Yunqi clenched his fists, jaw clenched tightly together as Qiu Jinwei paced next to him.

"This brat, how much trouble is he planning to make?" Yunqi grit out, barely keeping his voice level.

"My prince, as long as you're certain he didn't have access to any confidential information, there is only so much he could've done. We can still mitigate the damage," Qiu Jinwei said in a weak attempt at comforting him.

"We'll know once he's back," Yunqi replied.

"My apologies, your highness. I should've known something was wrong once he started pressing me about what you and the Third Prince were discussing," Qiu Jinwei said.

Yunqi shook his head. "It's not the first time he's acted like this, you couldn't have known that this would be the time he actually did something."

There was a knock at the door, and the housekeeper entered the study.

"My prince, we've escorted Young Master Shu back. Shall I send him in right now?" The housekeeper asked nervously. As contained as Yunqi's anger was, it was rare enough an occurrence to set the household on edge.

Yunqi let out a sigh, giving the housekeeper a nod. "Yes, tell him that I require his presence immediately. Don't give him a chance to do anything else."

The housekeeper bowed and left, shortly returning with Shu Zhengyan in tow. The young man entered the room, looking irritated and anxious in equal parts.

"Cousin, Mister Qiu," Shu Zhengyan greeted each of them in a half-mumble.

"Zhengyan, where did you go earlier? Didn't I specifically instruct you to never leave the household alone? I thought my heart was going to stop when I realized you had left without a word," Yunqi scolded him, unable to fully keep the harsh edge out of his voice.

Shu Zhengyan lowered his head, looking chagrined. "I'm sorry, cousin. I...I didn't really do anything much, I just wanted to check in on the guys from my household."

"Is that how it was? Zhengyan, I already know what you've done. Now it's up to you, do you want to say it yourself or do you wish for me to say it?" Yunqi demanded.

Shu Zhengyan looked up in surprise, the gears in his head turning furiously as he tried to figure out if Yunqi was bluffing or not. The fact that Yunqi was uncharacteristically expressing his anger seemed to suggest that the Fifth Prince really had figured it out, but Shu Zhengyan didn't want to take the risk that it was all a bluff.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zhengyan said softly.

"You don't? Really, Zhengyan. As disappointed as I may be with you, at the very least I wish for you to act with honor when confronted with your misdeeds. An upright man dares to act and dares to take responsibility," Yunqi said, his voice low and dangerous.

Zhengyan gulped, glancing at Qiu Jinwei. The strategist started back with a disapproving frown.

After a long moment, Zhengyan's shoulders slumped a little. "I'm very sorry, cousin. I shouldn't have placed a recording talisman in your study."

Yunqi was livid and shocked in equal measure, but to his credit, managed to keep on acting as though he already knew. "That's all you have to apologize for?"

Shu Zhengyan shrank back a little at Yunqi's icy tone. "Cousin, this really isn't a chance we can afford to pass up! If it doesn't go well, I'm happy to take the blame for it. But on the off-chance that it does, then both the Seventh Prince and the Zhao household will take a huge blow," he said.

"Surely you didn't," Yunqi said in horror. "You fool!"

Qiu Jinwei hastily stepped forward. "My prince, please calm your anger. Young Master Shu, who in the Seventh Prince's household did your messenger speak to?"

"My messenger didn't know anything, I just had him deliver a scroll to the Seventh Prince's secretary," Shu Zhengyan said in a small voice.

"You gave physical evidence to the Seventh Prince's strategist?!" Qiu Jinwei screeched. "Good heavens, did you at least tell the messenger to leave the city?!"

"No," Shu Zhengyan said hesitantly. "But I told him to lay low after he was done."

"Lay low where? At the building he rented?" Qiu Jinwei pressed on.

"Well, yes, but the safe house is under the name of someone who isn't affiliated with the Shu family," Shu Zhengyan said. His voice wavered uncertainly.

Yunqi let out a noise of frustration, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Zhengyan, return to your room immediately," Yunqi grit out.

"Cousin, I-"

"Housekeeper Ke!" Yunqi called. The housekeeper quickly entered, bowing his head.

"At your service, my prince."

"Escort my cousin back to his room. I want eyes on him at all times, regardless of day or night, he is not to leave this household under any circumstances from this moment onwards until I retract my orders," Yunqi said.

