Five five.

The carriage set out at the hour of the rabbit (5:00–7:00 AM) and paused for a brief rest at the hour of the horse (11:00 AM–1:00 PM) before continuing. After traveling several dozen miles, they finally halted at nightfall to kindle fires and cook.

The escort party consisted of over twenty prison guards and more than thirty soldiers from the Yanjing garrison in the North, all led by a garrison commander. They formed a circle in the woods beside the road, penning the prisoners within and driving them to gather firewood, tend the flames, wash clothes, and perform various menial tasks. A few unscrupulous guards even took liberties with the female prisoners.

Inside the dilapidated carriage, one was shielded from the harshest winds, yet it was hardly comfortable. The constant jolting and swaying left everyone with aching, sore posteriors and heads spinning with dizziness. Even so, they dared not disembark, fearing that if the guards took notice, they might be subjected to further harassment.

Yuezhi, naive to the ways between men and women, only knew that after being cramped in the carriage with Pei Heng all day, if she did not step out to stretch her legs, her lower body would surely become useless. She whispered to Pei Heng, "Do you feel any better? Shall we get out and catch some fresh air?"

"My head has stopped spinning. Let's go for a walk." Having spent the day in a state between half-fainting and fitful sleep, Pei Heng was drenched in sweat from the heavy cloak. He felt much more clear-headed now.

Yuezhi lifted the rear curtain, stepped down, and then helped Pei Heng out. Fearing that Cui Wenzhu and the others might pilfer their belongings, Yuezhi made sure to carry both of the bundles they had brought from the palace on her back.

As the sun sank behind the peaks, the sky ignited with a glow of crimson clouds. Pei Heng took a deep breath. Aside from the biting chill of autumn, he felt a strange sense of relief: having left the palace walls, he no longer had to constantly scrutinize his own conduct to ensure it was proper and submissive; even the simple act of breathing felt free.

Earlier that day, in his dazed state, he had endured the resentment of Cui Wenzhu and learned that his mother had sacrificed him to preserve herself. The news had been heart-wrenching at first, but now the grief had faded. His mother had always been that way; such things had happened more than once. Why should he continue to cling to the notion of maternal love?

Yuezhi, holding his wrist at his side, asked curiously, "Your Highness, do you know what kind of place the North is?"

Pei Heng regained his focus and replied, "The North is cold, with much wind and snow. Spring and summer are brief, while autumn and winter are long. The place where we are being sent should be Yanjing; it is near the border and has long been a place of exile."

Though he was young, he was remarkably knowledgeable. Whenever Yuezhi heard him discuss things she did not know, she felt he was much like the learned old scholars in the village school, and she felt both reverence and affection for him.

"Yuezhi..."

"Yes?"

"I have been deposed. Do not call me Your Highness anymore; if others hear it, it will be another grave offense."

Yuezhi immediately grew cautious. "I understand... then what should I call you?"

"Call me by my given name: Pei Heng."

A look of earnestness appeared on the boy's tender face. Yuezhi blinked, turning the name over in her mouth for a long time before she could stammer it out.

"Pei... Pei Heng..."

Seeing her silly, stuttering expression, Pei Heng could not help but laugh. "That is correct. And don't use honorifics like 'you' (nin) either. We are both prisoners now; there is no distinction of rank between us. We are the same."

After a moment of reflection, Yuezhi shifted her hand from beneath his wrist and took hold of his warm palm. "Like this?"

Pei Heng chuckled. "Exactly."

The boy was handsome, and his young cheeks crinkled into a smile that made him look like a delightful cat. Yuezhi felt a surge of joy, smiled back at him, and swung their joined hands. With just this tiny change, the distance that had once separated them seemed to vanish as if it had never existed.

On the way out, the older girl had helped the younger boy; on the way back, they walked hand in hand, like playmates lost in the woods. Perhaps because the guards were unwilling to provoke the deposed crown prince, no one ordered them to work, and even when they passed someone, the guards acted as if they were invisible.

Yuezhi was happy to be free and took the opportunity to search for her sworn brother. Before long, she spotted him by the stream. Zhang Ping'an was drawing water, and as he turned with two buckets, he saw Yuezhi and Pei Heng approaching.

