THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE KAIHUANG ERA began as a tumultuous one. Before even the first month had passed, the capital was rocked by a series of strange events.
The Prince of Qin's banquet on the night of the Lantern Festival followed by the uproar at Daxingshan Temple were enough to leave people reeling. In the days that followed, the news that the seventh prince's residence had been confiscated for investigation and that Princess Leping had been reprimanded and ordered to reflect in solitude barely raised a ripple.
But despite the year's explosive beginnings, the city ultimately settled back into peace. Arrangements were made for the casualties, and Daxingshan Temple was temporarily closed for repairs. The empress's health had greatly improved. The crown prince and the Prince of Jin were well on their way to recovery, and Cui Buqu had woken from his coma and grew stronger every day. Soon, he'd be able to walk and enjoy the sun in the courtyard.
Everything was going well. The only flaw in all this loveliness was the matter of Deputy Chief Feng's hair.
There were thousands of beauties in the world, of all different types—yet even among those, Deputy Chief Feng stood out. Perhaps "beauty" was too effeminate a word. Feng Xiao's appearance wasn't effeminate in the least; he was stunningly handsome. Yet when one's handsomeness reached an extreme, it, too, became a kind of beauty.
A true beauty would remain beautiful regardless of how they wore their hair. It didn't matter if they were bald, or had long hair, or even if their hair was as stringy as weeds. At first, this was Feng-er's attitude as well. He donned Buddhist robes and played at being a monk. Those who didn't know him mistook him for a young devotee who'd left his temple to wander the world.
But as spring yielded to summer, he realized that having no hair was rather inconvenient. Firstly, his head was always cold, a sensation he found generally unpleasant. Secondly, hair was ugliest not when it was absent, nor when it was long, but during the in-between stage when it was just starting to grow out. Neither long nor short, the stubble pricked Feng Xiao every time he touched his head out of habit.
When he looked in the mirror, Feng Xiao found himself gripped by a rare moment of self-doubt.
Recently, Cui Buqu had grown somewhat aloof toward Feng Xiao. Likewise, the Zuoyue Bureau seemed distant when they dealt with the Jiejian Bureau: businesslike and lukewarm. Feng Xiao knew Cui Buqu was fond of his face, even if he never said so. This fondness rarely showed itself openly, but Feng Xiao was certain of it. A person's eyes never lied.
After all, who didn't love beauty? Even enlightened monks might not escape its hold. Feng-er didn't waste his time wondering whether Cui Buqu loved him for his face or his mind, because it was a stupid question. Both his face and mind were part of him. Feng Xiao firmly believed that even if someone with his exact same face showed up, Cui Buqu's heart wouldn't be swayed. Any such person would lack Feng Xiao's unrivaled soul. Only by combining the two would you get the peerless, one-of-a-kind man known as Feng Xiao.
Yet this made Cui Buqu's recent aloofness all the more perplexing.
Feng Xiao felt that personally interrogating Cui Buqu would make him appear overly concerned, so he arranged for Qin Miaoyu to deliver holiday gifts as an excuse to drop by.
When Feng Xiao had first brought Qin Miaoyu on as his subordinate, Feng Xiao had only valued her skill with fragrances. He'd never anticipated she would so accurately live up to her name—clever speech. Qin Miaoyu was quick-witted and astute. The only people in the Jiejian Bureau who knew about him and Cui Buqu were her and Ming Yue, but Ming Yue was a simple and honest man, plainspoken to a fault. Feng Xiao had little hope for him. Qin Miaoyu, on the contrary, was adept at observing others and provided a fair amount of assistance.
Feng Xiao knew she wished to remain in the capital, so he went with the flow and let her stay. Besides, she'd made great contributions during the Lantern Festival incidents.
This time, however, even Qin Miaoyu returned defeated. Her expression was a little odd as she gazed at Feng Xiao. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
"Spit it out!" said Feng Xiao, irritated.