"Wait, cousin!" Zhengyan protested.

"Understood, my prince." The housekeeper bowed before turning to Shu Zhengyan. "Young Master Shu, if you please."

With an angry huff, Shu Zhengyan allowed the housekeeper to lead him away. Yunqi dropped his head into his hands, a growing sense of dread weighing down his body.

He let out a sigh, staring blankly at the floor in despair. "We're done for, aren't we? In any case...notify Third Brother. More likely than not, this will get ugly."

----------------------------------------

Back in the Seventh Prince's residence, Kayla carefully placed the incriminating scroll into Xianchun’s hands. “This letter is a trap. I’m not sure who sent this to you, but their malice isn’t just directed at me.”

Xianchun frowned. “Is it true then?”

“You can say it’s true and you can also say it isn’t true,” Kayla said, keeping her tone casual. “Whoever it is, they’re great at making ambiguous statements to stir up a fuss. I’m almost wondering if they got an auntie with a love for gossip to write this for them.”

Shit, I said that last part out loud.

“I can’t say that they’re completely wrong, but I can definitely tell you that it’s not completely right either. Because of how ambiguous the situation was, no one other than the ones directly involved can give their judgment. For anyone else to try to make use of it would be fanning a fire to burn themselves,” Kayla pressed on.

“Then what is the situation? I’d rather hear you explain it yourself,” Xianchun replied.

“Could you tell me who sent this to you first?” Kayla asked.

“Shu Zhengyan. You may have heard of him, he’s Fifth Brother’s maternal cousin,” Xianchun said without hesitation. Kayla stared at him in surprise for a moment, gears spinning inside her head.

No wonder Xianchun isn’t hesitating to tell me, it involves the Fifth Prince. Wait, was there a guy like that in the original novel? Other than his mother, none of Yunqi’s maternal family had ever appeared until they were killed by Xianchun.

“I guess you haven’t heard then,” Xianchun said. “Father previously prohibited anyone from the Shu family to return to the capital, but he recently made an exception for Shu Zhengyan to join Yunqi’s household.”

The Emperor stops everyone from coming back except a guy who stirs up trouble and gets caught so easily? Is he trying to make an excuse to depose Yunqi? But why would he do that? It tips the scales in Xianchun’s favor if the Third Prince loses Yunqi.

Kayla hesitated for a moment. No, the Emperor has no reason to do that. He’s ambivalent towards Yunqi and the Wise Consort, it’s the Shu family that he wants to get rid of. Was he hoping Shu Zhengyan would make a mistake? This feels more like something the Empress Dowager would do, but she values family a lot while the Emperor’s the one who’s more likely to treat his in-laws like this.

“How…unexpected,” Kayla managed.

“Shu Zhengyan was allowed back because he’s bad at everything. In other words, he’s not a threat,” Xianchun explained. “But it seems he’s still rather valued within Fifth Brother’s household if he was able to get hold of this information. Now that I’ve explained my side of things, it’s your turn.”

Kayla nodded. “Thank you, my prince. As for my situation, it's a little complicated. But to put it simply, Liu Hongyu was infatuated with my mother.”

Xianchun stared at her in surprise. “What?”

“He hid it well, but he was actually rather obsessive. I take after her, so my grandfather decided to make use of that to cement his alliance with Liu Hongyu. It was mostly just drinking free wine while listening to him spout bullshit and slander, but it was difficult to deal with him because he kept bringing up my mother,” Kayla explained. “That was why I eventually got fed up and complained to uncle.”

“Hence the lese-majeste charges,” Xianchun muttered. “But even if that were the case, it only adds to Liu Hongyu’s crimes. How does that implicate you and the Grand Duke?”

“Liu Hongyu wasn’t just like that towards my mother, but towards me as well. The letter was just saying it in a way that would cause people to misunderstand. There wasn’t any 'relationship' to speak of per se, it was just that Liu Hongyu would speak inappropriately every so often, but my grandfather ignored all my complaints. It wasn’t really anything serious, but definitely enough that the rumors would spiral out of control. Since my grandfather values his reputation, I was able to make use of that,” Kayla said, drastically understating everything to the best of her abilities.