He beamed at Yuezhi. "I was just planning to come find you after finishing my chores. I didn't expect you to find me first." He then looked at Pei Heng. "Are you the deposed crown prince?"

The words were tactless, and Yuezhi corrected him, "Brother, don't call him that. Just call him Young Master."

Zhang Ping'an gave a simple-minded nod and said to Pei Heng, "I didn't see you earlier, Young Master. My mother misses you so much at home. She always said you were smart and diligent, and that you understood everything despite your youth; she said you would surely achieve great things when you grew up." Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he quickly struck his own mouth. "Oh, look at this mouth of mine, I truly don't know how to speak."

Pei Heng did not take offense and asked with concern, "You are Mother Zhang's son. Do you know if she blames me?"

"No, no, that wasn't your fault. Besides, the Empress was also driven out of the palace. The winds of fortune change; who can know what tomorrow will bring?"

Zhang Ping'an was a crude man who blurted out whatever was on his mind, unaware that he had caused offense. Seeing the look of sorrow on Pei Heng's face, Yuezhi quickly squeezed between them to interrupt their reminiscing. More than judging the rights and wrongs of the past, she was worried about how they would survive the days of their exile.

"Brother, can you find a way to arrange for us to be in a carriage with fewer people? Pei Heng and I really don't want to be squeezed in with the Changsun family. They hate the Empress and treat us very poorly."

"Oh!" Zhang Ping'an slapped his forehead, remembering only after she mentioned it. "I was just about to tell you." He glanced around to ensure no one was watching before whispering, "Before leaving the city, I entrusted a friend at the Ministry of Justice to buy a carriage. I was afraid it would be too conspicuous to insert one during the day, so I had him trail slowly behind. It should arrive once it gets dark."

Yuezhi was both overjoyed and surprised. "You are so thoughtful, Brother, but buying a carriage cannot be cheap. It must have cost you a fortune." She reached into the lining of her clothes, pulled out two ingots of silver, and tried to press them into his hand.

Zhang Ping'an pushed her hand back. "The gold you gave my mother earlier was enough to buy a house with plenty left over. Winter is coming and the North is freezing; you should keep the silver so you and the Young Master can live comfortably when you reach Yanjing."

"I have more on me. You take these."

"You are still young; you don't know the hardships of daily life. Firewood, rice, oil, and salt all cost money, and decent winter clothes are even more expensive. You two will be strangers in a strange land in Yanjing, so you will have far more need for money than I do."

Zhang Ping'an was adamant about not taking the money and even gave her some smaller pieces of silver, warning her not to show her wealth. "In the future, you must break the silver ingots into smaller pieces to use. You are both so small and thin; if people know you have money, they will snatch it from you in an instant."

Yuezhi and Pei Heng grew serious, listening quietly as Zhang Ping'an imparted his survival wisdom:

—Before working for others, always inquire about the local rates, and either sign a contract or barter goods to avoid being cheated.

—Exiled slaves punished by the government can pay to redeem their status and become free citizens working in the colonies; it is thousands of times better than forced labor or servitude, so if there is an opportunity to buy one's freedom, one must take it.

—There are often human traffickers in the countryside; women and young children must rarely go out, never go out at night, and never engage with strangers of unknown origin...

By the time he finished speaking, night had completely fallen. The garrison commander urged them to boil water and cook, so Zhang Ping'an told them to board the carriage later and promised to find them once the purchased carriage arrived, then left with the water.

The wind stirred the clouds, revealing a cold, clear moon behind the dissipating shadows. Yuezhi squatted by the stream to wash her handkerchief in the faint moonlight, while Pei Heng stood by obediently, holding their two bundles.

The young girl's delicate hands were submerged in the cold water, scrubbing the white cloth until her knuckles turned red. Pei Heng looked at the heavy cloak he was wearing and felt a pang of shame. When she finished and stood up, he walked over, wiped the water from her hands with his sleeve, and took her hand in his.

The boy's palm was warm. Yuezhi was surprised by his gesture, and a soft, warm feeling bloomed in her heart.

"I'm not cold."

"I'm just too hot." Pei Heng turned his face away, returned the soft bundle containing clothes and sewing supplies to her, and carried the heavy one filled with books, ink, and brushes himself.

Yuezhi watched him, thinking: He truly is a good child.