"I didn't see Chief Cui," said Qin Miaoyu. "It seems the Zuoyue Bureau has taken a new case from the Ministry of Justice. His esteemed self wasn't free to meet with me."
Feng Xiao's expression screamed you're completely useless.
Indignant, Qin Miaoyu continued. "But I did hear some news your lordship may want to know, which is why I came back. Chief Cui visited the palace two days ago. Empress Dugu wishes to arrange a marriage between you and Princess Lanling and asked him to ascertain your opinion."
Throughout history, marrying into the royal family had been the greatest of honors. For ministers, it was an enormous boost to their own status and authority, not to mention elevating that of their future descendants. But both the emperor and empress knew that these boons were likely of little use to Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu. Neither was the type to bow down to power and wealth. Forcing a marriage upon them might end up driving them away instead.
Empress Dugu admired Feng Xiao, but admiring him from afar and wanting him as her son-in-law were two different things. She was a sensible person with a good read on Feng Xiao's character; she knew he was unlikely to submit to a conferral of marriage. Forcing him would only put the princess's happiness at risk. Yet she couldn't resist her daughter's pleas, and so had resorted to asking Cui Buqu to persuade Feng Xiao in her stead.
Qin Miaoyu reported that not only had Cui Buqu not seen Feng Xiao for the past few days, he hadn't set foot outside the Zuoyue Bureau at all.
Could he be jealous? Feng Xiao was instantly certain that he was. But given Cui Buqu's reserved and brooding nature, he would never admit it directly. In that case, Feng Xiao would deign to ask after Cui Buqu, lest the poor man make himself ill with sulking. He'd only just managed to recuperate, after all; this would ruin his health all over again.
With this in mind, Deputy Chief Feng tidied his clothes, touched his slightly cool and prickly scalp, and sauntered off toward the Zuoyue Bureau.
At the same time, a different guest had come to call on Cui Buqu.
The chief of the Zuoyue Bureau usually had little patience for socializing, but today, he was in an oddly good mood. He sat down to converse with his guest, demonstrating a rare gentleness.
When Feng Xiao arrived, he found Cui Buqu speaking to a girl with her head slightly bowed, as if bashful. She paused every few words, but Cui Buqu never rushed her.
Feng Xiao was only too familiar with this girl: Yuwen Eying, the granddaughter of the emperor and daughter of Princess Leping.
Yuwen Yihuan had been able to conceal her identity and wreak such havoc only thanks to Princess Leping's secret assistance. If the princess hadn't had a sudden change of heart and rushed to the palace, Empress Dugu might still be bedridden. After those events, the empress and her daughter were now of one heart. The empress couldn't bear to put the princess under house arrest, so two days ago, Yuwen Eying had been granted permission to visit. Grandmother and granddaughter embraced and cried, putting past grievances to rest, and the restrictions on the princess's residence were lifted.
Feng Xiao knew all this—but it didn't explain why Yuwen Eying was here, and speaking so comfortably with Cui Buqu at that.
Neither of them raised their heads when he entered. He pointedly cleared his throat.
Cui Buqu and Yuwen Eying both turned to look at him, and Cui Buqu's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why has Deputy Chief Feng graced our Zuoyue Bureau with a personal visit? You didn't even send someone to announce your arrival! We've been terribly rude; I beg your pardon."
Feng Xiao had been standing in the doorway for ages. He refused to believe Cui Buqu hadn't seen him. Nevertheless, he smiled brightly. "Please don't be so stiff, Chief Cui. I come see you here every few days, yet I notice you never come to see me. Shall I step back outside and try again so you can welcome me properly?"
Cui Buqu's smile didn't reach his eyes. He gestured toward the doorway. "Please."
Yuwen Eying's gaze darted between them. Something unspeakably odd was going on here. She couldn't classify them as friends because every word they exchanged was barbed. Yet she wasn't certain they were enemies, because they didn't seem to hate each other either.
"Chief Cui?" Yuwen Eying interjected.
Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao turned to her as one. Timidly, she asked, "May I stay at the Zuoyue Bureau tonight?"