But how the hell did the Fifth Prince find out? Kayla grimaced a little. She didn’t think Hu Qing worked for the Third Prince’s faction, but either there was someone really good at piecing together bits of a puzzle by instinct alone, or the information had been leaked.

So we still can’t exclude the Grand Duke either…She was startled out of her thoughts by Xianchun’s angry response.

“How is it not serious? He dared to humiliate an official of the court and a member of the Imperial Family at that!” Xianchun snapped. “Then what about that time you left his household covered in wine? Was that nothing serious either?”

“So you also heard about that,” Kayla muttered.

“The entire city heard about it.”

“I was only aiming for a small fuss, but I guess it stirred up more attention than I expected,” Kayla said. “That was when I went to apologize to him and he poured a bottle of wine on my head.”

“Apologize? For what?”

“I splashed wine on him because I got fed up. But that’s not important,” Kayla said.

“Sometimes I really have to wonder about what you consider important,” Xianchun replied.

Kayla avoided Xianchun’s piercing stare.

“This information isn’t something I’d make use of, so you can rest at ease about that.”

Kayla glanced at him in surprise. This time, Xianchun was the one to hold the cards. Was he really going to let go of this chance?

“I still remember your criticism from last time with Yu Bianfu,” Xianchun said drily. “You asked why the prince of a nation would stoop to using such methods.”

When the hell did I say that? I don’t even remember anymore.

Kayla lowered her head. “I apologize for my rudeness.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Forget it. But why did you wait this long to start taking action? Your grandfather treated you in such a degrading way, how on earth did you put up with it?” Xianchun asked.

Kayla shook her head. “I’ve been terrified of my grandfather since I was a young child. While my mother was alive, I was taught to respect and obey him, and once she passed away…well, let’s just say things got worse.”

“That was about when you became an official,” Xianchun remarked softly.

“It’s just as you say. My mother had just died, and I relied on my grandfather for a lot of help, so it was all the more difficult to speak up against him or refuse his orders,” Kayla said.

“You had the support of my father and grandmother, more so than we did. Why didn’t you ask for help?” Xianchun asked.

“It wasn’t just a matter of political support. There was also that I thought of him first and foremost as my family member, so even if only out of emotional attachment, it was difficult to refuse or strike back. It took a while, but eventually, I realized that not just myself, but the entire Zhao family was doomed if things went on like this,” Kayla explained.

Xianchun sighed, nodding. “It seems you've been in a difficult position. In any case, you have nothing to worry about from me. But what do you plan on doing about Fifth Brother?”

“I get the feeling that this isn’t his doing. Most likely, it’s that Shu Zhengyan who went behind his back,” Kayla said. “Fifth Cousin wouldn’t approve of such a thing, it’s not his style. He’s the most gentlemanly out of us. If anything, he’s also been screwed over by this.”

“You have quite the high opinion of him,” Xianchun said.

“If it were the other way around, I also wouldn’t think that you were behind it,” Kayla said, not at all believing that.

“Good, I would be angry if you thought otherwise. Even if you’re not my ally, you at least share some of the same goals. I wouldn’t make such a low-handed attack against you.”

“Thank you for your words, my prince,” Kayla said. “And speaking of which, I still haven’t given my thanks for your help in the Li Sanjin case. Without Minister Liang’s support, there’s no way I could’ve gotten out of that one whole and hale.”

“As I said, we share the same goals. It’s only natural,” Xianchun replied. “Let’s deal with it like this, I’ll send this scroll directly back to Fifth Brother and see how he responds.”

Kayla mulled it over before nodding her assent. If it was Shu Zhengyan acting out by himself, Yunqi would be scrambling to clean up the mess, and if for some reason the Fifth Prince had been involved, his cautious nature would prevent him from making a move before ascertaining Xianchun’s reaction.

She watched Xianchun carefully as he called in a servant and gave him the scroll and some instructions. Once they were left alone again, Xianchun gave her a reassuring nod.

“I’m grateful for your support, especially given the events of the last few days,” Kayla said.

“The Li Sanjin case must have been difficult for you. But you used to work in the Ministry of Justice, surely they didn’t trouble you too much?”

“Of course not, they were very considerate. It’s just…” Kayla trailed off, trying to create a chance to naturally bring up the lack of direct blood relation between Wenyuan and the Grand Duke.

“Is there something else troubling you?” Xianchun asked.