The two walked slowly back to the camp where the fires were burning. In the camp, half the guards were on watch, while the other half sat around a boiling pot eating meat porridge. The prisoners were restricted to an open space; the male prisoners were forced to squat on the ground with their heads held in their hands, not allowed to stand.

Pei Heng glanced at the pile of male prisoners under a tree and saw a familiar figure: his uncle, Changsun Yi. After his grandfather died, the integrity of the Changsun family had been shattered, leaving only corrupt, cowardly vermin. He no longer held any affection for them, but his mother had doted on this mediocre and incompetent brother, considering the Changsun family in all things. Now that they had fallen to such a state, who could he blame?

He looked away from the prisoners and silently tightened his grip on Yuezhi's hand. Thinking about such heavy matters, inappropriate for his age, caused him immense pressure; only by Yuezhi's side could he briefly return to the ease and comfort that a child should have.

Looking up, he saw Yuezhi gazing longingly at the bubbling pot of meat porridge in the distance, her mouth almost watering. Her stomach growled, and she subconsciously rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand in response to his grip—simple and gentle.

*

Only when the first group of guards had eaten their fill did they distribute food to the prisoners: one dry, hard bun each.

The prisoners, who had been hungry all day, no longer cared about dignity, the distinction between master and servant, or years of friendship. They tore into the buns ravenously, and as soon as they finished their own, they snatched at the unfinished ones of others. As long as they could fill their bellies, they would have gladly eaten the grass on the ground.

The situation in the carriage where Cui Wenzhu and her daughter were held was even worse. Several of the maids ate quickly, and seeing that Xiuyu and Caiying still had half a bun left, they stared with red-rimmed eyes, frightening the two into stuffing the food into their mouths so fast they nearly choked.

Cui Wenzhu had never eaten such coarse grain. She took one bite and found it impossible to swallow, but seeing the maids' hungry, red-rimmed eyes, she threw her bun to them. However, within half an hour, she felt faint from hunger. Recalling the taste of that single bite, she found it strangely sweet and grew hungrier the more she thought about it.

"Mother, I'm hungry..." Changsun Huaqing leaned against her, listless, cold, and hungry, unable to even fall asleep.

Cui Wenzhu was hungry herself and said impatiently, "You had a bun and didn't eat it; now you know what hunger is?"

"I didn't have a bun..." Changsun Huaqing was so aggrieved she was on the verge of tears.

Only then did Cui Wenzhu realize that when the guards distributed the food, the maids had not given any to her daughter, and because she had been so irritable from her own disdain for the food, she hadn't even noticed.

"You base wretches!" All the dissatisfaction she had repressed for the day erupted. She grabbed the maid beside Changsun Huaqing, pulled her hair, and slapped her face fiercely. "The family raised you for so many years; did we ever deny you food or drink? Now that we have fallen on hard times, you don't even share a morsel with your masters, and instead, you steal their food!"

The maid wept as she was beaten. Xiuyu pulled at Cui Wenzhu from the side, advising, "Madam, actually, what that girl Yuezhi said was right. We are destitute now, and the young miss has nothing to eat or drink. You might as well sell your fine clothes for some warmer garments and food."

Cui Wenzhu sneered; did she not know what these people were thinking? She ignored Xiuyu and held her daughter as she stepped out of the carriage.

Xiuyu rolled her eyes and was about to comment to Caiying, only to find that Caiying, who had been sitting beside her, was gone. Looking around after stepping out of the carriage, she saw Caiying walking back from the dark woods, her face rosy, wearing a thick new jacket, and with the scent of meat porridge on her breath.

Xiuyu was filled with jealousy. "Where did you go? You fed and clothed yourself and forgot all about us, didn't you?"

Caiying did not look at her directly. "I have my own ways. It's enough that I can look after myself; who has the time to worry about you?"

In a place like this, the ways a woman could use were limited to only a few.

Xiuyu scolded, "Shameless! You sold yourself for a ragged jacket and a few mouthfuls of food."

Caiying retorted, "Are you still dreaming of being the Crown Prince's concubine? In these times, everyone wants to find a protector to redeem their status; I'm afraid that even if you wanted to sell yourself, no one would want you." She pointed to the woods opposite. "Yuezhi is much smarter than you. She hooked up with a prison guard a long time ago, and she eats much better than you do."