Zhao Mian’s sleep was anything but peaceful. His body alternated between hot and cold, and his dreams were bizarre, a mix of memories and illusions, with countless familiar voices echoing in his ears.

He could faintly sense figures moving around him. Struggling to wake, his eyelids felt weighted down, as if pressed by something heavy; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pry them open.

Then, a voice suddenly cut through: “Hmm? Seems like someone’s come to pick us up.”

His chaotic dream was instantly split open by a flash of lightning, and clear consciousness returned at the same moment.

The only person who could enter this bamboo forest was Wan Huameng himself. But the voice said someone had come to “pick them up,” meaning the most likely scenario was that Wan Huameng, or rather Lu Wang, couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to give in and release them.

Therefore, the people picking them up could only be from Nanjing or Beiyuan.

Zhao Mian’s eyes flew open. He sat up abruptly, his voice icy calm as he commanded, “Prepare my clothes and tie my hair.”

Zhao Mian’s sudden “improvement” left Wei Zhenfeng, who had been keeping watch nearby, stunned. “Are you alright?”

Zhao Mian looked at Wei Zhenfeng. This was someone he couldn’t rely on.

He quickly got out of bed, not at all like someone still running a fever. His own clothes were beyond repair. Fortunately, the room still had the previous occupant’s clothes. Although they were plain and understated, mostly in muted colors, the fabric was decent enough that he could tolerate wearing them.

Selecting a long, dark green robe, Zhao Mian sat before the mirror and meticulously combed and bound his hair.

Once dressed, he adjusted his collar and asked, “How do I look?”

Wei Zhenfeng faintly grasped what the prince was concerned about. A smile tugged at his lips. “You look exceedingly noble, Your Highness.”

This was not flattery. The Crown Prince, about to face outsiders, exuded arrogance from his brows and eyes, completely unlike the trembling young man who, in his arms last night, said he was able to eat. Even the color green, symbolizing integrity, took on an extra touch of nobility when worn by him.

Zhao Mian nodded in satisfaction: “Let’s go.”

Zhao Mian walked to the doorway, then remembered something and turned back, scanning Wei Zhenfeng up and down. Unable to find anything specific to mock, he resorted to a general taunt: “Are you really going out to meet people like that?”

Wei Zhenfeng lazily hummed in response.

Zhao Mian said nothing more.

If Wei Zhenfeng embarrassed himself, it would be Beiyuan’s reputation at stake. What did it have to do with him?

Besides, how could a face like his ever bring shame?

Zhao Mian’s deduction was correct; it was indeed Shen Buqi, Zhou Huairang, Yun Yong, Hua Ju, and others who had come to meet them.

After Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng were trapped in the bamboo forest, envoys from Nanjing and Beiyuan successively arrived in the capital, forcefully pressuring Dongling to hand over the antidote and release the prisoners.

At that time, Dongling was facing internal and external troubles. Internally, Jia Huai led hundreds of officials in remonstrating against Wan Huameng, and externally, the two northern and southern countries were aggressive. However, Empress Dowager Lu Wang showed no signs of being overwhelmed. Since both matters arose because of the Imperial Advisor, then the Imperial Advisor should be summoned, and everyone could gather to clarify things.

Without dwelling on the details, the ultimate result of the pressure from the northern and southern countries was that Lu Wang agreed to let them personally lead people to search Mount Nangong. However, whether they could find the antidote or the people they were looking for depended on their own abilities.

It should be known that Mount Nangong was a secret and crucial location for Dongling, equivalent to Nanjin’s Qianji Institute, Beiyuan’s Fuxue Tower, and Western Xia’s Imperial City Division. Throwing its gates open to other countries was an undisputed humiliation—a disgrace on par with ceding territory or paying reparations.

It was heard that when Jia Huai and other veteran officials witnessed the Empress Dowager compromise with the envoys from the northern and southern nations, they cried out to the heavens, tears streaming down their faces. If it weren’t for the imperial guards stopping them, two or three would have immediately committed suicide by crashing into pillars.

Facing the suicidal ministers, Lu Wang merely sighed, saying, “I am also prioritizing the greater good. At least Dongling has not yet fallen like Western Xia, right?”

However, from the perspective of the northern and southern envoys, Lu Wang’s generous offer to let them search the mountain actually proved that there was something fishy going on.

