The morning sun was scorching as it beamed onto the western palace. The queen's mansion was filled with attendants, soldiers, maids, physicians, and a few eunuchs.
The queen found Mò Lián on her yard's pole, floating, fully unconscious. She summoned everyone living in her quarters for questioning, but she saw no trace.
Queen Yù Yuè stood worried; she entered the room with a new physician. She stood at the door, and she took a deep breath before approaching the physician, who had just stood up from Mò Lián's side.
"Is she getting any better...?" The queen slowed her step.
"My queen, I don't think I can fix the problem." He stopped mid-speech, his gaze fixed on the polished floor.
"Speak! I want to know everything."
The queen said, looking at Mò Lián, who was lying helplessly.
"My queen, the problem can be fixed, but she will lose herself. But there is another way out." He paused, adjusting.
Queen Yù Yuè noticed his movement and paused, shifting her gaze to him.
"I believe you are educated and aware of whom you are treating. List all the ways out. It doesn't matter. Speak!"
The eunuch at the door returned to the crowd downstairs. He dismissed them all.
Queen Yù Yuè stood in silence, waiting for the physician to bring an idea without Mò Lián losing her memory.
"My queen, I did all I could. I suggest we get a priest." The physician said as he fell to his knees.
The queen looked at Mò Lián with motherly eyes; the joy she felt when they first met flashed in her mind.
"Gù—" Queen Yù Yuè cried, seeing that Mò Lián's chest was no longer beating.
Queen Yù Yuè's general appeared in the room immediately.
"My queen," he bowed deeply.
Queen Yù Yuè sat beside Mò Lián in tears.
"Lián, Lián. Lián, wake up. Mum is here; I'm alive. Mò Lián, wake up."
The queen could not hold her emotions but burst into a loud cry.
Mò Lián was motionless.
The physician waved at Gù, who was waiting for a command. Their gazes met.
"Go get a priest."
Gù bowed slightly, dissolving into the air. The physician slowly crawled towards the door. He once had an experience when a royal released their power while crying.
Suddenly, the queen released her power.
"Lián...!" she screamed.
The windows burst, and the physician ran, but he stumbled on his garment and fell.
Mò Lián opened her eyes slightly as tears fell. The queen held her chin, crying.
"Lián, Mò Lián. Yes, open your eyes, don't scare me. I'm your mum, don't leave me, I know you cried so much." The queen spoke like she was lamenting.
Mò Lián blinked slowly, looking at her. Finally, she spoke.
"Mum..."
Queen Yù Yuè nodded vigorously as she held her chin.
"Mum, mum." Mò Lián raised her arm to touch Queen Yù Yuè, and she immediately helped her.
"Mum misses you so much. Mum loves you...!" The queen hugged her.
Mò Lián smiled, not even knowing where she was.
The queen's general appeared in the room with a priest carrying a large wrapped bag.
The priest closed his nose, moving closer.
"My queen, the air is poisonous. Please withdraw this..."
As the queen heard him, her power abdicated.
Mò Lián watched as the queen straightened. She stood up, giving way to the priest. Mò Lián tried and caught the queen's finger. She moved her head slowly.
"Don't go."
The priest noticed the queen was still close, so he brought his tools. He stationed his candle.
"My queen, I'm about to start. When will you leave?" the priest asked, kneeling at Mò Lián's bed.
"Continue, I will be here with her." The queen said, looking at Mò Lián, who was motionless.
The process was long, but Mò Lián wasn't getting better.
A message had circulated through the western province about the queen's new daughter; the people were abuzz with surprise and whispers.
At the crown prince's mansion, the royal maids were finishing their morning duties.
"Wow, our queen has always yearned for a daughter. Now, her highness has been gifted by the gods," one maid said, speaking to her partner, who entered carrying deodorant.
"That is wonderful to hear. But I also heard... the crown prince has a bride," the first maid added, her eyes gleaming as their gazes met.
"Hahaha, are you sure?" the other laughed. "Our crown prince hasn't said a word. I don't think he's the romantic type." She paused, noticing a strange shift in the air, but ignored it.
The crown prince isn't around. I'm used to arranging his room, she thought, standing to straighten the towels.
Meanwhile, her partner sprinkled ointment over the bathing pool, humming softly.
"I heard he actually chose someone already, but the rumor isn't clear," she said, glancing toward her colleague, who now stood oddly still, smiling faintly, tapping her hand strangely.
"What! But I'm correct. Every time he visits this province, he loves the sea, and the beach is always cleared for him. Hmmm!" the first maid said, standing up fully.
She noticed her partner's odd behavior again.
