Today, the light rain in the morning didn't stop until the afternoon, leaving the misty Cuiwei Mountain covered in gray and white.

  Li Huai hadn't come in five days. Su Qiuchi, while saying that the troublesome monkey not coming was a good thing because it meant he wouldn′t ruin all the good wine, couldn't help but keep gncing toward the bamboo house.

  "You're not used to it now that he's gone, are you?" Jiu Jue easily saw through him. "That's a good sign. It's better if you're worried about him."

  "Ridiculous! Why would I worry about that big man?" Su Qiuchi shot him a gre.

  "There's no one else here; no need to keep pretending." Jiu Jue chuckled. "After that dance in the sunset, if you still can't tell whether Li Huai is a man or a woman, then you're really a blind mountain pig."

  "I..." Su Qiuchi's face flushed, but he quickly lifted his chin and said, "So what if he's a woman? Su Qiuchi has seen more beauties in his life than he′s eaten meals. Someone with such pin looks and a bad temper, like that tomboy, has no chance of making me worry!"

  Being contradictory is not necessarily exclusive to women; men can be like that too. Since that evening, after Su Qiuchi realized Li Huai's true gender, he couldn't help but feel a vague, indescribable sensation in his heart. It wasn't love—how could anyone fall in love with someone they barely knew, who had an unclear background, and who constantly opposed them? It wasn't admiration either—there was nothing particurly outstanding about that person. Yet he still felt like they should be together. The more time he spent with Li Huai, the more obvious this feeling became. It was truly strange.

  "Since we′re idle anyway, let me read a fortune for that Li Huai," Jiu Jue said, not bothering to argue further. He instructed Lanting to fetch the turtle shell and copper coins, shaking them a few times. The coins cttered as they fell on the table.

  "So, what′s the result? Did that man fall into the river and get swept away?" Su Qiuchi asked without thinking, staring at the three copper coins that nded in different orientations.

  "Exactly as you predicted, old master," Jiu Jue gnced briefly at the copper coins before collecting them.

  "Great misfortune." Su Qiuchi was momentarily speechless.

  "Let′s go!" He grabbed Su Qiuchi by the arm. "We′re going to find her!"

  "Do you even know where she is? Her name is probably fake!"

  "I′m a god!"

  Su Qiuchi was pulled into the air by him, watching white clouds rush beneath his feet. Terrified, he shut his eyes.

  Lan Ting looked up at the two hurrying away, then pced the small dish he had been holding back into the kitchen. With a long sigh, his face filled with worry, he quietly retreated into the shadows...

  -------

  Su Qiuchi had never imagined that his first arrival at the pace would be through walking through a wall.

  "Li Huai, adorned with a red hairpin and a flowing robe that jingled with the sound of ornaments, was lost in thought as she gazed into the copper mirror. Suddenly startled by the unexpected appearance of the two, she knocked over a box of rouge."

  "You...?" Li Huai excimed in surprise, covering her mouth, unable to speak as she pointed at Jiu Jue and Su Qiuchi. Hearing the noise from inside, hurried footsteps and urgent knocking came from outside the tightly closed door. "Princess! What happened?"

  Li Huai steadied herself and sharply scolded, "What are you shouting for? I accidentally broke a box of rouge. Leave!" The noise outside quickly subsided.

  "How did you find this pce?" Li Huai turned around and asked in a lowered voice.

  "Don′t ask a god such questions," Jiu Jue replied, fshing her his usual mischievous smile.

  "You... you...!" Su Qiuchi opened his mouth wide, circling around Li Huai as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "You're actually the princess of the Tang Dynasty?"

  Realizing that her identity could no longer be hidden, Li Huai lifted her head, deliberately feigning disdain. "Yes! I am Princess Duanyi of the Tang Dynasty; my surname is Li; my name is Zhun. You better be careful from now on, or you won't even know how you lose your head!"

  Li Huai... Li Zhun... just a slight difference in one character, yet the difference between heaven and earth. Jiu Jue looked around, sneering. "The people outside, they′re not here to serve you, are they?"

  "To monitor me," Li Zhun gnced at the closed doors and windows, giving a wry smile.

  "Since you're a god who knows everything, you should know that this pce has been completely sealed off; no one can enter or leave."

  "Why have they imprisoned you?" Su Qiuchi suddenly felt the gravity of the situation.

  "You′re the princess of the current dynasty!"

