Borrowing the Morning Mist

Wei Sizhao struck Xie Yi on the neck, and the young man let out a soft groan before losing consciousness.

He pushed the boy toward Xia Yunhe and looked up at the sky, where the moon was hidden behind drifting clouds, hanging low toward the eastern treetops. He turned back to Xia Yunhe, saying, "The rain is stopping. I just scouted the forest; the Feathered Guard and the Secret Guard have been deployed and are searching for you and the Seventh Prince."

"It is nearly five in the morning. In another hour, the sky will brighten, and ambushing Chen Haizhou will not be so easy then." Wei Sizhao bowed deeply, his expression solemn. "Lord Xia, I have only one wish left in this life: to kill my enemy with my own hands. The six hundred and thirty-three lives of the Wei clan deserve his retribution."

Xia Yunhe supported Xie Yi’s arm. The boy’s clothes were soaked, so she helped him lean against a stone wall and turned to Wei Sizhao. "The night is deep and cold; I must trouble you to keep an eye on him."

Having said this, she took off her own thick outer robe and handed it to Wei Sizhao. "Change him into this. The Seventh Prince spent so long in the rain searching for me; it would be terrible if he fell ill."

Xie Yi drifted back to consciousness, looking at her weakly. Hearing Xia Yunhe’s words, his heart eased slightly, and he thought to himself: The Duke of Dingguo is truly vicious, sending men to secretly harm the Master. It is a stroke of fortune that the Master now stands before me unharmed.

He glanced at Wei Sizhao, who was bowing respectfully with a grave expression after Xia Yunhe finished speaking, saying, "Lord Xia, thank you for your support."

Xia Yunhe reached out to touch Xie Yi’s forehead, coaxing him, "Your Highness, I am going to find someone. I will be back shortly."

Xie Yi lowered his eyes, leaning silently against the stone wall, lost in thought.

The rain had thinned significantly. Xia Yunhe shielded her forehead with her sleeve and prepared to leave.

Xie Yi suddenly called out to stop her. "Master, do not go. While I was hiding from the rain, I heard that the Duke of Dingguo has sent death squads to kill you." His tone carried a hint of pleading.

The young man’s inner thoughts were briefly exposed before he reined them in. He looked around, took a deep breath, and said, "This is the bottom of the valley. It has just rained, and in a while, a thick fog will rise. With the Feathered Guard, the Secret Guard, and the death squads all mixed together, does the Master even know who is a friend and who is a foe?"

Xie Yi felt his forehead burning and his eyes dry, yet he had never felt more clear-headed. He continued to urge, "Master, do not go."

He then recounted to Xia Yunhe exactly what he had heard beneath the boulder.

Upon hearing the Seventh Prince's words, Xia Yunhe paused in contemplation. Conflicts between civil officials usually had their limits; since entering the court, she had always been cautious and had never had a grievance with the Duke of Dingguo. Why would he want her dead? She could not fathom how she had offended him.

As she mused, Xie Yi lifted his gaze toward Wei Sizhao and, assuming the air of an imperial prince, demanded sternly, "Who exactly are you? And what are you asking the Master to do for you?"

Wei Sizhao unhooked the gourd from his waist and leaned over to draw water from the spring. Hearing the boy’s question, he looked up, lazily assessing Xie Yi, and revealed his identity.

The boy pressed his lips together, his voice cold. "That is your vendetta; it has nothing to do with the Master. Why drag the Master into this? For all your noble lineage, you should know that misfortune should not be brought upon others. To satisfy your private vengeance, you have placed the Master in mortal danger. You..."

"Your Highness!" Xie Yi had gone too far. Xia Yunhe, exasperated, hurriedly interrupted him. "Chen Haizhou twists the truth and lets the innocent suffer. The Wei clan has been loyal for three generations, guarding the peace of the Great Chu’s southeastern border. Today, the young Marquis is risking his life to kill Chen Haizhou not just for private revenge, but to cleanse the court. Your Highness should not speak of him this way."

"The Master speaks up for him!" Xie Yi looked at her, feeling aggrieved. "I came through the rain to find the Master, and the Master defends him!"

Xia Yunhe sighed. "The court is filled with factions, and daggers are drawn in the shadows. Today, the Duke of Dingguo sent guards to kill me; if not for the young Marquis’s rescue, I would already be a corpse."