Firstly, Mount Nangong was as vast as a maze; it would take at least several months for the retinue brought by the envoys to search all the mountains. To speed up the process, they would have to recruit trustworthy personnel near the capital. But doing so would expose many of the spies painstakingly planted in the capital by Qianji Institute and Fuxue Tower as long as Dongling investigated these recruited people.

It was up to them to decide whether finding the people was more important or the secret agents painstakingly trained by Qianji Pavilion and Fuxue Tower.

Which was more important—finding the people they sought, or preserving the undercover agents their nations had spent years cultivating? The choice was theirs to make.

Second, it seemed Lu Wang had anticipated foreign interference long ago and had already relocated the nation’s critical secrets to safety. At most, they would find some insignificant small secrets, such as which court official kept an outside mistress, or whose young master had an affair with a concubine… Even if these matters became known to the north and south, they would not harm the nation’s foundation.

Thirdly, Wanhuameng was already the target of public criticism, and Mount Nangong, led by him, could no longer be used. This was a good opportunity to use foreign hands to completely abandon Mount Nangong. Once this matter was concluded, rebuilding several Mount Nangongs would be effortless for him.

Lu Wang’s ability to turn a challenging situation into a strategic advantage under immense pressure showcased his talent, wisdom, and strategy. Compared to some hollow reputation of national humiliation, he cared more about tangible benefits.

The envoys from the two nations were no fools; they naturally grasped the Empress Dowager Lu’s intentions. Yet time was of the essence, and the individuals they sought were of exceedingly high status. No one dared to slacken their efforts.

Both sides mobilized as many people as possible. The two nations temporarily allied and arrived at Mount Nangong together to search for the missing individuals and antidote. Strangely enough, Wan Huameng was surprisingly forthcoming—he openly told them how to navigate the bamboo forest, allowing them to quickly find the whereabouts Crown Prince and the Prince.

However, despite scouring every corner of Mount Nangong, they could not find the antidote for the Twin Gu.

Wan Huameng had not lied; what he gave Wei Zhenfeng and Zhao Mian was indeed the only remaining one in the world. Even if Beiyuan and Nanjing were to destroy Dongling now, he couldn’t produce a second dose.

Zhou Huairang followed the main group through the bamboo forest and arrived in front of the small hut. He eagerly wanted to enter the house to find His Highness but was stopped by Bai Yu: “Let me knock on the door first and see.”

The night of the full moon had already passed. If something had happened between the two last night, she knew her master well enough—he would not want them barging in unannounced and witnessing anything inappropriate.

As Zhou Huairang and the others waited anxiously, the door was opened from within, and two young men walked out, one after the other.

The one leading was naturally his Crown Prince, as noble and arrogant as ever, though was noticeably worse for wear. He had visibly thinned in just two days, and his lips were pale.

Yet the sheer disdain in his expression was proof enough that His Highness was fundamentally unharmed.

A huge weight lifted from Zhou Huairang’s heart; he was almost weeping with joy: “My Lord, we’ve finally found you!”

Zhao Mian responded with a faint “Mm.” 

Then, Zhou Huairang turned his gaze to the person beside His Highness and instantly froze.

Excuse me, but who the hell are you, young man?

Wei Zhenfeng, knowing he was about to meet people, hadn’t bothered to tidy himself up. He was still wearing his simple, waist-tied fitted attire, with just an outer robe casually thrown over it. His untied long hair fell naturally, as if he had just woken from an afternoon nap. Yet standing next to their Crown Prince in such an unadorned state, he somehow actually looked… pleasing to the eye?

Zhou Huairang turned stiffly toward Shen Buci, his eyes screaming: Old Shen, I think I’ve gone blind.

Shen Buqi “…”

Hua Ju, who had been reprimanded by Zhao Mian for having a “vision problem” after defending her own prince, felt a surge of vindication: She had told them that purely based on looks, the two were a perfect match! No one believed her, no one believed her!

Not only Zhou Huairang was surprised, but also Zhao Mian. Because he found that, in addition to the Eastern Palace trio, two important officials, one civil and one military, had also traveled from the capital to meet him.

The military official was the Marquis of Anyuan, who had once almost made the young Crown Prince cry. The civil official was—

Zhao Mian immediately dropped his usual air of aloof disdain. “Grand Tutor Rong?”