  "Five days ago, Empress Wu issued a decree for me to marry the Tujue," Li Zhun said, her expression emotionless, entirely unlike the pyful and mischievous "Li Huai" of the past. "Before my marriage, I was not allowed to leave the pace for even a step. The court received news that the twenty-four chiefs of Eastern Tujue may have rebellious intentions, and Western Tujue has been in frequent contact with Tibet. With wolves at the front and tigers at the back, the borders of the Tang Dynasty are in great peril."

  "What does the turmoil among the barbarians have to do with you?" Su Qiuchi asked urgently.

  "Years ago, Princess Wen Cheng married into Tibet, bringing peace and friendship between the two sides and stabilizing the border. Now, it seems that I am to bear the same responsibility," Li Zhun pyed with the jade pendant on her dress, sneering coldly.

  "Although I have read many historical texts, I know that Princess Wen Cheng was merely a member of the royal family, not a direct heir. But you, as a legitimate princess, with your mother being the Empress, how could she issue such a decree?" Su Qiuchi could not believe that a mother would push her daughter into such a dangerous situation.

  Li Zhun looked up, speaking calmly, "I am not of the Emperor and Empress's bloodline. The victory was earned by the Emperor's personal guard, who was promoted to General of Huaihua. Ten years ago, during the autumn hunt, my father saved the Emperor's life from a monstrous python that had struck, but he himself perished in its belly. The Emperor, moved by the brutal death of my father and knowing my mother had died early, leaving me an orphan, made an exception and adopted me as his goddaughter, granted the surname of the royal family, and conferred the title of Princess Duanyi. Since I entered the pace, Empress Wu initially treated me as her daughter, but after she saw the plum blossom mark on my palm, her attitude changed drastically. She no longer treated me with kindness. Every year, as I grew older, her gaze toward me grew colder. The reasons for this, I still don′t understand. In any case, now seems to be the perfect time, and she is likely using it as an opportunity to remove me, the thorn in her side."

  Having said that, Li Zhun opened her right hand, revealing five tiny cinnabar dots on her palm, arranged in the shape of a delicate plum blossom.

  "This woman is sick!" Su Qiuchi was enraged. "Could she be jealous of how beautiful this flower looks?!"

  After observing the plum blossom mark for a moment, Jiu Jue said softly, "When Empress Wu was still the Consort, to achieve the status of Empress, she personally killed her own infant daughter, then framed Empress Wang for the crime. This led to Emperor Li Zhi, in his fury, deposing Empress Wang. From then on, Empress Wu rose swiftly to power, dominating the empire. I heard that the prematurely deceased little princess also had a plum blossom cinnabar mark on her right palm."

  At this point, Jiu Jue looked at Li Zhun and continued, "You're unfortunate to have encountered such a coincidence. For the te daughter, Empress Wu has always carried a deep, unresolved grievance. You entered the pace, and when she saw your plum blossom mark, coupled with your identity as the daughter of a military general and your strong and unyielding character, she must have thought you were a curse sent by heaven to seek revenge on her. Given Empress Wu's ruthless nature, for her to have allowed you to live until now is already a stroke of luck for you."

  With his insightful analysis, Jiu Jue had woken Li Zhun from her confusion. She clenched her teeth in frustration, unable to utter a single word.

  "Ridiculous!" Su Qiuchi cursed inwardly.

  "Come with me," Jiu Jue extended his hand toward her. "The pace is not your pce."

  "No." Li Zhun shook her head and looked at Su Qiuchi. "If I escape, the Su family will be charged with treason, and the whole family will be executed. Even my grandfather will be implicated."

  "Have you lost your mind?" Su Qiuchi widened his eyes in disbelief. "Who would know I came here? I came in through the wall with this immortal!"

  "I heard from some old pace maids that there is an evil monk by the Empress's side, one who can summon winds and create soldiers from beans. As long as you've been near me, he can trace your identity from the smallest trace, even the ones invisible to ordinary people." Li Zhun took a deep breath and forced out a mocking smile.

  "Although we have no real connection, and you always irritate me, if it's because of me that your entire family suffers, I couldn't bear that. You should leave now." She pushed Jiu Jue and Su Qiuchi towards the exit. "There will be other chances to drink and ugh together."

  "Stop wasting time!" Jiu Jue, rarely showing anger, gripped her wrist tightly with one hand and Su Qiuchi with the other. "Come with me!"

  In the midst of the struggle, Jiu Jue's hand brushed against the jade bracelet on Li Zhun's right wrist, and his brow furrowed for a moment before he returned to his calm demeanor, pulling the two of them through the wall and out of the pace.