The remainder of the boy’s resentment was firmly stifled. He bowed his head in chagrin, remained stiff for a moment, and then offered an apology to Wei Sizhao.

The young Marquis accepted the gesture, and the unpleasantness between the two was set aside.

Xie Yi took Xia Yunhe’s thick outer robe and stepped aside to change, though the dampness still clung to him; a fever seemed inevitable. Thinking of this, he sneezed violently, rubbed his nose, and felt his head grow heavier, drifting toward sleep.

The rain ceased and the moon sank; the forest was deathly silent.

Wei Sizhao’s heart was in turmoil. He had waited for this opportunity for too long and was unwilling to miss it.

He bowed and said, "Since the Seventh Prince does not wish for Lord Xia to be in danger, I will not force the issue. Farewell."

With that, he rose to head into the forest in search of his enemy.

"Young Marquis Wei, wait!" Xia Yunhe called out hastily. She turned back to steady Xie Yi and said to Wei Sizhao, "There is no need for haste. We will not go looking for Chen Haizhou; we will let him come to us."

"How so?"

She narrowed her eyes. "This year’s autumn hunt is truly lively. The Crown Prince and Liu Rongshan wish to kill three birds with one stone: remove the Seventh Prince and me, and obtain the Bai Ze. The Fifth Prince has the help of Wan Jing, and to protect the Wan family, he will never yield the Bai Ze. As for the Fourth Prince, he feigns illness and hides in the background, waiting for everyone to be locked in battle before stepping out to accuse the Crown Prince of harming his brother, while conveniently acquiring the Bai Ze. He will certainly want today’s situation to be as chaotic as possible."

Wei Sizhao replied, "Even if Lord Xia’s analysis is thorough, how does that help me take my revenge?"

From the forest came intermittent chirping sounds, echoing through the valley.

"Everyone thinks they can control the situation, not realizing that the 'tide' is constantly shifting. In this year’s autumn hunt, His Majesty is the one pulling the strings. He wants to suppress the arrogance of the Wan family’s relatives, so he will never allow the Fifth Prince to obtain the Bai Ze. To be safe, he must have sent someone to prevent the Fifth Prince from capturing it. That person must be a trusted confidant of the Emperor. Young Marquis, care to guess who that might be?"

Wei Sizhao frowned. "I have never even met the Emperor; how would I know who his confidant is?"

Xie Yi, leaning on her shoulder, opened his eyes. "Chen Haizhou. Lord Chen is the Emperor’s confidant; for such a task, the Emperor would only send him."

Xia Yunhe smiled. "Young Marquis, do you understand now?"

But Wei Sizhao shook his head, attempting a guess. "You mean Chen Haizhou will go after the Fifth Prince?"

"No. Chen Haizhou will not go after the Fifth Prince; he will guard the entrance to the hunting trap, waiting for the Bai Ze to fall into it before driving the Fifth Prince away."

Wei Sizhao sighed. "Lord Xia, the mountains and forests are vast. Where is the Bai Ze? And how could we possibly capture it?"

Xia Yunhe laughed aloud. "Where the Bai Ze is does not matter. The various factions will congregate wherever the trap is set."

"That is where the young Marquis can exact his revenge."

She looked toward the dark, vast forest and held onto Xie Yi, her eyes clear. "We only need to borrow a thick fog."

...

As the fog gradually rose, Wei Sizhao scaled a lush tree and silently approached the trap meant for the Bai Ze.

Elsewhere, Xia Yunhe, supporting Xie Yi, arrived at the same spot. With Wei Sizhao guiding the way, they successfully avoided Liu Rongshan’s death squads. However, the mountain path was treacherous, and dragging the feverish Xie Yi along made it quite strenuous.

The Fifth Prince, Xie Xuan, was leading his men in an ambush on both sides of the trap. Suddenly hearing a rustling sound, he assumed it was the Bai Ze. His spirits lifted, and he ordered his men to be alert and drive the beast into the trap before the fog could disperse.

The men acknowledged the order and moved toward the source of the noise.

The fog was thick, and dew clung to the tips of the grass. As they pushed aside the weeds, Xia Yunhe grabbed the wrist of the nearest man and began calling for help.