"Of course."
"No!"
Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao spoke simultaneously, then glanced at each other. Feng Xiao arched a brow.
Yuwen Eying was baffled. Cui Buqu reassured her gently. "You can stay a few days if you wish, Duchess Yuwen. Just send someone to inform the princess. It's no trouble."
Yuwen Eying nodded. "Thank you, Chief Cui!"
Cui Buqu had someone take her to the guest quarters, then turned to Feng Xiao with a slanted smile. "What important business brings Deputy Chief Feng here today?"
Naturally Feng Xiao didn't say that he was afraid Cui Buqu would elope with a demoness. He followed Cui Buqu's lead and took a seat, his posture straight-backed and proper. "I merely came to see if Chief Cui was still alive. If you were dead, I'd have come to offer condolences and some money for your funeral."
"So Deputy Chief Feng hopes I'll die soon?" said Cui Buqu steadily. "Then all those things you said at my bedside while I was on death's door were lies?"
Feng Xiao snorted. "What things? My venerable self doesn't remember!"
Cui Buqu nodded thoughtfully. "As the saying goes, there are three great joys in life: wealth, a promotion, and a dead first wife. It seems Deputy Chief Feng is on the verge of being visited by two of them. Let me be first to offer my congratulations. I hope you climb ever higher and enjoy a hundred years of happiness together."
Feng Xiao sneered. "Enough with this nonsense. I'm asking—" He stopped short as if he'd choked on a walnut mid-sentence and stared at Cui Buqu. "What did you just say?"
"Climb ever higher, a hundred years of happiness together."
"Before that!"
"By marrying Princess Lanling, Deputy Chief Feng will climb higher in the hierarchy. Isn't this the arrival of a great joy?"
Feng Xiao's gaze sharpened. He leaned forward like a predator watching its prey. "I'm talking about the first line: wealth, a promotion, and a dead first wife!"
Cui Buqu feigned surprise. "Is Deputy Chief Feng cursing Princess Lanling?"
"Stop playing the fool!" Feng Xiao cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth in anger. He could never let his guard down with this man. It was rare to hear a single sincere remark from his lips, and now he was playing it off.
Actions spoke louder than words. Feng Xiao grasped Cui Buqu's chin, pulling him in for a deep kiss that silenced him completely. Just as Cui Buqu thought he was about to be swallowed, bones and all, Feng Xiao released him. "I'll give you one more chance—say that line again properly."
If Cui Buqu were the type to cave to threats, he wouldn't have been Cui Buqu. "Which line? 'The empress wishes to arrange a marriage between you and Princess Lanling'?"
Feng Xiao scoffed. "If you're jealous, just say so. Why beat around the bush?"
Cui Buqu quirked a brow. "And do you dare claim you felt nothing when you saw me with Duchess Yuwen?"
Feng Xiao was fuming. "Do you ever speak an honest word?"
Briefly, Cui Buqu smiled. "Stragglers from the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai are still about. After the deaths of Xiao Lü and Yuwen Yihuan, some are taking out their frustrations on Princess Leping and her daughter. Someone at the princess's residence was poisoned, so Princess Leping is currently residing at the palace. Duchess Yuwen will remain at the Zuoyue Bureau to assist with the investigation. Now are you satisfied?"
"What do you mean satisfied?" Feng Xiao drawled, ever the contrarian. "My venerable self has never cared! I was only needling you earlier. I have no intention of marrying Princess Lanling; I was planning to go to the palace tomorrow to tell the empress as much. Yet here you are working yourself into a panic. You say you're not concerned, but I know you've been gritting your teeth in private. My venerable self had no choice but to step in to reassure you. If you let your personal feelings cloud your judgment and refused to cooperate with the Jiejian Bureau over this, wouldn't that jeopardize our shared mission?"
This man could turn black into white with his outrageous statements. Cui Buqu laughed in anger, then leaned in and sealed that lying mouth with his own lips.