Tang Daiyu and Liang Yingzhou turned slowly to see Shuo Zhang. They both breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and waved to a table.

"You've walked a long way. Please, sit. I'll get you both some tea."

"Where are we, Lord Shuo?" Liang Yingzhou asked.

"This is a safehouse, buried deep in the woods, halfway to Luoyang. Very few know about it. So, the probability of anyone finding you two here is very low."

"How do you know about this place?"

Shuo Zhang looked at Tang Daiyu. "I helped your father build this place. The only other person who knew about it was Master Zhuge Feiwang. Since both your father and Master Zhuge are gone, I'm the only one who remembers it."

Tang Daiyu nodded.

"Young Lady Tang, will you help me with the tea?"

"Of course."

She followed him into the other room, despite Liang Yingzhou's wariness. As she rolled the tea leaves, Shuo Zhang spoke quietly.

"Later, come with me to the back garden. There's something you should see."

"Okay."

~~~

After Tang Daiyu and Liang Yingzhou had rested for a while, she headed outside. He watched as she met with Shuo Zhang. They disappeared down the hill at the back of the property. Concerned, he left the safehouse.

Meanwhile, Tang Daiyu followed Shuo Zhang to the bottom of the hill. Her eyes widened upon seeing the sight in front of her.

"Lord Shuo, did you do this?"

"Yes, Young Lady Tang, after Tang Bao's death."

Her eyes watered, and her heart clenched. In front of her stood three stone grave markers. One for her father, one for her mother, and one for her brother.

"Is Baobao buried here?" she asked quietly.

"Ye,” he said while nodding. “I’m afraid, there are only the markers for your parents though."

"Ah Daiyu."

She turned around. "Zhou-ge! Come look!"

He stepped down and stood next to her. She pointed at the grave markers.

"Lord Shuo made them. I hadn't gotten a chance to, even when I was living in Heping. It makes me feel better just knowing they have something to remember them."

Liang Yingzhou wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly. She rested her head against his shoulder. Shuo Zhang slipped away, letting the two have their moment.

~~~

Later, back inside, Liang Yingzhou and Tang Daiyu appealed to Shuo Zhang.

"Lord Shuo, with Emperor Jianyuan's death, Prince Han should be the one to ascend the throne. Do you know if he'll go against Ah Daiyu?"

"I cannot say for sure. He hasn't officially become Emperor yet, so nothing can be done until then. After that, I guess we'll have to see."

"There's still the matter of dealing with Rong and Prince Yelang. I doubt they’ve given up on killing me."

"They'll be trickier to deal with," Shuo Zhang agreed.

"But Emperor Rong cannot just march into Chang, especially now. It would be seen as disrespectful to the dead and to Chang."

"I doubt Prince Yelang would care," Tang Daiyu muttered. "Rong... I'm actually not sure about."

Suddenly, an arrow flew in through the window. It flashed in between them and lodged in the far wall. Liang Yingzhou stood and walked over to it. On the shaft, a piece of paper was wrapped tightly. He untied it and unrolled the paper. His eyes scanned the message before he handed it over to Tang Daiyu.

"Zhou-ge, what is it?"

"I don't know. I'm assuming it's meant for you."

"Me?"

She took it from him and read the note.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Games in the garden can be played. Laughter can be heard. Running is a favourite pastime, whether in the courtyard or outside in a forest and especially a clearing. Midnight under a full moon is the best moment.

The note wasn't signed, but the handwriting was familiar. The message struck a chord within her. She closed her eyes and remembered the laughing children running through the courtyard. Her eyes opened slowly.

Games, laughter, running. He means that day we played Chase. Forest, clearing, midnight. Tonight's a full moon. He wants to meet at a clearing in the forest. There must be one close to here. Oh, no. That means he knows we're here.

Finally, she slowly looked towards Liang Yingzhou and shook her head.

Standing up, she said, "I don't know either. Must be someone trying to see if anyone lives here."

She walked over to the small fire and threw the paper onto the red hot coals. Worry filled her eyes, and she nervously wrung her hands.

