Qi Yue stared at him, aghast.

“Then, then…” She stammered, unable to form words.

What was going on?

Chang Yuncheng pulled her toward the dark passage of the tomb.

“I don’t know either, but I know it wasn’t me, because I’m not dead,” he said, their footsteps echoing, one after another, down the shadowy corridor.

What was happening?

They had reached the burial chamber now, and the skeleton inside the glass case was startlingly visible.

A skeleton!

Chang Yuncheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

What was this about….

That had been half a year after Yue Niang had passed away.

“Shizi Ye, Shizi Ye, please listen to me…”

A Ru hammered against the door, sobbing out loud.

The door was wrenched open, and Chang Yuncheng, clad in military attire, strode out.

“Shizi Ye…” A Ru rushed forward, calling out.

Chang Yuncheng didn't spare her a glance.

“Shizi Ye, the Young Mistress asked me to tell you, you must believe what I say, you must live well.” A Ru chased after him, weeping.

Chang Yuncheng was several paces outside, already mounting his horse. He had not looked at A Ru from start to finish, urging his steed into a gallop.

A Ru wept as she chased, but how could she keep up with a horse?

“Shizi Ye, I won’t leave until you stop grieving for a day!” she shouted hoarsely.

The horses’ hooves kicked up dust that billowed into the air; the contingent of riders was already out of sight.

The camp guards outside the official residence watched A Ru with a mixture of pity and sympathy. Only Hu San, who had been standing nearby, came forward to support her.

“Let’s go back,” he said.

A Ru raised her sleeve to wipe her eyes but didn't say much, walking away obediently.

“A Ru…” Hu San started hesitantly.

Before he could finish, A Ru interrupted him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be married in another month. I’ve already sent word to Yuanbao; he’s on his way,” she said, sniffing. “The Mistress is gone, but we still have to live our lives, no, we have to live even better. Otherwise, she won’t rest in peace…”

Hu San sighed.

“A Ru, that’s not what I meant,” he said, taking her hand. “Master only just passed. Shizi Ye is still… Don’t come here every day like this…”

A Ru tightly pressed her lips together, refusing to speak, and started walking forward.

Hu San said no more, following slowly behind her.

They hadn't walked far down the street when they saw a storefront with three large characters hanging above: Qianjin Hall, followed by smaller script reading ‘Liaodong Branch.’ People were constantly entering and exiting—mostly wounded soldiers, but also some citizens of Weicheng.

“Miss A Ru.” Someone at the door spotted her approaching and quickly called out, “There’s a patient here; do we need to clean the wound again before administering the injection?”

A Ru responded with an affirmative, quickening her pace into the shop.

Hu San sighed behind her and looked up at the banner fluttering in the wind.

One day, we’ll have Qianjin Hall branches everywhere. Chief Steward Hu, you’ll be worked ragged.

The smiling face of that woman surfaced in his mind.

Cool specks of snow began to hit his face.

“Honestly, even in a place like this, it’s snowing when spring should be here,” Hu San muttered, rubbing his face, then shook his hand and stepped inside.

As evening approached, a troop of horses galloped past on the street, shaking the ground.

Chang Yuncheng was back from his patrol.

A Ru, who had been compiling patient records in the room, dropped her brush and ran outside.

Hu San had already noticed and stepped forward to restrain her.

“A Ru, stop making a scene!” he called out.

“Let go,” A Ru demanded.

“I won’t let go. What are you trying to do? You hover around Shizi Ye every day, saying strange things. What will people outside say…” Hu San pressed.

A Ru turned to look at him and let out a cold laugh.

“I know. They say I’m using my position as the Young Mistress’s maid to get close to Shizi Ye, to become his little something,” she said, her eyes growing red as she bit her lower lip. “What they say doesn't matter to me! I only need to know what I need to do.”

“A Ru, what exactly are you trying to do?” Hu San exclaimed. “You cause a scene with Shizi Ye every day like this…”

“The only thing the Mistress asked me to do before she died is what I must do! You don’t need to manage it, none of you do. You don't know. I only need to find Shizi Ye…” A Ru cried out, forcefully trying to pull free from Hu San’s grasp.

Just then, someone cleared their throat outside the door.

“Looking for me? What is it?”

A male voice drifted in, startling the two arguing figures inside. They turned to look.

In the doorway stood a man in a plain brocade robe, wrapped in a crimson cloak, wearing a jade crown, watching them with a faint smile.

A Ru was momentarily dazed.

She seemed to see the young Chang Yuncheng from years ago.

“Miss A Ru, were you looking for me?” the man continued, stepping inside. “I heard you calling for Shizi Ye when I was outside.”

A Ru snapped back to attention.

“Third Young Master?” she exclaimed, quite surprised.

Chang Yunqi looked at her and smiled faintly.

“Third Young Master?” he echoed.

A Ru lowered her head and bowed.

“Shizi Ye,” she murmured quietly.

The title of Shizi Ye had already passed to Chang Yunqi; he was now the Heir of the Marquis of Dingxi’s estate, while Chang Yuncheng was merely a Young Master of the same household.

Hu San held no affection for anyone in the Marquis of Dingxi’s household; on the contrary, he felt a deep loathing.

If not for that divorce years ago, how could things have ended up like this…

The mere thought made everyone in Qianjin Hall, if not everyone, grit their teeth in hatred toward the Marquis of Dingxi’s estate.

Although the circumstances were strained—natural disasters, man-made woes, fire and flood being merciless—everyone's grievance and resentment needed an outlet.

The Marquis of Dingxi’s estate was the most suitable target.

“Does Shizi Ye require medical consultation?” Hu San asked curtly.

Chang Yunqi smiled thinly, ignoring Hu San, and instead fixed his gaze on A Ru.