"What... let's go. Aren't we done? The crown prince will be here soon. It's almost noon...!"
She spun around—and froze. A blurry figure stood silently, watching them.
Immediately, they kowtowed together, heads low. He stood silently, observing.
"Good job. Stand up," he said, walking toward a vacant seat.
"Continue," he added, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Though his full power remained restrained, the royal maids could feel the weight of his presence. They exchanged nervous glances. The older maid—the first to notice him—gathered courage and spoke, voice trembling slightly.
"My lord, we are sorry. We didn't mean to gossip," she said, hands wringing nervously.
He tilted his head.
"I want you to continue. Always leave a well-made letter of gossip. I like it. Don't be afraid—you do not yet know my face. You will work only in my quarter."
He paused, noticing a figure standing at the mansion gate—Wēi Wēi.
He raised a finger, and the gate silently swung open.
The maids froze, unable to comprehend the gesture. They remained on their knees again, heads bowed.
A faint smirk appeared on his face. A hollow emptiness stirred within him, memories of last night slipping through his mind like sand.
"Hmmm..." he sighed, scratching the back of his ear.
The maids glanced at each other, uncertain. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished them.
They found themselves outside the mansion gate, safe and unharmed. A wave of relief washed over them.
"Wow... we're alive," one whispered, as they hugged each other tightly, eyes wide, scanning the surroundings. The air felt surreal—they were not in the spirit world.
Inside the crown prince's building, a lone soldier stood guard at the door.
It opened on its own.
He stepped in quietly. As he approached the crown prince, his steps slowed, and he stopped a short distance away, head lowered.
"Wēi Wēi," the crown prince said, rising to his feet and adjusting his collar.
"Where was I last night?"
Wēi Wēi immediately bowed low.
"My lord, you were angry yesterday. I could not approach you the whole day."
He dropped to his knees, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
"Where is my general?" the crown prince asked, moving toward the wide-open window.
Wēi Wēi hesitated, words caught in his throat, still kneeling.
The crown prince glanced back and noticed the fear still frozen in the soldier's posture.
"Stand up. Reduce these formalities."
He sighed. "Come."
Wēi Wēi rose slowly, approaching with careful, measured steps.
"You have to help me remember. What did I do most of yesterday?" He asked, eyes narrowed as if reaching for a memory just out of grasp.
Wēi Wēi bowed slightly before answering.
"My lord, you visited the sea two days ago, but..."
Before he could finish, the crown prince suddenly turned.
And in that instant, his face was clear — no longer blurry and shifting like usual, but sharp, vivid... just as it had been on the night he saved him from those ranked soldiers who tried to bully him.
"Lián..." the crown prince breathed.
Then he dissolved into the air, vanishing.
Wēi Wēi inhaled sharply but did not move, watching until the last flicker of the prince disappeared.
Only when silence settled did he straighten and look around the empty room.
"That name..." he whispered to himself.
"Lián. It sounds familiar."
He left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.
The afternoon sun rose gently over the palace.
Mansion, chanting filled the air.
The priest's humming deepened; another section of the ritual was about to begin. He urged the queen to step outside, but she insisted on staying, fully aware that Mò Lián was not human.
"Carry on," she said, smiling, while Mò Lián lay motionless.
Suddenly, the air shifted — a rough, unseen current rolling through the room. The priest snapped his gaze to his assistant; they exchanged a silent warning and withdrew to the corner, hurriedly arranging their tools.
A figure appeared.
The queen's smile stretched wider as she noticed Mò Lián's eyes blinking, restless. But Mò Lián suddenly froze, her gaze fixing on something behind the queen. The queen turned in alarm.
"Jùn!" she nearly screamed when her eyes fell upon her son.
Before she could speak, he was already beside Mò Lián — bending over her.
The queen's eyes went wide. Her breath caught as she looked to the priest, who stood frozen, watching in silence.
Mò Lián turned her head toward him, letting out a soft sigh. Jùn held her, leaned in, and took her lip between his own, kissing her with sudden, consuming hunger.
A spark shot through her body; her strength returned in a rush. Her eyes flew open. He paused just long enough to look into her pupils.
"Jùn—!" She pushed him back with all the strength she gathered. He sat down beside his mother, who was still too shocked to move.
The queen finally understood.
She remembered the girl at the seashore.
That night, she climbed a tree just to see her son.
Jùn. Mò Lián.
It was them.
She stood up, shaking her head. The priest bolted out of the room, startled beyond training.
For the first time, the crown prince's face was visible — no poisonous aura, no killing intent, no calamity clinging to him. How?
