Chapter Three: Don't Be Afraid

Li Yanhe let out a sigh and reached out to embrace the child who had once been so clearly afraid. He said to Lin Miaomiao, “Don’t be scared. It’s still relatively safe here. After a while, my men should arrive.”

As Lin Miaomiao found herself wrapped in Li Yanhe’s arms, a sense of security unexpectedly washed over her. Then, catching sight of his handsome face, she suddenly blushed.

Looking up at him, Lin Miaomiao stammered, “I—I’m not afraid.” She gazed at Li Yanhe and asked, “Would I be afraid?”

Li Yanhe looked at the child before him. The first time he had met this girl, she had been dressed immaculately, her fair and clean appearance enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Perhaps it was because Li Yanhe always wore a stern expression that the children of the Lin family dared not approach him. As the eldest daughter, Lin Miaomiao was sometimes sent by her parents to deliver medicinal soups to him.

He owed his survival to this kind couple. Without them, he might have died long ago. The Lin family was well-off, their children never went hungry, and they were always neat, their clothes free of patches.

Madam Lin was a tidy woman who could read a little, and she kept her children clean and well-groomed, unlike the other village children. Lin Dawei, her husband, knew herbs and frequently went out to gather them in exchange for money, making him most familiar with the local healer. Whenever he returned with herbs, he would bring back some for Li Yanhe’s wounds.

Li Yanhe was truly grateful to the Lin couple. Never had he thought that the barbarians would breach the border and threaten the village. He knew, of course, that he was part of the reason for this; but there was nothing to be done. He had only intended to see the Lin family properly buried, but to his surprise, Lin Miaomiao had survived the calamity.

Lin Miaomiao lay quietly in his arms, saying nothing, and closed her eyes. At first, she thought Li Yanhe had fallen asleep.

The cave was utterly silent. Fearing wild beasts or enemy pursuers, Li Yanhe had not lit a fire. The night wind in the mountains was chilly.

Lin Miaomiao waved her hand back and forth before Li Yanhe’s face, but he made no response. She supposed he must have fallen asleep. She considered struggling free and running away, but, glancing at her thin arms and legs, she realized she would only end up as prey for wild animals. There was no way out.

Li Yanhe, of course, knew the child in his arms was not behaving. When Lin Miaomiao waved her hand in front of his face for the third time, he seized her restless little hand and said, “I can feel you. My eyes are closed, but I’m not asleep.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao pouted in annoyance and said, “So you’re not asleep—why won’t you talk to me?”

Li Yanhe sighed. “It’s not safe right now. I need to conserve my strength, so I can’t take proper care of you.”

A hint of mischief flickered in Lin Miaomiao’s eyes as she said, “But aren’t I your child bride? I’m already your wife—why can’t you try to comfort me?”

Li Yanhe sighed again at her words and thought to himself that Lin Miaomiao was not his child bride. Before he could say this aloud, his previously relaxed demeanor turned grave. He hoisted Lin Miaomiao onto his back and whispered, “Don’t speak.”

Seeing him like this, Lin Miaomiao instantly fell silent. She knew well that Li Yanhe was a formidable man. Though she herself was weak, she was clever enough to read the situation.

Li Yanhe heard sounds outside and knew at once that those approaching were neither barbarians nor his own people—he had left a mark at the cave entrance. These, then, were assassins come to take his life. He had too many enemies to be surprised.

Wounded and unable to face them directly, Li Yanhe immediately carried Lin Miaomiao on his back and slipped away.

Unbeknownst to Lin Miaomiao, a large group of men in black appeared outside the cave after they had left. The leader, seeing the empty cavern, said to his followers, “It seems the Prince of Shengxuan has already gone.”

He was clearly displeased, glaring at the mark Li Yanhe had left. Turning to his men, he said, “His Highness has ordered that the Prince of Shengxuan must never leave Da’ankou alive.”

After he spoke, he gazed venomously in the direction Li Yanhe had fled, like a serpent tracking its prey, and after a long pause, commanded, “Pursue them.”

Lying on Li Yanhe’s back, Lin Miaomiao could clearly sense his tension. She finally understood that this was not her own time and place.

Perhaps here, killing was not even a crime. She and the man carrying her were fleeing for their lives. She saw the grim determination etched upon Li Yanhe’s face.

All she could do was cling to his back in silence, hoping to ease some of his burden.

The night wind was chill. As Lin Miaomiao lay against Li Yanhe, she felt each gust. To distract herself, she began counting the trees as they passed.

Realizing their pursuers were relentless, Li Yanhe sneered under his breath as he hurried away, “So eager to see me dead in Da’ankou—what a pity…”

In the imperial study, Emperor Yongchang read the memorial before him, his anger simmering. The report stated: “The Prince of Shengxuan faced the southern barbarians in battle, fell victim to treachery, and is now missing. The soldiers at Da’ankou are unsettled.”

Yongchang looked up from the document and asked Minister Zheng, “How goes the war?”

Minister Zheng, trembling where he sat, replied, “Your Majesty, now that the Prince of Shengxuan is missing, morale is shaken. If we change commanders before battle, it will only cause greater unrest. Perhaps it would be wise to appoint Yuan Sihan.”

Yongchang narrowed his eyes at Zheng, who felt a cold sweat break out across his back.

The emperor then dismissed him. By the time Minister Zheng left the study, he was utterly spent. He understood all too well.

“His Majesty is beginning to suspect me,” he thought.

After Zheng departed, Emperor Yongchang turned to his trusted eunuch and said, “Go to Consort Yuan’s quarters tonight.”

The chief eunuch, Bai Qiu, bowed and withdrew. Tonight would be anything but ordinary. As he left the imperial study, Bai Qiu glanced toward the border, then toward the Eastern Palace.