Seeing that it was the Imperial Academician Xia and the Seventh Prince, the men scrambled to pull them from the brush and sent word to the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince was baffled, his brow furrowed in confusion. Wan Jing had returned to deal with Wan Wubai and was currently absent. Unable to make a decision, he looked left and right before beckoning the messenger. "Tell me, are the Seventh Brother and Lord Xia here to compete for the Bai Ze?"

The subordinate scratched his head, indicating he did not know.

Dismissing the man, the Fifth Prince pondered the situation. Soon, news arrived from the Emperor, and the Fifth Prince let out a long sigh of relief, realizing the two must have been forced into this position. He reported to the Emperor’s envoy that he had just rescued them and asked him not to worry, then sent the messenger away.

The Fifth Prince immediately decided to meet with Xia Yunhe and the Seventh Prince.

...

Arriving outside the tent, he forbade anyone from announcing him. Pressing close to the side of the door, he lifted a corner of the curtain. He saw the Seventh Prince lying on the couch in a coma, while Xia Yunhe sat before it, slowly sipping a bowl of ginger soup. Although she looked somewhat disheveled, her appearance was relatively neat, not like someone who had tumbled off a cliff and whose life was uncertain—it was the Seventh Brother who looked like he had suffered a great ordeal.

Xia Yunhe coughed twice. The Fifth Prince was startled, thought for a moment, and then entered the tent with a smile.

"Lord Xia, please, sit. I heard you had fallen off a cliff. It is a blessing from the gods that you have returned unharmed. But the Seventh Brother, how is it that..."

Xia Yunhe glanced at him and smiled. "It is true that I fell, but I was saved by an animal that resembled a deer but was not, with a body white as snow. The Seventh Prince could not find me on the mountain, so he descended to the valley floor to search and spent too long in the rain, resulting in a high fever. We stumbled our way here, and thanks to the Fifth Prince’s rescue, I am truly grateful."

The Fifth Prince said, "It was a mere trifle. Did you see who tried to harm you, Lord Xia?"

"It was dark and the wind was fierce; how could I know?" Xia Yunhe shook her head. Suddenly, she tapped her forehead, saying intentionally, "Your Highness, let us not talk of this. It was thanks to the Bai Ze pointing the way that we were able to follow it and encounter the Fifth Prince."

"The Bai Ze? Did you truly see the Bai Ze? Where is it?"

The Fifth Prince’s eyes brightened. He grabbed Xia Yunhe’s wrist and asked repeatedly. The tent was silent for a moment before he realized he had overstepped, so he let go and covered his tracks with a laugh. "Lord Xia, do not mind me. I was merely asking; there is no other meaning."

Xia Yunhe set down the bowl, rubbed her wrist, and replied with a smile, insisting that the Bai Ze had vanished nearby. This sent the Fifth Prince into a state of ecstasy. He praised the news repeatedly, pacing back and forth in the tent. Finally, he clenched his fist and waved for his men. "Go! There is no need to wait for Cousin Wan. Gather the men now and pursue the Bai Ze."

The attendant hesitated, stammering.

The Fifth Prince saw this, dismissed the man outside the tent, and bade farewell to Xia Yunhe.

Once outside, he looked at the attendant. "What is it?"

The attendant said, "Your Highness, the fog has risen. It is impossible to see the path; where are we to chase the Bai Ze? It would be better to wait until the fog clears."

"You useless fool! Will the Bai Ze wait obediently for you to catch it? If we wait for this moment to pass, who knows how many more days we will have to wait? You have no idea what variables might arise. Go!"

He put his hands on his hips. Wan Jing always looked down on him for being too slow. Today, having received this news from Xia Yunhe, he would make everyone look at him with new respect once he captured the Bai Ze.

Inside the tent, Xia Yunhe tucked in the quilt for Xie Yi. Coughing a few times, she lifted the tent flap and saw the commotion outside. She asked the nearby guard what was happening.

The guard looked at her and said in a low voice, "Lord Xia, do not ask. Stay quietly in the tent. The Fifth Prince is ensuring the safety of the Seventh Prince and yourself."

She lowered the curtain and sat back by the couch. Reaching out to touch the Seventh Prince’s forehead, she found it still burning hot. She asked the guard for a basin of water and a towel, thanked him, and sat by the couch to help cool Xie Yi down.

An empty bait had been cast, and the fish had taken the hook... Now, it remained to be seen whether Chen Haizhou was truly as loyal to the Emperor as he claimed.