Zi Siwei held his coat opening with his right hand while walking through the lightly dusted garden outside his room. The banquet had long ended indicated by the sky which was as dark as can be, with a few clouds moving across the horizon slowly.

It was no longer snowing so he didn’t bring an umbrella. However, the air was frigid, hence the need for a coat.

His head still ached from the silly mistake he made at the banquet earlier. A dull pain throbbed lightly with each step he took. He put his fingers to his temples, trying to soothe the pain. It would be no good if he collapsed now.

Truth be told, he didn’t know why he decided to go outside. Was it to get away from his unexpectedly sharp cousin? Or did he think he would see Dawa just by wandering the palace?

He shook the second possibility out of his mind. Concubines were watched closely. Besides eunuchs, other men weren’t allowed to enter their palaces let alone their rooms.

Zi Siwei continued to walk until he reached a fairly secluded area of the garden. There was a small stream to his left banked by some rocks. He sat on the rocks, his body facing the palace wall. He noticed a bare-barked plum tree with some blossoms stubbornly hanging on. He smiled slightly, inspiration flowing through his throbbing head.

He reached into his big sleeves and took out a tiny pouch. Opening it, Zi Siwei reached inside, his whole hand disappearing inside the bag.

This bag was called ‘The Shrinking Pouch’. It had an array stitched on it as part of the bag’s decoration that shrunk anything that was put inside. As such, the pouch also went by the name ‘The Anything Bag’ as literally anything can be put inside.

Zi Siwei pulled out a xiao from his ‘Anything Bag’. It was brown in colour, a very simply designed instrument unbefitting of someone of his status. He stared at the bare plum tree for a few moments before putting the flute to his lips.

A bright yet mellow sound resonated from the xiao, the melody flowing effortlessly like the Mother River the runs through the continent, providing life for everyone she touched.

The piece was improvised, something he thought on the spot. He played how he felt about the plum blossoms and how he admired the few that desperately cling to the branches despite the weather relentlessly forcing them to wither and die.

It wasn’t a sad tune, rather it was a celebratory one of sorts -- to celebrate the strength of those little flowers, how they keep living despite everything around them succumbing to the forces. It probably reflected his state of mind in the last few years.

Zi Siwei’s eyes were closed as he played, they were always closed whenever he played. Which is why he didn’t notice a figure peeking from the bushes in front of him.

Dawa had been training in the secret spot when she heard an instrument play. It sounded like some kind of flute but she didn’t recognise the timbre.

She hesitated to go to investigate as there was a high possibility that she will be spotted. She had been following the advice of Minister Hao the last time he was here and only training when the sky was dark and the moon covered by the clouds. There hadn’t been any news of her being spotted again or even of the assassin who tried to kill her months ago. It irritated her that there were still no new developments. However, as many in the place remind her on a daily basis, she is not a free woman so she cannot investigate on her own. She could send someone to do so but she was not close with a lot of the palace servants, including those in her household. She couldn’t bring herself to trust them fully after Minister Hao’s warning.

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Dawa tiptoed in the direction of the melancholic sound. She parted the leaves on the shrubs quietly and peeked through them. There, she saw Zi Siwei sitting on a rock in what looked to be inner wear, playing a flute.

She remembered their conversation from earlier that day. It was incredibly brief and a little awkward. She very much wanted to tell him about the stuffiness of the harem, the machinations of Imperial Concubine Lan and all the other things she was up to in the palace so far.

Dawa continued to kneel on the dirt and listen to Zi Siwei play. Hehe. He told me he played the xiao but when I asked him to play for me, he said he wasn’t good at it. Why be so humble General Zi?

She smiled the softest she had ever since she entered the palace. He was good. She would pay a king’s ransom of gold and jade to hear him play every day. She surrendered herself to the dulcet tones of the xiao and genuinely began to enjoy the music from her place on the ground.

Unbeknownst to her, her body started to tilt which cause her knees to snap a branch that was nearby in two.

Zi Siwei’s eyes flew open, his entire body on alert. “Who’s that?” He called out sharply, looking around.

Dawa covered her mouth to prevent her from squeaking in surprise. Crap! Stupid Dawa! Who told you to daydream…well, nightdream in this case?

Using her hands, she aided her legs in shuffling back to the meditation pool. Then she stood up slowly and grabbed her robes before quietly leaving the secret spot. Zi Siwei cannot absolutely see her in this state! Soaked with a see-through inner robe.

Zi Siwei craned his ears and walked towards the bush that Dawa was in earlier. He used his xiao to part the leaves and looked behind it.

He saw the secret space with the meditation pool. He was surprised that such a spot existed in the palace. He, who spent a lot of his childhood days in the palace had never come across such a place.

He stepped inside and took a quick look. It was obvious to him that someone was here. The dirt was disturbed and there were wet splotches everywhere.

Someone was doing something here but was startled by my presence. A spy perhaps?

It was concerning if a spy was doing their dirty work in this spot. It would do good to tell the Emperor if that was the case. However, Zi Siwei wanted to investigate further before reporting to His Majesty though.

He walked to the pool and a sparkle caught his eye. Upon close inspection it was six dewdrop-shaped earrings.

Upon seeing the earrings, his face gave off an unreadable expression but his eyes showed recognition. He carefully dried off the earrings and put them into his Anything Bag before leaving the secret spot quickly and quietly. He also made sure to set a protection array with his spiritual signature clearly engraved.

He put his xiao inside his Anything Bag before walking back as quietly as possible to his room where his cousin must be eating all the snacks that the palace could offer.

He opened the sliding door and stepped over the threshold. Zi Zhifan’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Da ge! You’re back!” He exclaimed happily. “How are you feeling?”

Zi Siwei smiled at his boisterous cousin, no doubt happy because of all the food he was able to eat, “I’m feeling good Zhifan.”

Zi Zhifan’s eyes looked a little surprised, “Really? You know da ge, you’ve never said you were happy or doing well ever! At least, as long as I’ve known you.”

Zi Siwei looked thoughtful for a few moments before replying, “I guess the walk was good for me after all.”

“That’s great da ge. Oh yeah! Would you like some tea or snacks? I can get them for you.”

Zi Siwei shook his head, “No need Zhifan. It’s past zishi, you should go back to your assigned room. Thanks for looking after me this afternoon until now.”

Zi Zhifan looked as if he might burst into tears of joy, “Zhifan thanks da ge for such praise! It is not deserved!”

Zi Siwei sighed but he had a smile on his face, “Don’t be so formal. We are no so apart in age…” before dismissing his cousin.

Zi Zhifan bounced off happily to his room, leaving Zi Siwei alone with his thoughts.

He made sure to brew tea and only tea, before setting it on the table. He took out his Anything Pouch and retrieved the dewdrop earrings.

He stared at them before chuckling, “You know the harem would never allow you to wear six earrings, yet how were you able to hide them on your ears?”

Although Zi Siwei and Dawa had not spoken in nearly half a year, there were many things around them that are bringing them the memories they lost while they were apart.