Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: The Faint Glow of Distant Lights

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Updated: August 7, 2013

"Yes, yes, eat it once! You two stop just talking and not doing—hurry up and go," Yao Yao called out excitedly from outside the pavilion in the pitch-dark night.

Lian Yue grabbed Qiao Ke’s hand and ran out of the pavilion. Qiao Ke was the first to sweetly call out, “Aunt Lan...”

Lan Shui’s smile was always so gentle. “Don’t run, be careful not to fall.”

“Sister Lan, it’s alright,” Lian Yue stopped in front of Lan Shui, eager to say, “Let’s hurry, or the night market will probably be closing soon.”

“Auntie, the night market in Xijing never closes,” Qiao Ke kindly reminded her, squinting his eyes at Lian Yue’s sulky face like a normal child.

But Lian Yue didn’t give him the satisfaction; instead, she said with delight, “That’s great, let’s go quickly.”

The four of them linked hands happily and went to explore the night market.

Inside the study of the Nanping Prince’s Mansion, Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao), Yue Lingjun, Meng Chuchen, and Qiao Bin frowned over a pile of documents. Yuwen Lingxi’s index finger rhythmically tapped the chair beneath him, then suddenly stopped and spoke, “This prescription for the pregnancy tonic is somewhat strange.”

Yue Lingjun furrowed his brows and looked at Yuwen Lingxi. “Brother Yuwen, what have you discovered?”

Yuwen Lingxi kept tapping the chair but remained silent, looking troubled and uncertain.

Meng Chuchen spoke up, “If we only look at the medical records from the Imperial Hospital, this prescription seems normal. The concubine who bore sixteen princesses took this tonic, so it doesn’t add up.”

“Exactly.”

“Have you noticed that several concubines, like the Nanping Princess, who miscarried, were also taking this same prescription?” Yuwen Lingxi stopped tapping and said.

The Nanping Prince leaned forward noticeably. “Is there a problem? Young Master Yuwen, what exactly have you discovered?”

Yuwen Lingxi went to the desk and flipped through a medical casebook, stopping on a page. “This is the case of one concubine who miscarried. She was sent to the cold palace before pregnancy was detected. When pregnancy was found, she was already four months along. The records only show the tonic being used from then on. At six months, when the fetus was fully formed, both mother and child died. The baby was a boy.”

“And here,” Yuwen Lingxi opened another book to a page and said, “This one, the imperial physician diagnosed the pulse as belonging to a prince, but there was a miscarriage at three months.”

All four had seen these records, but only Yuwen Lingxi noticed these details. The Nanping Prince felt the answer was before them yet still vague. “Young Master Yuwen, what exactly have you found?”

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“I told you before, the two conflicting herbs in the prescription were discovered accidentally by the apothecary. He didn’t mention it then, but the family he saved also gave birth to a boy,” Yuwen Lingxi said.

Meng Chuchen interjected, “You mean this prescription only works for male fetuses?”

Yuwen Lingxi nodded. “Of course, this is just my hypothesis.”

But clearly, all four in the room agreed with this theory. The Nanping Prince suddenly realized and said bitterly, “Your theory makes sense. I remember when Yuer was pregnant with Ke’er, she didn’t take this tonic. But the morning sickness was severe, so this tonic was used this time instead. I didn’t expect...”

Yuwen Lingxi casually closed the medical casebook. “I will have someone deliver this prescription to the apothecary. He should give us an answer.”

The apothecary was renowned throughout the Nischang Empire, especially in pharmacology. Once he gave a conclusion, none could doubt it.

This was the only way now. Although Yuwen Lingxi felt certain the truth was close, he knew his words alone carried no weight. Matters of the royal family needed someone influential like the apothecary to speak out.

On the night market street, Lian Yue, Yao Yao, Lan Shui, and little Qiao Ke, all dressed extravagantly and with distinguished bearing, stood out from the crowd. Compared to Xijing, the night market in Lingyang City was quite modest.