“I’m just having a hard time adjusting. I only learned the other day the truth about my father, and now I suddenly feel so out of place in the Zhao household,” Kayla said.

Xianchun shifted to lean forward. “What are you talking about? What about your father?”

“It seems that…well, my father isn’t the Grand Duke’s son,” Kayla mumbled.

“What?” Xianchun gave her a look of utter disbelief. “That’s not possible! He was the heir, wasn’t he? He even managed to marry my aunt!”

“It’s complicated,” Kayla said hesitantly. “But could I trouble you to hear out my frivolous concerns?”

“Of course, go ahead,” Xianchun said, badly hiding his curiosity.

“Well, it’s like this…”

----------------------------------------

Yunqi leaned his chin on his hand, breathing in deeply as Qiu Jinwei paced the room.

“What’s with you two?”

Yunqi glanced up, his eyes filling with relief at the sight of Kuang’s arrival.

“I humbly greet the Third Prince,” Jinwei mumbled, bowing toward Kuang.

“Brother!” Yunqi shot up from his chair. Kuang closed the distance between them and gently pushed Yunqi back into his seat.

“What’s happened?” Kuang asked with concern. If Yunqi, who was usually the epitome of restraint and calmness lost his cool, it was evident that something major had gone down.

“It’s Shu Zhengyan, that accursed fool! He got ahold of Jinwei's theory from our last discussion,” Yunqi took a deep breath, trying to forcefully quell his temper.

"How on earth is that possible? We were the only ones here," Kuang said.

“Sir Shu admitted to using a recording spell,” Jinwei cut in.

“What?!” Kuang said in disbelief. “What does he think he's doing? How could he be so insolent and faithless when you’ve welcomed him into your home and given him your trust?”

“That’s not the worst of it,” Yunqi said heavily. He hesitated, searching for the words.

Jinwei stepped in and continued for him. “Sir Shu confessed that he had his subordinate leak the information to the Seventh Prince.”

“Good heavens, what the hell does he think he’s doing? He’ll bring a crisis upon all of us!” Kuang snarled. “That brat, I don’t care if he wants to dig his own grave, but not if he’s dragging you in! If it's difficult for you to reprimand him, I'll do it for you!”

Yunqi dropped his head into his hands in despair. “He thinks he did well by setting up a trap, but he’s the one who walked right into one! Now that Xianchun has everything he needs to crush the Shu family, how can we possibly expect him to hold back?”

Kuang hurriedly put a hand on Yunqi’s shoulder. “Yunqi, calm down, I’ll definitely figure out a solution to this,” he comforted him.

“The best solution is to hand the life and death of Shu Zhengyan to Minister Zhao,” Jinwei chimed in.

“No! Absolutely not! My uncle begged me on his knees to protect Zhengyan, how can I hand him over like that?!”

Jinwei flinched a little at Yunqi’s uncharacteristic shout. “T-then the second-best solution is to directly admit Shu Zhengyan's guilt, but insist on taking responsibility yourself. If the prince is taking responsibility, Minister Zhao will definitely feel pressured to drop it, and perhaps we can work out a deal with the Seventh Prince by offering some concessions. After all, we still have something to hold over Minister Zhao, so he'll also be inclined towards arbitrating an agreement. But if the Emperor catches wind of this somehow…”

“Then the Shu family’s truly done for,” Kuang finished the thought for him. “I won’t allow that.”

He turned to Yunqi, who looked increasingly disheartened. “Yunqi, I understand your difficulties. I’ll take responsibility, so just push everything onto me,” Kuang said comfortingly, clapping a hand onto Yunqi’s shoulder.

“No, definitely not. Third Brother, my family’s fate, as well as the fate of this country, all of it depends on your success,” Yunqi said. He drew in a deep breath, forcing a smile. “I’ll take care of it.”

“This’ll only be a small setback, it won’t matter in the long run! We can just agree to whatever Xianchun asks. That kid may be smart, but he’s not far-sighted enough to cause us critical damage. I can’t stand by and let your predicament become more difficult than it already is,” Kuang insisted.