"Mum..." he called, watching her hand reach for the door. She paused for a moment, then left without a word.
Mò Lián turned to the other side of the bed, fingers touching her lips. She blinked rapidly, aware of Jùn right beside her, watching every movement.
She froze, hiding her hands beneath the blanket.
"Was I rough?" he murmured.
"Let me see."
He flipped her gently, leaning over her. He rested his elbow across her chest — her heartbeat hammering beneath it.
He traced her bottom lip with his thumb, slowly, deliberately. His gaze never left her eyes. A small smirk appeared when he noticed the way her body tensed — her small frame wavering, cracking under sensation.
Virgin.
"Jùn?" she whispered, but he kept going.
She spat, trying to be irritating, but he matched it with the press of his thumb against her lip, then leaned down and sucked her lip again until it turned sore and warm.
She tried to push him away, but he paused, eyes searching hers. She opened her mouth to speak, yet he leaned in again — deeper.
"Jùn?" she trembled, a sudden spark flooding every cell inside her.
The noon light settled quietly over Sì Tiān Temple.
The graveyard lay under strict inspection, ordered by the king and carried out under the military general's direction.
The priest stood waiting at the yard's gate, his hands hidden in his sleeves as the general inspected the grounds himself.
General Yán Lǐng moved with a practiced eye, scanning the area in silence. Something glinted faintly beneath a patch of loose dirt. He bent down and picked up a hairpin... then a golden pearl beside it.
He paused.
He remembered last night — he had placed these very items in his pocket. Yet here they were again. His jaw tightened, but he continued the inspection without a word.
In the end, he found nothing else.
He raised his hand and gave a swift command. Soldiers moved instantly, posting notices at the entrance and along the graveyard walls.
The graveyard is free.
The priests murmured among themselves as the military general walked out, his presence disappearing with the rhythmic stomp of his boots.
On his way, he saw a group of maids in training. He remembered how nervous Yù Xuān was the first day they met. A bright smile escaped him; the royal maid noticed from afar and smiled back.
How can this be?
Hmmm... The military general smiled happily. How?
She thought to herself, then quickly turned back to the maids before her.
He continued walking, and a familiar face appeared ahead — Lord Chen.
Lord Chen had just finished his prayers and was trekking back home. He felt weak, so he returned to the temple for water, then hurried on.
"Am I getting too old? Why am I so thirsty?" he muttered, walking slowly.
"Why am I so tired?"
General Yán Lǐng watched as he passed. He stopped and simply observed.
"Lord Chen...!" a man called out, waving.
"Ahhh, I'm here," Lord Chen replied, waving back. The two met and smiled warmly.
They entered the temple together. General Yán Lǐng turned invisible and followed them inside.
"What did you pray for, brother?" the man asked.
"My dear daughter is now a popular dancer, and the palace is not a place for ordinary people like us. I prayed for safety. I'm happy, but I'm afraid."
Lord Chen paused, motioning his arm through open air.
"That is good to hear. Mò Lián is a good girl; I believe she will keep rising," he nodded.
"She takes her talent from her mother."
Lord Chen smiled and went to the clay pot set aside for drinking water.
"How is your wife? And Yù Xuān?" Lord Chen asked, bending to pick up a bowl.
"I pray she accepts the truth and recovers," the man sighed.
Lord Chen scooped water from the pot and turned to face him.
"What happened? Is she sick, or...?" Lord Chen asked, then began to drink.
"We told Yù Xuān the truth. Now she is in the palace, refusing to return home. I don't know why..." he paused, watching Lord Chen's expression.
Lord Chen stopped drinking. He stared at his friend.
"That's bad. She will be going through a lot!" he burst out.
"I told you before — when she was a child, tell her the truth. Now she is mature, and you disclose this? And she isn't married?"
His eyes were already red.
"And now she is in the palace as a maid, with no experience, facing every royal maid and all those difficulties. Rong told me she saw Yù Xuān at the palace festival — I thought it was a joke, until she walked through our door."
He remembered what Mò Lián did when he was about to leave the temple for his hometown in the southern province.
"I know she is not my daughter, but I know how much pain I feel when I see my daughter sitting in a quiet room alone, staring at the sky. Preferring to stay at the temple instead of coming home, all because her friend has a mother. I don't wish for you to recover if you are sick."
Lord Chen dropped the bowl and walked away in anger.
Yù Xuān's father stood in tears. He tried to follow his friend, but Lord Chen was already gone.
"Chen, I'm sorry," he whispered, drained, as bystanders watched silently.
General Yán Lǐng disappeared.