The leader of the Nanjin envoys was none other than Zhao Mian’s teacher, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Rong Tang.

In Nanjing, where beauties were as common as clouds, Rong Tang’s appearance might not have been among the absolute top tier, but his temperament was certainly one of the most outstanding.

He was seen in white robes, purer than snow, cold and ethereal, exuding an innate scholarly arrogance in every gesture. Unfortunately, he was frail and often ill, his body worn out by sickness. Though not yet forty, he was often accompanied by tonics and a wheelchair. Previously, when Bai Yu briefly left, it was also at Zhao Mian’s command, sent to seek a cure for Rong Tang’s ailments.

“My Lord.” Rong Tang gazed at Zhao Mian for a long time. After confirming there were no visible signs of serious harm, he instructed Bai Yu: “Put a veiled hat on for the Young Master.”

A crown prince secretly infiltrating Dongling only to be trapped in Mount Nangong was not a glorious affair. The slightest misstep could give Dongling leverage and damage the reputation of the Nanjing imperial family. The fewer people who knew the Crown Prince’s identity, the better.

Zhao Mian was surprised. He hadn’t expected the Grand Tutor to be sent to retrieve him especially since Rong Tang and the Prime Minister had never gotten along.

Was this Father Emperor’s doing? Had he already learned about the Gu poisoning?

After Zhao Mian put on the veiled hat, Rong Tang and Marquis Anyuan moved to bow, but he raised his hand to stop them: “There’s no need for formalities.”

The moment he lifted his arm, a wave of dizziness washed over Zhao Mian, and he almost lost his footing. He fiercely dug his fingernails into his palm, using the pain to maintain his consciousness.

Besides their own Nanjin people, there were also onlookers from Dongling and envoys from Beiyuan present. He absolutely could not show any sign of weakness.

Speaking of which, Nanjin had sent Rong Tang and Marquis Anyuan, what about Beiyuan?

Zhao Mian looked towards Wei Zhenfeng, only to see Wei Zhenfeng speaking with an elderly official dressed in Beiyuan’s official robes. This old official was named Yi Qian, the Director of Beiyuan’s Foreign Affairs Bureau. Beiyuan’s Foreign Affairs Bureau was equivalent to Nanjing’s Ministry of Foreign Rites, mainly responsible for diplomatic protocol and foreign envoys.

Yi Qian had been the most important leader in several of Beiyuan’s envoy visits to Nanjing, and Zhao Mian had dealt with him a few times. The fact that Emperor Yuan had sent him to pick up Wei Zhenfeng showed how much Emperor Yuan valued this second son.

On Beiyuan’s side, Yun Yong saw Zhao Mian;s veiled face. While tidying Wei Zhenfeng’s draped outer robe, she said, “Master, should you also disguise yourself?”

With those distinctive twin teardrop moles beneath his eyes, their little prince was far too recognizable.

Wei Zhenfeng considered it briefly. “No need. The damage is already done. Besides, His Highness is still unwell, let him eat a few more bowls of rice in peace.”

Yun Yong: ?

With their retainers having arrived, the Nanjing’s Crown Prince and Beiyuan’s Young Prince, who had “depended on each other” for two days, naturally had to part ways temporarily.

Wei Zhenfeng walked up to Zhao Mian and slightly bowed: “Then, farewell for now, Your Highness.”

In front of so many people, Wei Zhenfeng’s demeanor and etiquette were impeccable.

Zhao Mian called out to him: “Your Highness, please wait.”

Wei Zhenfeng politely asked: “Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”

Zhao Mian glanced at Yi Qian, who was standing behind Wei Zhenfeng, and asked: “What is Your Highness’s contingency plan?”

Wei Zhenfeng pondered for a moment and decided there was no harm in telling Zhao Mian. Even if he didn’t say it now, Zhao Mian could find out with a thorough investigation.

“A Dongling hostage left in Beiyuan’s capital—nominally Lu Wang’s nephew, but likely his illegitimate son.” Wei Zhenfeng returned the question in kind, “And yours?”

Zhao Mian did not answer. He said to Rong Tang: “Let’s go.”

Wei Zhenfeng: “…”

Fine.

Wei Zhenfeng watched Zhao Mian depart before turning away himself.

Whatever his and Zhao Mian’s contingency plans were, they had no effect on the madman Wan Huameng. But the matter was already at this point; further words were useless. The accounts to be settled next were the top priority.

