merely a young girl who had only been in Chang'an for a year, Yan Xiaozhou was clever and quick-witted. She deftly avoided the patrolling soldiers on the streets, and as she fled, more and more people joined her—not only children but also adults.
Yan Xiaozhou did not refuse them.
If she could help, she would. If fate was unkind, there was nothing more to be done.
She only occasionally drifted into thought, recalling the drunken young man she had encountered last year on the ancient road into Chang'an, slumped in a stream. His smile was like the winter sun, his expression both fearless and proud... How had he ended up where he was today?—
As Zhao Lingfei moved through the city, she abandoned her initial plan to head to the imperial palace.
She halted in her tracks, staring blankly at the swarms of citizens fleeing like locusts across the city. Chang'an was no longer the prosperous, sacred place that foreigners yearned for; on this day, it had become a living hell.
Fighting and looting erupted everywhere.
Some profited from the chaos of war, while others transformed from good people into villains.
Zhao Lingfei watched it all in silence—these were acts she had believed only uncivilized barbarians from the Western Regions were capable of, yet they were unfolding in Chang'an.
A soldier, spotting a beautiful woman standing alone on the street, felt a sudden itch of desire. He swung an iron chain toward her, intending to bind her, have his way with her, and then send her to the enemy to die. As the chain closed around Zhao Lingfei's neck, she abruptly turned her head, her ice-cold eyes fixing on the soldier.
There was no murderous intent in her gaze, but when her hand touched the chain, the soldier sensed danger.
Zhao Lingfei took a step forward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She murmured softly, "I will never allow my home to become your hell."
She would not go to the imperial palace; she would not rescue Wei Shu.
Wei Shu, being so capable, surely had his own means of survival. For now, it was the suffering citizens of Chang'an—those being dragged out by the eunuchs to die—who needed her.
Yang Si learned of Liu Wenji's arrangements.
His expression remained impassive, and he issued no orders regarding the matter. He did not kill civilians, but he could not give commands today... The people sought a way to live, and so did the soldiers under his command.
Thunder rumbled dully overhead. Yang Si looked up at the dark clouds—
Let each one trust to fate—
In the oppressive silence, Mu Wan Yao heard her husband's voice, low and hoarse, calling her name softly.
She opened her eyes, but her vision was pitch black. It took her a moment to realize she was being held in Yan Shang's embrace.
Yan Shang coughed once. "We're trapped under the rockery."
Mu Wan Yao responded with a muffled sound. She tried to move but found herself pressed against a wall-like pile of stones, with Yan Shang kneeling before her, holding her tightly. If he couldn't move, she certainly couldn't either.
After a moment of gloomy frustration, Mu Wan Yao took the initiative to comfort Yan Shang. "Fang Tong will rescue us. Don't worry."
Yan Shang softly agreed.
Suddenly, Mu Wan Yao asked, "Are you injured? I smell a strong scent of blood."
Yan Shang remained silent.
Mu Wan Yao pressed, "Don't lie to me."
Yan Shang let out a light sigh.
He said, "I'm not sure. Since I can't move, I've lost most sensation... but I feel terribly cold, probably from blood loss. I suspect a rock pierced my back. Since I can't move, the rock remains lodged, and the blood keeps flowing.""Yet none of this matters. I only worry about the situation in Chang'an. You said Liu Wenji is prepared, but if the Crown Prince orders Sanlang to personally lead the siege, who could stop him? I fear for Chang'an City."
Mu Wan Yao tried to touch him, but her hands met only jagged stones. She couldn't even embrace him: "Don't think about those things anymore. Second Brother Yan, why do you always think of others and never of us? What about us?"
Yan Shang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, his voice gentle: "I do think of you. Yaoyao, shall I give you a gift?"
Mu Wan Yao sat rigidly, looking up as he pressed a warm object into her hand. She rubbed it for a long while, recognizing the shape of a jade pendant.
She froze, her heart pounding with sudden realization. Just as she began to guess, she heard Yan Shang say sheepishly: "It's my family's heirloom jade pendant. Yun Shu brought it back from Nanyang. I've always wanted to give it to you, but never had the chance."
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