“An embankment of a thousand miles can be destroyed by an ant colony, a building of a hundred meters can be burnt down by sparks from a crack in the chimney. Important matters under heaven are all decided by details, and the throne is no exception,” Yunqi said. “I can’t let something like this become a burden to you. Xianchun sent Shu Zhengyan’s message right back to me just earlier. I didn't tell you or Jinwei yet, but before you came in, I already sent a messenger to apologize to Wenyuan and Xianchun.”

“Yunqi!” Kuang grabbed Yunqi by the shoulders with a distressed expression, hastily loosening his grip to avoid using too much strength.

“It’s alright, Third Brother. It’s because I have such a reliable brother that I’m fine with doing this,” Yunqi assured him.

“Yunqi, you really…I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness, but where does that leave you? What will you do if Xianchun makes a fuss out of this?” Kuang asked. “No, we can’t wait until he makes a move. That kid doesn’t hold back in the slightest, looking ahead without thinking about the consequences. I’ll go right now and meet with him and Wenyuan. If I offer concessions of some sort-”

“I already stated that I will send Shu Zhengyan from the capital and that I will properly recompense them however they wish, they should be satisfied with ousting me from the court. Thank you, Third Brother. But like you said, Xianchun doesn’t have a sense of restraint. Who knows how he’ll force your hand? It’ll leave us in a very beholden position, and I can’t allow that. Whatever concessions he asks for will have to come from me.”

“Sending Shu Zhengyan back? Do you know how much trouble that’ll cause you? Your family will definitely kick up a fuss!” Kuang said.

“I’ll manage. I feel apologetic towards my uncle, but it can’t be helped,” Yunqi said grimly.

“You’re sending me out of the capital?”

Yunqi and Kuang turned at the sound of Zhengyan’s voice.

"What are you doing here?" Yunqi demanded. "I ordered you to reflect on your misdeeds in your room."

“Cousin, my father begged on his knees for this chance, but you’d chase me out like this?” Zhengyan said in a small voice.

“Do you even realize how much trouble you’ve caused?” Kuang asked angrily. “You’ve created a mess for your cousin to deal with! What else could you expect him to do?!”

“Third Brother,” Yunqi hastily stepped between them. “I’ll deal with this, please leave it to me.”

Kuang gave him a sympathetic look, gently patting Yunqi on the arm.

“Alright then, I’ll head back first. My men will keep an eye on Xianchun and Wenyuan and track whatever moves they make, so don’t worry too much,” Kuang comforted him.

“Thank you,” Yunqi said. Kuang gave him a nod and left the room, shooting an angry look in Zhengyan’s direction. Jinwei hastily bowed in Yunqi’s direction before heading out as well.

Once they were alone in the room, Yunqi let out a sigh.

“Zhengyan, it’s not that I don’t want to keep you, but look at what you’ve done,” Yunqi said in a weary voice.

“What’s so wrong with what I did? I only did what you must’ve thought of!”

“But I didn’t do it for a reason,” Yunqi replied. “Why did you think to go against my wishes like this?”

“I did it because I knew you wouldn’t! I knew you were too much of a coward!” Shu Zhengyan shouted.

Yunqi stared at his cousin in disbelief and outrage, finally losing his temper.

“Curse you, you fool!” Yunqi snarled in a low voice. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? You’ve dishonored me, and you’ve dishonored your house! If you were going to make a move like this, did it not at least occur to you not to make such a mess out of it?!”

“I may not have done it well, but don’t you see that we have no choice? What good is honor when we’ve already fallen to these straits?” Shu Zhengyan shot back. “Are we meant to sit and wait for death?!”

“I’m already working on it!” Yunqi shouted. Zhengyan stepped back in surprise. Yunqi almost never raised his voice, and it was the first time Zhengyan had ever borne witness to the sight. After a long moment, Zhengyan shook his head.

“And how long will that take?” Zhengyan asked. “You’d wait for the Seventh Prince to gain enough ground to fight the Third Prince on equal terms like the Empress Dowager wishes, and then overtake him? What happens to us in the meantime? The Emperor doesn’t care about whether or not we make it through, but don’t you care at least? Your mother, your grandfather, your uncles, your cousins, you’d leave us all to face our demise like this?!”

“Of course not! As I said, I’m already doing what I can! Can’t you see that your course of action will only worsen the situation?” Yunqi demanded.

