This is just as well.

Once again, I couldn’t help but think: if I were to vanish just like this, I’d still be burdened with the crime of having stolen eight hundred taels of silver. That’s truly injustice falling from the summer sky—worse even than Dou’e’s fate. When you’re running for your life, who would take the risk of stealing so much silver? It’s simply courting death.

Yun Heng, at least, was someone with a bit of sense; he knew to send Wan Chun to investigate, instead of rashly pinning the blame on me. I wonder, after Wan Chun reports the truth, will Yun Rong and Qiao Ruoqing be punished by Yun Heng? I doubt it. After all, there’s still that formidable old matron above them. When she wields her seniority, she’s truly troublesome. Even though Yun Heng is a great general, how could he dare defy her? Wasn’t it the old lady herself who secretly orchestrated Qiao Ruoqing’s climb into Yun Heng’s bed?

The thought that Yun Heng took Qiao Ruoqing as a concubine, in part because he couldn’t bear for me to lose my life to a length of white silk, makes my heart ache. It snuffs out even the faintest of hopes I harbored for Yun Heng. And yet, despite everything, I can’t help but yearn.

Several days have passed since I last saw Yun Heng return triumphant. I’ve been keeping a close watch, but I’ve yet to spot anyone in the streets searching for someone. It seems Yun Heng truly doesn’t care about me. Perhaps it’s for the best. Let it be, let it be—this was nothing more than a dream.

How could a lowly maid like me ever hope that the great General Yun would remember me? I really am hopelessly foolish. Still, my heart feels stifled and restless. Perhaps a walk will help clear my mind.

There’s nothing of interest on the streets anymore. I’ve always preferred the tranquility of nature, and in this imaginary era, even the air seems better. After what happened last time, I don’t dare venture into the mountains alone; I’ll just keep wandering the streets.

I found myself in front of the Spring Welcoming Pavilion. Seeing that I was dressed as a man, I strode in without hesitation. Who says such places are only for men? Women can visit too, with just a little disguise.

Back in those mischievous days, my younger brother and I would often sneak off to drink in these establishments. That lasted until my mother discovered a red lipstick mark on my sleeve. She tried to hide it, but my father found out anyway. As punishment, we were both confined for half a year. And that was already a concession, thanks to my mother’s protection. In the years that followed, my father always blamed my mother for spoiling us, but she just smiled and said as long as we were safe, nothing else mattered.

Fortunately, we were quick-witted that day and claimed we’d wandered in by mistake and left immediately, thus avoiding a beating. In truth, we’d been there many times before. My brother was so young then, and with my constant guidance, he never developed a real taste for such amusements, at least as far as I know. After that, whenever I thought of my mother’s gentle smile, we both truly mended our ways and never returned.

My brother is only about ten now. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve influenced him too much. There are moments when he seems so mature I half suspect he’s also from another world. I’ve tested him several times, but always to no avail...

The people who work in these places are always sharp-eyed. Even back then, when we were just children, they could immediately tell we were well-to-do youngsters sneaking out to play. Those were hard times for the people of Lingyun Kingdom—I’m sure we gave them quite a headache...