“I need to see my elder brother. Miss A Ru also needs to go—shall we go together?” he suggested.

“We’re not going,” Hu San retorted dismissively.

A Ru also remained silent, instead lowering her head and turning back to organize her medical records, making her stance clear through action.

“I want to talk to my brother about Qi Yue Niang,” Chang Yunqi suddenly stated.

A Ru’s hand froze.

“Very well, Shizi Ye. Qianjin Hall isn't far from Lord Chang’s official residence. If you are injured, we can treat you promptly,” Hu San replied sarcastically.

Chang Yunqi had already turned to leave, but he paused after a few steps and looked back.

“A Ru, tell me, when exactly did Qi Yue Niang die?” he asked, as if something just occurred to him.

Hu San scoffed, about to retort, when he heard a distinct clatter.

The stack of medical records A Ru had been preparing to file dropped heavily onto the desk.

In others’ eyes, there was only one Qi Yue Niang, but A Ru knew—there were two Qi Yue Niangs in this world….

When the first Qi Yue Niang died was public knowledge.

What everyone didn’t know was the death of the other Qi Yue Niang…..

How could the Third Young Master know?

A Ru spun around, staring at Chang Yunqi, her face etched with terror.

In the official residence, Chang Yuncheng, still in his armor, turned to face the two people standing before him.

“What did you say?” he asked.

Since Qi Yue Niang’s tragedy, he had spoken very little in public or private, except when absolutely necessary for military affairs. Over the past six months, his voice had become almost strange when he did speak.

Before him, Chang Yunqi was removing his cloak, while A Ru stood bowed, seemingly trembling.

Chang Yunqi, however, did not look at him, but at A Ru.

“Who is she?” he asked again.

It was another abrupt, context-less question…. much like the man himself, and the others in his family—all baffling and disconnected.

Chang Yuncheng didn't speak further, ignoring him, and slowly began washing his hands in the bronze basin.

“She isn't Qi Yue Niang, is she?” Chang Yunqi probed further.

Chang Yuncheng’s hand paused momentarily in its scrubbing, but he quickly resumed.

“From the day she entered our Marquis’s household, I have been with her in almost every moment, sitting and walking together,” Chang Yunqi continued. “Her temperament, I believe, in this entire household, aside from Grandmother, only I understood it best.”

He looked at A Ru as he said this.

“Medical skills?” He gave a short laugh, then sighed. “She doesn’t know a single thing about medicine.”

Chang Yuncheng finished washing his hands and took a towel to dry them, his movements slow.

After making this point, Chang Yunqi fell silent.

A deep silence filled the room.

Chang Yuncheng slowly wiped his hands, again and again.

“When did she arrive?” Chang Yunqi suddenly asked, looking at A Ru. “Was it during that incident, the hanging?”

A Ru looked up, her expression complex.

Chang Yuncheng stopped wiping his hands.

“Yes,” A Ru confirmed.

The room sank back into silence.

Chang Yunqi suddenly laughed.

“So, my Qi Yue Niang, the original one, she died back then,” he said, his laughter sounding muffled and hoarse. “So, she died back then…”

By the end, his laughter had turned raspy and choked into a sob.

His Yue Niang, his Moon, had refused to leave the Qiutong Courtyard; she hadn't accepted even a shred of his affection until her death.

The woman who had emerged and smiled faintly at him was not his Yue Niang.

“Then who is she? Who in the world is she?” he suddenly roared, raising his voice.

“She is Qi Yue! She is a physician, a stray soul adrift after an accident,” A Ru shouted back. “She said she isn't from this place, that she’s from another… another world…”

Saying this, she knelt down and clutched the hem of Chang Yuncheng’s robe.

“Shizi Ye, the Young Mistress told me that she has returned, and you must live well, live well, or she won't be at peace…” she wept. “She said she has a man, and she will live her life well. If she dies, it means she can go back. Shizi Ye, when she first arrived, she tried to hang herself more than once, saying if she died, she could go back. Moreover, she insisted on staying in the Qiutong Courtyard, because that’s where she came from, thinking she might return from there…”

That time…

“Chang Yuncheng, I promise I won’t bother you once I go back. I’ll just stay in the Qiutong Courtyard, I won’t manage the household, I won’t ask for anything, I only ask to stay there. I promise to be quiet and steady.”

That woman had clutched his sleeve, begging, her eyes wide with terror.

So, her terror wasn't about him rejecting her, but about being separated from the place she could return to.

That time, the great fire at Qiutong Courtyard had driven that woman to madness…

Someone shook his arm forcefully.

Chang Yuncheng snapped back to the present.

“What are you doing? You scared me to death!” Qi Yue cried out, reaching to hug him.

He stared blankly at the skeleton, looking utterly soul-lost. She thought he was about to vanish completely.

“Let’s go, let’s go, we won't look anymore,” she wept, tugging him toward the exit.

Chang Yuncheng felt a complex mix of amusement and heartache. He reached out, pulled her into his embrace, and comforted her, brushing his cheek against her head.

“Yue Niang, I was wrong before,” he said.

Qi Yue looked up at him.

“You are not a coward,” Chang Yuncheng stated. “I know now, you are very brave. A soul, inexplicably arriving in a strange, completely different world, facing strange people like us, strange rules and customs—even I, a grown man, feel tense and uneasy, constantly vigilant, cautious with every step. But you, you still smiled, you still made jokes, you saved lives, you did so much…”

Qi Yue looked at him, and the tears that had stopped instantly started flowing again.

Chang Yuncheng reached out, stroking her face, wiping away her tears.

“Yue Niang, no—Qi Yue, I love you,” he said.

One more chapter coming at noon or in the afternoon. RS