“How much worse can it get? Do you know that my sister’s husband tried to divorce her? They’ve been married for twelve years, and the second our family lost our influence, he didn’t hesitate to force her out along with her children in front of the entire household! And my other siblings and cousins, everyone who was purged from the military had their assets seized. They were forced to leave the military posts in the middle of the day, before all of their colleagues and subordinates. We’ve loyally served the dynasty for our entire lives, only to be publicly humiliated and brought to ruin! And what have you done?” Zhengyan hissed.

Zhengyan stepped closer to Yunqi, glaring at him as though lamenting iron that can’t turn into steel. “You’re the Fifth Prince. You’re the hope of our clan! But what you've done nothing! Do you know how much hope we’ve squandered on you? The fact that you won’t even try for the throne and instead support the Third Prince notwithstanding, you wouldn’t even fight for our family in court and hid in your household instead!”

“You don’t understand anything! My father’s always been wary of our clan’s military power, and now I’m meant to gain political power as well? If I had chosen to fight for our family in the Imperial court, what do you think would’ve happened? You wouldn’t be standing here right now, and our grandfather would no longer be alive! I’ve seen enough of the court, of what happened to my older brothers and their families, I know what I can do and that I can’t do if I want our family to survive!” Yunqi snarled. “This is the path I chose after considering every possible option, you have no idea how close our family was to facing extermination!”

“The Emperor wants to cull the clans, I know this much. But who’s his primary opponent? Isn’t it the Grand Duke? He’s too much of a coward to take on that old codger, so he sharpens his blade on us instead!” Zhengyan shot back. “And you’ve got a whole armory of excuses for why you’ve chosen to stand by and allow this! Look at the Third Prince, the older brother you rely on so much. His clan has plenty of military power as well, but why has his family been left alone? It’s because he’s fighting for them!”

“It’s because they’re spread out across various posts in the country, all of which still need them there! Our clan’s concentrated in the Northeast, who do you think the Emperor views as a greater threat?” Yunqi shouted. “I don’t care if you think I’m a coward, but I won’t allow you to doom our clan with your short-sightedness!”

He jabbed a finger in Zhengyan’s chest, fighting the urge to grab his cousin by the shoulders and shake some sense into him.

“All these years, my father has always treated me and my mother as though we were his enemies and not his wife and child, I know exactly the weight of our clan in his heart. Ever since I was a child, I’ve thought through the various scenarios and how to deal with them over and over, because I knew this would happen eventually! Did I not warn grandfather? Did I not warn my uncles? But none of you would listen. Even with my marriage, I warned you guys to take your hands off of it! But they interfered anyways to satisfy their greed, and look what happened. The moment my father allowed my wife to be killed, that was the moment when our clan’s fate was decided. I withdrew from politics to a nominal role to try and appease my father. That’s the only reason why you were allowed to return to the capital and why you're still breathing right now!”

Zhengyan broke eye contact, his eyes filling with tears. From the obstinate clench of his jaw, Yunqi could tell that Zhengyan didn’t understand. Yunqi let out a deep sigh, stepping away from his cousin to sink into a chair.

“Zhengyan, leave the capital and don’t send anyone to replace you. I’ll arrange for your journey and give you some funds to take with you, so don’t do anything foolish and live quietly until things take a turn for the better,” Yunqi said.

The heavy weight of his clan felt as though it was crushing his ribcage to squeeze his organs until they burst. Yunqi had no idea how he was supposed to wrap up the situation with Wenyuan and Xianchun, but at the very least, he could save Zhengyan from their wrath, even if his cousin didn’t understand Yunqi’s intentions in the slightest.

“You’re really chasing me out,” Zhengyan said in a trembling voice.

“You forced my hand,” Yunqi replied.

Zhengyan stood in the doorway, glaring at Yunqi for a long moment before storming off. Alone in the room again, Yunqi buried his head in his hands.

“For heaven’s sake, just what am I supposed to do?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, clasping trembling fingers together tightly. His only hope now was that Wenyuan and Xianchun would be willing to compromise. But if Wenyuan felt offended enough, there was no telling what the man would do. If this was brought into the palace, the situation would spiral out of control.

Father would have the excuse he needs to kill my uncle and grandfather, Yunqi tried to breathe past the sinking weight in his chest. Then what happens to my mother? What about the rest of the family?

Yunqi opened his eyes, staring desolately into the distance.

What happens to me?