Ning Yi pulled the spoon back, and with the same bright smile, he said lightly, “Oh? Really?” With a bit of regret, he took a few more bites accompanied by some more praises before setting the dish aside. 

He is a member of the imperial family, no matter what he eats, he will only take a few bites. Even when he likes something he won’t be greedy like normal people. Even his preferences are under tight control so other people would not be able to tell and use them against him. Feng Zhi Wei didn’t have any expectation of him eating too much of the dish, so when he stopped after taking a few more mouthfuls, she immediately rested her grinning face on her hands and said, “So…Your Highness…I didn’t finish my words just now.” 

“Oh?” 

“It’s true that there are pigeon eggs in this dish. Minced flying dragon meat (not real dragon obviously but a type of waterfowl) is also in this dish, but there is another main ingredient…” Feng Zhi Wei smiled maliciously, “It’s the grass worm meat from the south…” 

 Before she finished her sentence, Ning Yi, with a face that had instantly turned pale, had set the bowl down. Standing up hurriedly, Ning Yi said with a forced smile, “I suddenly remembered that I still have some matters to tend to. I am going to go first, you should also rest soon.” 

“I won’t send you off then.” Feng Zhi Wei was all smiles as she leaned against the pavilion railing, smiled, and waved him off. With a rather proud smile, Feng Zhi Wei watched as Ning Yi left with almost escaping-like footsteps, watched as he quickly made his way to the well and went down the secret passages, leaving in a more brisk manner than he ever did in the past. 

Once Ning Yi’s figure disappeared into the well, the smile on her face also disappeared completely. She sat staring blankly into space for a while before finally standing up, rubbed her aching buttocks, and took the box into her arms. 

She gently caressed the box, and discovered that the seal on the box was open. In the opening, there are the letters that had been soaked by the water but must’ve later been carefully dried in the sun by Hua Qing. The edges of the letters have turned thin and frail, crowding in front of the opening, making soft crinkling sounds in the wind, seemingly each vying to be the first to land in her hand. She only needs to reach in with her finger to pull one out. The same letters, like before, carry mysterious unknowns with them. It could be the letter with the reeds and the bird feather or it could be the one with the coral and the smell of the tide, or it could be the only reply letter she wrote herself. The warmth of her fingers and the joy she felt that year, after the vicissitudes of life, has returned from the bottom of the cold river.

Except for the mystery of the unknown, the anticipation, and the joy at that time… The mystery is still here but the feelings are long gone. 

This world indeed changes in a blink of an eye. The emotions from a second ago become history in the next instant. 

Holding the box in her arms, she stood for a long time. Dew-like mist wetted her eyelashes, but she still did not open the box nor did she attempt to pull out any of the letters. 

When it was almost dawn, she went to her room with the box in her arms, her shadow looking a little lonely.

She does not know. 

A certain someone entered the secret passage at the bottom of the well but did not vomit nor did he leave.

The water level at the bottom of the well receded quickly and he remained silent in front of the secret door for a long time. The pale whiteness on his face had long since faded, and was replaced by another slightly cold jade-like color. 

The moonlight above his head fell on him, and the section of the well by him, looking extremely bright and cold. In the cold light, he stood like a snow-laden bamboo, with his sleeves hanging in the shadow where the moonlight could not reach. Half hidden in the sleeve, between his fingers, there is a pale white square object, rustling softly in the sound of the whirling wind. 

(Anyone want to guess what Ning Yi took?)

====================================

The next day, Feng Zhi Wei still went to send Hua Qing off. In the whirling wind, the woman smiled brightly, hugged Feng Zhi Wei silently, and whispered simply the word “Take care.” in her ear. 

Take care for yourself, and for us. The mountains are high and the rivers are long, we will meet again one day. 

Feng Zhi Wei stood in the pavilion and watched the woman leave without a backward glance. The corners of her eyes were slightly misty. To find a soulmate but to be destined to spend more time apart than together, she doesn’t know how long they will have to wait before they will meet again. (I was tempted to use the word “bosom friend” or “best friend” but the Chinese word here really is best translated soulmate (the platonic kind of course) especially because there have been epic stories written on people searching for soulmate (again, none romantic kind) for life.) 

From a far distance, she saw Hua Qing who was walking away with her back still to her, suddenly raised her hand, and something dark in her palm reflected in her palm. Feng Zhi Wei recognized that it was an item belonging to Madam Feng that she had gifted to Hua Qing while they were on the grassland. 

This was Hua Qing’s way of telling her that she would never forget the vow she had made on the grassland to her. (I can’t remember exactly but I think it’s a vow Hua Qing made that she will always stand by our heroine and one day even become her support. I am guessing this is it since later in the story, Hua Qing’s vow will come back into play at a critical junction.)

There was a faint fresh grass behind her and someone floated over silently. Unlike many other people who would pull the lonely woman into their arms to comfort her, he just stood attentively behind her, eating walnuts. 

There was a pile of walnut shells on the ground. He stood among the pile of shells, not raising his eyes to look at the woman at all as he spoke with a mouthful, “I’m here.” 

Feng Zhi Wei’s eyes slightly curved, a hint of a warm smile crept into her eyes. She turned around, flicked off the walnut shavings that had fallen on Master Gu’s clothes and said, “Yes, as long as you are here.”  

Hearing a sudden noise of carriages and horses, she turned around to see a team of guards approaching. It turned out to be Ning Yi’s. Feng Zhi Wei ducked to the side of the road but Ning Yi had already spotted her and ordered the carriage to stop. He parted the carriage curtain and said with a smile, “Is Marquis Wei here to send off your friends?” 

“Thank Your Highness for asking.” Feng Zhi Wei kept her eyes down and replied, “I am seeing General Hua off.” 

Ning Yi stared at her, nodded, and said, “Sending off a friend for thousands of miles will eventually end in a goodbye. Marquis Wei need not be too sad.” 

Feng Zhi Wei thought to herself inwardly, with which eye are you seeing me being sad? However, in front of Ning Yi and the group of officials with him, Feng Zhi Wei could only put on an expression of utmost gratitude, “Your Highness is so thoughtful, this lowly official is immediately so moved that I am not sad anymore.” 

Someone chuckled. Not looking angry even after seeing Feng Zhi Wei’s wooden stoic face, Ning Yi said offhandedly, “Since Marquis Wei is here, why don’t you send me off as well.” 

“Where are you going, Your Highness?”

“His Majesty wants to build a palace in Luo County and ordered me to take the officials from the Ministry of Public Works to go and check out the terrain first and choose a suitable place so we can start building.”

Feng Zhi Wei’s eyes flashed- Luo County is a suburb of the Imperial Capital and has always been known for its beautiful scenery. It is normal for the Tiansheng Emperor to want to build a palace here, but Ning Yi would never make useless small talk with her in this sort of setting. Feng Zhi Wei thought about it and had a vague guess. Luo County has land and water transportation, guarding the gateway to the Imperial Capital, close to the Huwei military camp, and is connected to major key provinces both in the south and north direction. This palace is probably the emperor’s contingency plan for his posterity, a safe shelter for his descendants.

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com

ps. I apologize for the delay of the last post. WordPress had made a major update and switched a bunch of stuff around so despite double-checking multiple times (or at least I thought I did), I must’ve clicked on the wrong date when I was scheduling the post.

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