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If I don't show tonight, will he come here looking for me? What will happen then?

~~~

When it was almost midnight, Tang Daiyu silently slipped out of bed and walked over to the chair Liang Yingzhou was sleeping in. She hit a few acupoints to keep him unconscious.

Quietly, she took a deep breath and murmured, "This is for the best, Zhou-ge. If I come back alive, you can scold me then."

Then, she re-exchanged their qi's.

After the switch had successfully finished, she slipped out of the safehouse and went in search of a clearing. Tang Daiyu wandered around the surrounding forest. Finally, something grabbed her arm. Spooked, she spun around. Her eyes went as big as saucers.

"So, it really was you who sent the note."

He nodded. "Yes, it was me."

"What do you want, Rong? If you're going to kill me, do it quickly before I call for Master Liang."

He eyed her, unsure if she was telling the truth or not. Finally, he sighed.

"I don't wish to kill you, Daiyu."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How can that be? You've sent out an Imperial Proclamation and everything."

"Back in Chang'an, my hand was forced by Sixth Concubine Luli. After her death, which I'm going to assume was your doing, my father put pressure on me. He forced me to make that edict about stripping you of your title as Empress of Heping. He's the one who's been pursuing you. I've been battling with Emperor Jianyuan, but since you've taken care of him, I've had time to follow you."

"How did you know that I was here?"

He gently flicked her forehead. "Silly woman, I've known where you were the whole time. I'm surprised you managed to get to Tongwencheng. I figured my father would’ve stopped you."

"He did. Helian Taiqiang convinced him not to follow us."

"Yes," Rong chuckled. "Great Xia's Crown Prince."

"What do you want from me, Rong?"

"Last I knew, you're still carrying Heping's prince. How could I afford to let my father kill you?"

Disgust flashed across her perfect features. "So that's the only reason why I'm still alive? Because I'm pregnant? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I miscarried on my way to Luoyang. The journey from Nanchang was strenuous enough, and the need to keep running for my life was stressful and tipped my body over the edge."

"Y- you're no longer with child?"

"No."

She waited to see his reaction. When he sighed sadly, she grew wary.

"What?"

"Believe it or not, but I really was looking forward to meeting the little prince. But I understand what happened."

"So, Rong, are you going to kill me then? Since I'm no longer needed?"

"My father expects it of me."

"Did he know that I had been with child?"

"No, I never said anything. Apart from me and the Imperial Physician, did you tell anyone else, Daiyu?"

"No, I didn't," she lied.

"Then, I'm sorry." Rong drew his sword. He looked at her sadly. "I don't want to have to do this."

"Then don't."

"I made my father a promise. I can't go back on my word."

Tang Daiyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she nodded.

"Very well."

Rong lunged, but he was no match for her. Using Hei Siwang, she swept out from him and twisted. She quickly hit his acupoints. After he collapsed to the ground unconscious, she knelt down next to him.

"I considered you a friend once. It’s a pity we had to end up this way."

Closing her eyes in concentration, she ignored her teacher's words and began to exchange her qi for Rong's. The process was much quicker since his qi wasn't as strong or built up. She poured all of her impure qi into him and took his normal qi.

When the exchange was done, she relaxed. Soon afterwards though, Feng Rong began to convulse. His body couldn't handle the strong, impure qi. A few minutes later, he went still. She held his wrist, feeling for a pulse. After a few moments of not feeling anything, she released him. Looking down sadly, a single tear dropped from her cheek onto his.

"I'm sorry, Rong. I hope your next life is more peaceful."

She pushed herself into a crouch and wrapped one of his arms around her back. Tang Daiyu walked back towards the safehouse, slightly dragging his body behind her. A few zhang away from the safehouse, she set down Feng Rong's body. She approached the building and slipped inside. After closing the front doors quietly, she turned around only to stare into a sturdy chest. Looking up, she saw a displeased look on Liang Yingzhou's face.

"Where have you been?"

"Y- you're awake? Did something startle you, Zhou-ge?"

He raised both of his hands and rested them against the doors, leaning forward and trapping her. She winced.

"Where have you been, Ah Daiyu?"

"Umm, I had to go to the bathroom?"

He gave her a look of disbelief. She swallowed and sighed.

"You can just scold me, Zhou-ge. I know I did wrong."

His face scrunched with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Can't you tell? You're the great Master Liang. Surely you'd know when you have your own qi back."

His eyebrows shot up. He closed his eyes and sensed for his qi. When he realised that she was right, his eyes flashed open.

"Ah Daiyu, what have you done?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I took care of things."

"What do you mean?"

She bit her lip and revealed her new, weak, normal qi.

Liang Yingzhou stared at it, shocked and confused.

"How? What happened?"

"That note from earlier today? I lied about it."

"Go on."

She looked down at the ground. "It was a message for me. They were asking me to meet them in a clearing somewhere in this forest at midnight."

"Ah Daiyu, how stupid can you be? What if they wanted to hurt you?"

Sadness filled her eyes as she looked up at him.

"He did."

"He?! He who?"

Silence. Liang Yingzhou saw her eyes begin to water.

"Who did you meet?"

Her voice was barely audible when she replied, "Rong."