In late June, the third batch of ripe fruit, under Jiang Nong’s direction, was auctioned off by the Minister of Agriculture, with choice produce sold to the other four kingdoms.
Good marketing was half the battle—the other half depended on the quality of Tan’s fruit.
The reputation of Meng River fruit soared, and with it, the value of other northern Tan produce rose as well. Merchants, drawn by profit, carefully packaged them like fine cosmetics. Any decent-looking fruit from Tan was transformed into a premium gift, exuding sophistication. With storage and transport costs factored in, prices multiplied several times over.
Once the official roads were repaired next year, prices would drop significantly.
Though exports this year weren’t large, the fruit farmers profited handsomely, and the common people saw new opportunities.
To prevent farmers from converting too much farmland and affecting grain production—and to maintain quality—the court designated only a few northern hillsides for orchard cultivation, leaving the rest unchanged.
And Chao Ning, who had been in hiding for over a month, finally arrived at Tan’s imperial palace under escort from the imperial guard.
During that month, someone even more eager than Jiang Nong for Chao Ning’s survival had emerged—Yu Lingxin.
This time, it wasn’t Yu Lingxin causing trouble. After searching everywhere and meeting Jiang Nong’s probing gaze, even he grew anxious, praying Chao Ning hadn’t died in some forgotten corner. Otherwise, he’d never clear his name—even jumping into the Meng River couldn’t wash it off. His hard-won marital harmony, his love, his marriage, would all vanish like smoke along with Chao Ning’s death.
Chao Ning had not only evaded his brothers’ assassins but had also shaken off the guards Yu Lingxin had secretly sent. He’d spent over a month disguised as a blind man at the border, covered in grime. Only when Dang’s internal strife began to settle did he dare reveal himself.
By his side was a woman equally filthy and unrecognizable, leaning on a walking stick. The moment he saw Jiang Nong and Yu Lingxin, tears streamed down his face, carving muddy tracks through the dirt.
He rushed over, crying out things like “Nongnong! A Xin! Family!”
Jiang Nong opened her arms for a generous embrace—but Yu Lingxin stepped in first, intercepting Chao Ning and holding him in a tight bear hug, patting him firmly: “It’s alright. What matters is you’re safe. You’re safe.”
If you’re so good at hiding, why not dig a hole and stay there forever?
A cloud of yellow dust puffed off Chao Ning with each pat. Yu Lingxin held his breath, but Chao Ning himself choked and coughed, quickly begging for mercy: “Stop patting, brother, stop! Cough, cough, cough!!!”
Only when he was sure Chao Ning wasn’t going to hug Jiang Nong did Yu Lingxin release him: “You must be exhausted from the journey. Go wash up, eat something, then we’ll talk.”
Chao Ning nodded and left with Yuan Lian and his attendants. Before going, he remarked to Jiang Nong: “A Xin seems so much more lively and cheerful now. The last few times I came, he barely spoke to me. And he looks so much better—good health means a good mood.”
Jiang Nong knew the real reason but couldn’t explain, so she could only nod awkwardly in agreement.
As soon as they were gone, she pinched Yu Lingxin: “Why did you deliberately stop him?”
Yu Lingxin let out an exaggerated yelp, then smiled and offered her the hand he’d used to pat Chao Ning: “Go ahead, hug him then.”
Jiang Nong sniffed it, clutched her chest, leaned against a pillar, and dry-heaved. Between heaves, she managed: “My brother… really… really went through a lot…”
No wonder both kingdoms’ men had searched for half a month without finding him. Who could imagine a prince, coddled and cherished since birth, would humble himself to get this filthy just to escape assassination?
Yu Lingxin quickly patted her back, asking with tender concern: “Want some water?”
Jiang Nong waved him off, then felt bad about her reaction. She apologized, rubbed his arm, and asked: “Did that hurt? I really did pinch hard. I won’t do it again.”
She reminded herself, over and over, to be gentle with Yu Lingxin—to stop being so harsh.
But old habits ran deep. She was always unkind to him.
In daily life, there seemed to be few chances to be good to him.
Compared to Yu Lingxin’s depth of feeling, Jiang Nong felt her own expressions of love were too shallow. He had died for her, willingly drunk her poison—and she had only said she liked him with words.
If she couldn’t be gentler in her attitude, she felt guilty and uneasy. Yu Lingxin was good to her, and she wanted to reciprocate.
She believed that feelings between people should be mutual. If she gave too little, or cruelly took advantage of his love to hurt him, he would be heartbroken. She didn’t want to hurt the one who loved her most.
In this world, there was only one Yu Lingxin who loved her above all else. She didn’t want to make him sad.
Yu Lingxin accepted her apology, but his earlier cheer faded. He pressed his lips together briefly, then put on a smile and showed her his arm: “It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt at all. See? My skin’s thick—I was just messing with you.”
Jiang Nong blew gently on the spot she’d pinched, but her brow remained furrowed.
