"Eldest Senior Brother, I need your help."
When Lin Xun first met Li Fuyin, she had approached him with that very same easy familiarity. From that day on, she had attached herself to him with such brazen persistence that he could never shake her off.
After all these years, Li Fuyin spoke those same words to him again.
This time, Lin Xun did not hesitate. His tone was firmer than it had ever been. "Very well."
As long as she was back, he would help her with anything, give her anything—even his life, if it were asked of him.
Though Chonghua Palace was quiet at that moment, it did not afford them much time to reminisce. Li Fuyin gave Lin Xun a rough outline of her plan, then urged him to change his clothes so he could take her to see the Emperor.
However, Lin Xun remained standing still, as if rooted to the spot in a trance, his eyes fixed unblinkingly upon her.
"Senior Brother, please don't stare at me like that. It's not as if I'm going to vanish into thin air..." Li Fuyin, feeling rather helpless under his gaze, couldn't help but quip, "Or are you waiting for me to watch you change?"
Lin Xun was a man of cold temperament and few words. In Li Fuyin’s view, he was the sort of person least able to handle a joke; she had never spoken to him this way in the past, but now, she only wanted to lighten the mood.
Yet, hearing her words, Lin Xun simply grabbed her hand and led her into a secret chamber. The room was fully equipped with all necessities. Once he had locked the door, he began to undress without a second thought.
"If A-Yin wishes to look, then look. There is no need to ask."
If it had been anyone else, Li Fuyin might have watched with great interest, perhaps even offering a critique or two, but Lin Xun was different. She dared not look, fearing she would desecrate the image of her cold, noble, and ethereal Eldest Senior Brother.
She silently covered her eyes and crouched down with her back to him. "Senior Brother, I am now Song Yunqing, the third daughter of the Marquis of Yongan's Estate. You must no longer call me A-Yin. I only dare to let you know this truth; even Li Yuanzhao must not be told."
Although her bond with Li Yuanzhao was deep, his nature was too pure and guileless, and he was the target of Bai Xiyue’s schemes. If he knew she was still alive, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Lin Xun did not respond. Li Fuyin heard the rustle of fabric behind her, followed by the sound of soft footsteps. Lin Xun had walked up behind her.
"Are you finished changing?"
Li Fuyin stood up and opened her eyes, only to collide instantly with the sight of him. His robe was loose, and the beautiful, well-defined muscles of his upper body were clearly visible. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Lin Xun stared at her tightly closed lids, his eyes full of hurt, his voice raspy and trembling. "Why won't you look? Is A-Yin... disgusted that I am old?"
Li Fuyin: "..."
Disgusted that he was old? What an absurd notion!
Although he was thirty-four, he looked no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. Both his face and physique were at their absolute peak, and the wisdom etched into his bearing by the passage of time only added to his mature charm. She could hardly believe such a sentiment would come from someone as lofty and proud as Lin Xun.
Still, she hadn't realized the age gap before, but looking at him now, she was only fifteen—just past her coming-of-age ceremony—so there was indeed a significant gap between them.
But she wasn't actually Song Yunqing!
Wait... was Lin Xun feeling insecure?
Li Fuyin was both exasperated and amused. She couldn't understand why he would fixate on such a trivial matter. However, since Lin Xun was the only person she could trust and the only one who could help her, she knew that if she didn't quickly divert his attention and calm him down, things would surely go wrong.
She took a breath, opened her eyes wide, and looked into his with a gaze full of righteous sincerity. "Eldest Senior Brother, you aren't old at all! Truly! You look exactly the same as the first time I met you—just as handsome, peerless, and in the prime of your life! I wasn't looking because... because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold myself back! Most importantly, we have more pressing matters... My coffin is about to be carried out of the palace. You must find a way to steal my body out before that happens!"
"Very well..."
Lin Xun’s face turned bright red at her words, and the wounded, dejected look in his eyes vanished instantly. He quickly buttoned his robe, fastening the collar with meticulous care, and his expression and demeanor returned to their usual icy nobility.
After leaving the chamber, Lin Xun took Li Fuyin to Baohua Hall. With the Grand Preceptor leading the way, no one in the palace dared to block them, and Li Fuyin successfully gained an audience with Emperor Qingyuan, Li Yuanzhao.
"Your Majesty, after several days of seclusion, I have divined the omens. Although the Eldest Princess has passed, her spirit has not found rest. It seems she still has unfinished business." Lin Xun gestured toward the young woman beside him. "This is Song Yunqing of the Marquis of Yongan's Estate. Her fate appears intertwined with the Eldest Princess. She came to me saying that the Eldest Princess visited her in a dream last night, wishing for her to convey a message to Your Majesty."
At these words, the mask of numbness on Emperor Qingyuan’s face seemed to crack, and a spark of light appeared in his dead, hollow eyes.
"What did you say?!"
The Emperor lunged to his feet, but his legs, stiff from kneeling for so long, gave way, and he stumbled forward, nearly collapsing again.
"Your Majesty, be careful." Lin Xun reached out, steadying him and guiding him to a seat in the side hall.
Li Fuyin followed behind, finally seeing the Emperor's true state. He looked so gaunt and haggard, as if half his life had been drained away. Her heart was gripped by a sharp, painful ache—nothing like the numb, detached helplessness she had felt as a wandering soul. This time, she felt the pain truly and deeply. She would never let Li Yuanzhao walk that path again. She would protect her brother's life and the prosperity of the Sheng State!
The Emperor sat, gasping for breath until he regained his composure. He slowly lifted his eyes to look at Li Fuyin. His gaze lingered on the young girl's delicate face for a moment before he spoke in a deep, authoritative tone.
"Do you know the penalty for deceiving the Emperor?"
Clearly, the Emperor did not believe in the dream. After all... if his imperial sister were to send a dream, she would surely visit him, not some stranger.
Li Fuyin folded her hands, bowed her head submissively, and spoke softly, "This subject would not dare deceive the Emperor, nor would I wish to fail the Eldest Princess's final wish... The Eldest Princess told me in my dream that she buried a jar of wine beneath the osmanthus tree by the rockery on the west side of the Imperial Garden. She had promised to share that wine with Your Majesty on your thirtieth birthday. As she can no longer fulfill that promise, she hopes Your Majesty will use that wine to bid her farewell before her funeral procession."
As soon as she finished speaking, tears streamed down the Emperor’s face, his long-suppressed emotions finally erupting. The man nearing thirty began to weep as uncontrollably as a child.
Li Fuyin’s heart felt as if it were being torn apart. She bit her lip and dug her fingernails into her palms, forcing back her own tears.
Lin Xun stepped forward, shielding her from view with his own body. "Your Majesty, shall I go fetch the wine for you?"
The Emperor shook his head and forced himself to stand. "I will go myself."
Hearing this, both Lin Xun and Li Fuyin breathed a sigh of relief.
Only when the Emperor left Baohua Hall would Lin Xun’s men have the chance to move the coffin from the hall...