Before the scandal of the Jade Qiong Tower reached Ye Jiao's ears, two events had taken place. First, Prince Jin, Li Zhang, was summoned back by the emperor before even reaching the imperial mausoleum. Prince Qi, Li Lian, was sent to take over the mourning duties. It was said that this was punishment for Prince Qi's brawl with Li Jing in the Jade Qiong Tower. Second, the emperor ordered Prince Jin to head north and assume command of Prince Su, Li Long's, military forces. Though Prince Su had been relegated to the southern regions, he had spent over a decade establishing a stronghold in the north. Without a beloved and respected prince to pacify the region, unrest was inevitable. As a result, Ye Changgen, who was originally meant to accompany Prince Su, naturally had to follow—but with a different prince now.
Ye Jiao was busy preparing gifts for her brother's northern journey. This flurry of activity slightly eased her sorrow. She purchased the warmest quilts, the thickest coats, commissioned the sturdiest and most agile armor, and even hired someone to give her brother a crash course in military regulations and tactics. Spending money seemed to bring a fleeting sense of comfort.
She went to see Ye Changgen off outside the city gates. Madam Ye and Ye Rou also came along. As always, Ye Rou couldn't help but weep. Ye Jiao promised her brother she would take care of everything at home. Madam Ye, face stern and composed, instructed him to work diligently, to endure hardship, and to think deeply. "Endurance shields against adversity, and thought grants the path forward."
Ye Changgen knew well—though his family only told him to be cautious—he was the House of Guogong's only hope. If he achieved military merit and rose to prominence, the family would bask in newfound glory. If he met misfortune, his mother and sisters would have no one to rely on.
He shouldered the bow crafted personally by Ye Jiao and Feng Jie, and looked radiant with ambition."Don't worry," he said as he mounted his horse. "I've already asked His Highness Prince Chu to look after the household in case anything happens."
Prince Chu? Ye Jiao paused for a moment—Li Ce.Only after seeing her brother off did Ye Jiao realize that the only ones who knew she had separated from Li Ce were the two of them. Everyone else still thought they were on good terms. Such was the consequence of not quarreling in public. Still, it wasn't difficult to remedy—she only needed to casually mention it a few times while dining in the West Market, and word would spread.
But just as she leaned over and asked the waiter, "Have you heard…" he exclaimed before she could finish,"You've heard too, miss? I went to see it myself! They dug up a skeleton beneath the Jade Qiong Tower, and it had a fish-shaped token on its belt! No one knows who he is, but that token is the right half. Once the prefecture matches it with the left half, we'll know who the deceased was."
The fish-shaped tokens came in two halves—left and right—joined by a mortise-and-tenon slot inscribed with the character "Tong" (together). The left half was kept in the inner court as the official registry, while the right was carried by the owner as proof of identity. A match revealed whom the token had originally been issued to.
The Jade Qiong Tower stood very near Ye Jiao's home. Because the tower had three stories, one could glimpse figures inside from the northwest corner of the Guogong residence. Tall trees had been planted there specifically to obscure the view. Now, upon hearing that a murder had occurred there, Ye Jiao instantly forgot her intention to spread gossip.
"A skeleton? Then I suppose the clothes must be completely decayed?"The waiter slung his cloth back over his shoulder and, cradling a wine jug, replied,"Not at all! I saw it with my own eyes. The clothes were tattered, yes, but still recognizable as a wide-sleeved crane cloak. The black belt had almost rotted away, but the cloak was embroidered with silver-thread cranes—still intact!"
The cloak was made of soft feathers from the shan bird, worn often by seekers of the Dao.Ye Jiao swirled her teacup and smiled. "A crane cloak? Then the deceased must have been a Daoist? Fascinating—what kind of Daoist would have the status to carry a fish token?""Who knows?" the waiter laughed. "Maybe some noble who pursued the Dao with a pure heart. They say the coroner has already examined the bones. Judging by the skeleton, the man was around thirty."
As the waiter bustled off to serve other guests, Ye Jiao raised her cup to her lips—but paused midair. She turned to look out the window. The sunlight was dazzling, as if reluctant to let her uncover the truth. In that single moment of stunned silence, it felt as though her blood had frozen solid.
"A noble seeking enlightenment, carrying a fish token?" she murmured. "Impossible. Every year, Father had someone fetch silver from home."
But it was always someone else. Father himself had never returned—not once.Ye Jiao's words grew slower, her heart caught like a fish on a hook, dragged upward with mounting dread and sorrow that sank deep into her bones.
She shoved her chair back and stood abruptly. "We're going home," she told Shuiwen.
Shuiwen blinked, confused. "Miss, weren't you going to tell people about the separation from Prince Chu?"
"No need. There's something more urgent."
Ye Jiao walked so fast she forgot her handkerchief on the table. Shuiwen hastily picked it up and followed. As her graceful figure vanished beyond the tea house, the waiter ducked into a private room.
A man stood at the window. Only after seeing Ye Jiao climb into her carriage did he ask,"You said it all?"
"Every word," the waiter replied with a bow.
A pouch of silver was tossed toward him. As the man turned, the jade toad at his waist clinked against the table. He exited the room, and several men drinking tea in the hall immediately followed him out. They didn't speak, but moved in sync, like parts of a single entity. One of them held a rasp, endlessly scraping his fingernails.
"What do we do next?" one asked outside the tea house.
"We do nothing," said the leader as he stepped into a carriage. "We wait for her to act.""What will she do?""She will go to Li Ce."
He smiled, raised a hand to block out the sun, and entered the carriage.
Ye Jiao returned to the Guogong residence and sought out Feng Jie.Feng Jie had once served under her grandfather and had lived at the estate ever since. He had taught both Ye Jiao and Ye Changgen archery with infinite patience.
He was now grinding arrowheads on a piece of coarse cloth. Ye Jiao crouched before him."Uncle Feng, did our household ever possess a fish token?"
Feng Jie lifted his head, brows furrowed, then slowly relaxed as if remembering a distant past."We did," he said, bowing his head again. "But the master took it when he left home."
Ye Jiao placed a hand on the arrowhead he was grinding. "How old was Father when he left?"
She didn't really need to ask. She could do the math. He had left twelve years ago. She had been five. He must have been in his mid-thirties.
"About thirty-five or thirty-six," Feng Jie confirmed. "Why do you ask? The master isn't coming back."
Perhaps she had crouched too long—her limbs felt numb and stiff. Ye Jiao pulled Shuiwen up and left the rear courtyard in search of her sister, Ye Rou.
Ye Rou was embroidering, her needle flashing swiftly as she sighed,"Father left wearing Daoist robes embroidered with cranes. That's why Brother later took all the furniture and bedding with crane motifs and burned them in the wild."
Daoist robes, a fish token, mid-thirties.
Ye Jiao looked to Shuiwen, whose panic was greater than her own."Miss…" Shuiwen choked, eyes brimming with tears.
Ye Rou finally noticed something was wrong. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Ye Jiao replied, sweeping out like the wind, dragging Shuiwen along.
Twelve years. She had waited every day for her father's return. She had waited on Mid-Autumn, on New Year's Eve, watching other children tug at their fathers' sleeves for lucky money while she and her siblings strained to hear the sound of the front gate, praying for the knock that never came.
She had resented him. Resented him for leaving, for never returning once.Was his pursuit of the Dao truly so unwavering? Had he never wondered how his wife and children were faring?
She had thought about it endlessly—resented, grieved—and in the end, only hoped...