Yu Lingxin’s gaze deepened as he looked at her, his heart feeling like it was stuffed with cotton—aching, sore, soft. He only raised his hand to gently brush aside the stray strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek as she lowered her head.
He could sense that Jiang Nong wanted to be better to him, but for some reason, he wasn’t actually happy about it. Perhaps it was because she was being too careful with him—and Yu Lingxin didn’t need her to be that way.
Maybe it was just the awkwardness of a newly confessed relationship, the unfamiliarity of a changed dynamic. With time, it would get better.
Jiang Nong was cautiously nurturing this relationship, so Yu Lingxin didn’t dare joke about pain or tease her carelessly. He responded to her with equal caution, afraid she might feel she’d done something wrong and apologize again.
…
Chao Ning soaked in the bath for a full two hours before emerging ravenously hungry. Yuan Lian needed time to dress and do her hair, so he waited patiently by her side—worried that his fragile, pitiful wife would be frightened in this unfamiliar place without him.
By the time they were ready, it was late. Yuan Lian had simply pinned her hair up with a few lustrous pearl hairpins—enough not to be impolite.
The two dragged their weary bodies to the meal. Jiang Nong had laid out a small banquet in the side hall of Xuan Shi Hall to welcome them.
Chao Ning had grown darker and thinner, his famed reputation as Dang’s most handsome man diminished by two or three degrees.
Watching him walk in, Yu Lingxin discreetly felt his own face, then calmly lowered his hand.
After embracing Chao Ning earlier, he had also changed his clothes—a dark robe with subtle gold embroidery, paired with a black leather belt inlaid with gold kirin patterns. The entire ensemble was understated yet opulent, complementing his striking, almost otherworldly features. Under the candlelight, he was radiant.
Chao Ning was generous with his praise, saying Yu Lingxin looked better than ever, even more handsome than before—then touched his own face with concern, wondering how long it would take to recover his looks.
Chao Ning’s openness only made Yu Lingxin clench his fists in secret. It was as if he were the only one who was truly straightforward.
But Jiang Nong’s attention had already shifted from both Chao Ning and Yu Lingxin—she was entirely captivated by Yuan Lian at Chao Ning’s side.
Yuan Lian bowed with delicate grace, her striking beauty achingly familiar—overlapping with the woman from Jiang Nong’s dreams.
Jiang Nong rose in a daze, stumbling as she stepped away from the table—Yu Lingxin caught her arm.
Yuan Lian, feeling uneasy under Jiang Nong’s unwavering stare, touched her own face and asked: “Your Highness, is there something on this humble one’s face?”
Jiang Nong had already reached her. She gently cupped Yuan Lian’s face with both hands, examining her, confirming again and again—yes. This was her. The woman in her dreams looked exactly like this.
Yu Lingxin was startled by her actions too. Jiang Nong looked like she was meeting someone from her dreams—and he was certain she had never seen Yuan Lian before. In the previous life, Yuan Lian hadn’t even appeared before Chao Ning died.
Jiang Nong’s eyes glistened with tears. She bit her lip, held them back, and shook her head: “Nothing. I just think you’re so beautiful. You look so kind—I like you, so I wanted to look at you a little longer.”
“Your Highness flatters me—I am but a willow’s shadow, unworthy of such praise.” Yuan Lian was startled, clutching her chest, and instinctively looked at Chao Ning.
Did this Empress have a taste for women? Was this love at first sight?
In the past, she would have gladly accepted such favor—wealth and glory were right before her. But Chao Ning had been good to her, a decent man—she still wanted to be with him.
Jiang Nong herself didn’t think her words carried any other meaning—but others might. Chao Ning’s gaze darted between the two women, and he scratched his cheek, unsure.
Yu Lingxin had long felt that nothing good came from Chao Ning’s arrival—and now it had come true again. If he could be reborn twice, perhaps Jiang Nong too could recall memories from a first life.
Whether she truly remembered something or simply found the woman familiar, the sooner this couple left Tan, the better—before anything undesirable surfaced to make Jiang Nong suffer.
Yu Lingxin wished he could live another life, returning to when Jiang Nong was still young—so he could be there earlier, much earlier, to clear away everything bad. She could just grow up healthy and happy, never needing to please anyone, never shedding a tear.
Jiang Nong realized she had been out of line. She let go, smiled at Yuan Lian, and returned to her seat in a daze. Yu Lingxin took her cold hand, wiped it gently with a warm cloth, and gave her a comforting smile.
She quickly looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
The woman from the sea of fire in her dream had appeared—it was Yuan Lian.
She was certain she had never met her in this life or the last—yet she had dreamed of her so vividly. Yuan Lian and Chao Ning perishing in flames, herself falling from a tower to her death, Yu Lingxin taking his own life for her—was it a dream, or had it truly happened in a forgotten lifetime?
Jiang Nong tightened her grip on Yu Lingxin’s hand, suddenly clutching hard as if to fuse him into her flesh. Yu Lingxin’s body tensed, then he held her back.
Don’t remember too many painful things, Jiang Nong. Please.
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