If nothing unexpected happened, he and Zhao Mian should meet again soon.

Zhou Huairang had been staring at Wei Zhenfeng the whole time, unable to reconcile the image of this handsome young man with the former thirty-two-year-old Li Er from before. As Wei Zhenfeng passed him, he couldn’t help but ask, “May I ask, are you really the Young Prince of Beiyuan?”

Wei Zhenfeng didn’t even turn his head, “No, I am Li Er.”

“Ah, but your two moles under your eyes…?”

“I drew them on for fun.”

Zhou Huairang: “…” He’s done. Even the people of Beiyuan realized he was an idiot.

Nanjing’s carriage had been waiting for a long time at the entrance of Mount Nangong. Zhao Mian, supported by Bai Yu, got into the carriage. The moment Bai Yu touched his hand and felt the heat radiating from him, her expression changed drastically.

She opened her mouth to speak but was met with a warning look from His Highness. She had no choice but to swallow her words, anxiously staying by the prince’s side.

Zhao Mian, Marquis Anyuan, and Rong Tang rode in the same carriage. His first question to Rong Tang was whether his father had known about his ordeal in Dongling.

“Yes,” Rong Tang said calmly, “Prime Minister Xiao couldn’t hide it.”

Zhao Mian’s face grew paler. “Father must be beside himself with worry.”

“Indeed,” Marquis Anyuan shuddered as he recalled the Emperor’s state at the time. “If Prime Minister Xiao hadn’t stopped him, His Majesty would have deployed the national team to Dongling.”

Zhao Mian was startled: “National team?”

Marquis Anyuan explained: “That’s the Xiao, Rong, He, and Li families, plus His Majesty’s own Zhao clan. And isn’t what I’m saying, it’s His Majesty’s exact phrasing.”

A faint smile tugged at Zhao Mian’s lips. “That does sound like Father.”

Marquis Anyuan added, “Unfortunately, the He family is needed to guard the southern borders, and the Li family can’t leave the northern frontier. So His Majesty, prioritizing the greater good, sent this old man to escort Grand Tutor Rong eastward and bring Your Highness home.”

Zhao Mian’s smile faded slightly, and he slowly said, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to return so soon.”

There were some scores he still needed to settle with Dongling and Beiyuan.

fter a pause, Rong Tang broached the subject. “Your Highness, regarding the male and female Gu worms…”

Zhao Mian cut him off: “Teacher, let’s discuss this another day. I’m a bit tired.”

Rong Tang studied him for a long moment before saying quietly, “I hope Your Highness takes care of your health.”

Without the antidote, yet he and Wei Zhenfeng were unharmed. What exactly happened last night? Who was his teacher? Rong Tang was so clever, it was impossible for him not to guess.

Thinking of this, Zhao Mian felt a flush of heat rise to his face, half from illness, half from shame. He couldn’t help but deceive himself: “I was lucky; I found the antidote in the bamboo forest, so Teacher doesn’t need to worry.”

This was such an obvious lie; a single glance at the red thread on his wrist would expose it.

Rong Tang, however, simply nodded and said, “Good.”

Upon returning to the temporary lodging of the Nanjing envoys, Zhao Mian dismissed everyone, allowing only Bai Yu to attend to him personally.

As soon as others left, Bai Yu eagerly helped Zhao Mian, anxiously saying, “Your Highness, quickly lie down! How can you be burning so fiercely…”

Zhao Mian had endured for so long and had already reached his limit. He allowed Bai Yu to help him onto the bed. His head hadn’t even touched the pillow before he completely lost his strength.

After diagnosis, Bai Yu determined that His Highness had contracted a cold, leading to a high fever. She soaked a cloth in cool water, placed it on His Highness’s forehead, and said, “Your Highness, I’ll go make you some medicine. Please get some rest first.”

Zhao Mian was feverishly delirious, only remembering his father’s instruction to tell the truth to the doctor when sick: “Because it wasn’t cleaned up properly back then… his things.”

His Highness’s voice was too soft. Bai Yu didn’t hear clearly for a moment and leaned closer, asking, “What?”

Zhao Mian opened his eyes weakly. He saw Bai Yu’s face, remembered she was a girl, and changed his words: “Bai Yu.”

“Your Highness?”

“Heal me quickly. There’s much to do.”