Various delicacies, dazzling goods, and even more types of games filled the market. None of the four brought attendants this time, but if one looked carefully, several pairs of eyes from different directions were fixed on them—more precisely, on Qiao Ke.

Not far from Lian Yue, on a tall building, Yuwen Lingxi stood quietly, his gaze following Lian Yue weaving through the crowd. Under the dim lights, moved by her wonder and joy, a graceful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth beneath the bronze mask.

Yuwen Lingxi had faced three ambushes on his way here, arriving just an hour after Lian Yue entered the city. Upon arrival, Yuwen Mo sent a letter: the retired emperor’s birthday banquet was in three days, and he would still attend under the guise of the Dark Shadow.

Yuwen Lingxi didn’t know if this was good or bad. Every day Yuwen Lingxiao appeared in his place, the events he experienced were reported by Meng’er. The more he heard, the more he missed him.

He knew Lian Yue’s character would definitely bring her to the night market, so he chose to stay nearby. Unexpectedly, he saw her the first night he arrived. Lian Yue was in his sight, yet it felt unreal.

Suddenly, Lian Yue seemed to sense something and looked sharply toward Yuwen Lingxi. Seeing the bronze mask on his face, she thought she was imagining things.

She rubbed her eyes to confirm it wasn’t a hallucination, then stood still and gave Yuwen Lingxi a brilliant smile. She also felt the Dark Shadow was smiling despite the mask, because she just knew.

He hadn’t lied to her; he really had come. Her heart overflowed with joy. At that moment, she was certain she loved this man—not just like or attachment, but a lifelong love for two souls.

Lan Shui, who was also looking at Yuwen Lingxi, was the first to notice Lian Yue stop. Following Lian Yue’s gaze, she found Yuwen Lingxi and understood he was the black-clad man who had abducted Lian Yue. Had she not heard Lian Yue’s conversations during their time in Nanping, Lan Shui would have taken action to detain him.

But now, she could only watch.

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Then came Qiao Ke, then Yao Yao. Lian Yue had no idea that her inadvertent reaction had drawn so many gazes to the Dark Shadow. By the time she noticed, it was already too late.

The Dark Shadow paid no mind; Lian Yue’s response delighted him greatly.

Finally, Lan Shui stepped forward and said, “Yue’er, do you want to go up?”

Lian Yue remembered the Dark Shadow’s identity and shook her head. After looking away, she suddenly turned to Lan Shui, her cheeks flushed, “Sister Lan, you...”

Lan Shui nodded, letting Lian Yue know she already understood the man upstairs was the black-clad figure.

“Well...” Lian Yue was nervous. She feared Lan Shui would tell her elder brother about tonight’s events, and that he would never forgive the Dark Shadow.

Lan Shui knew her thoughts and said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, tonight never happened.”

“Auntie, who is that person?” Qiao Ke’s eyes were full of curiosity. He wondered why Auntie stood still and what was communicated silently between Auntie and Sister Lan. Though mature for his age, he was still a child and didn’t understand such matters.

“Yeah, Sister Yue’er, why did you stare at that man for so long? Do you know him?” Yao Yao mumbled while eating dragon beard candy.

“Not really, I just thought his mask was special.”

Yao Yao looked up again and nodded in agreement. “It is special, but why wear a mask? Wearing a mask is so inconvenient. Better to use a face powder.”

Yao Yao’s casual remark struck a chord with Lian Yue. She unconsciously recalled how he ate through the mask in the woods and pondered whether she should do something.

Lan Shui glanced meaningfully at Yuwen Lingxi on the tall building and pulled Lian Yue forward.

After a few steps, Lian Yue couldn’t help but look back at the tall building again, but the Dark Shadow was gone. She felt a slight loss, quickly swept away by the bustling night market around her. Since they were now in the same city, there would surely be another chance to meet.