Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 9: Treason

Wei Zhen had something to say to him in person, so since the Crown Prince had come, she naturally had no reason to refuse the meeting.

She changed into a peach-red dress, her slender waist cinched with a jade belt, with a jade pendant hanging to weigh down the hem of her layered skirt. Thus dressed, she headed toward the outer hall.

However, outside the reception hall, the eunuch left behind by the Crown Prince hesitated before informing her, “My lady, His Highness the Crown Prince just left. Princess Yiyang sent someone urgently requesting a meeting with him, and His Highness said that once he finishes his business, he will come to visit you and personally apologize.”

Wei Zhen listened calmly and replied, “It’s nothing. The day is still early. If His Highness is preoccupied, I shall go to his palace to see him instead.”

Princess Yiyang was the Crown Prince’s full-blooded sister. It was only natural that he would prioritize her matters.

Wei Zhen needed to meet with the Crown Prince to gauge his attitude toward this engagement.

Meanwhile, in the Crown Prince’s palace—

The Crown Prince stood beside an incense burner, his expression grave.

“Today, you summoned me under Yiyang’s name, claiming it was urgent. I worried for you and came immediately, only to find that you merely wanted to plead for your brother.”

Wei Yao’s eyes were red with sorrow. “Your Highness refused to see me because of my brother’s situation, so I had no choice but to take this approach. Besides, for the past two years, haven’t we always met this way? Why is it suddenly not acceptable just because your wedding is approaching?”

Their relationship could not be made public. To keep it hidden, they had always met under the guise of Yiyang’s name, secretly meeting in her chambers.

Wei Yao bit her red lips lightly. “Can Your Highness not plead for my brother once more before the King? The Wu-Yue borderlands are harsh and bitterly cold. My brother’s health is weak—he may not survive there…”

Jing Heng’s expression showed a flicker of impatience. “It is already decided. Father’s decree has been issued; it will not change.”

Wei Yao stared at him, seemingly unable to believe his cold-bloodedness. “My brother has been by Your Highness’s side since childhood. How can you be so heartless toward him? Who has stopped you from pleading for him? Is it Wei Ling, or is it Wei Zhen?”

Jing Heng replied, “Do not be unreasonable.”

His tone was a reprimand, which only added fuel to Wei Yao’s anger.

Just then, a voice called from outside the hall, “Your Highness, Lady Wei has arrived.”

The air inside the hall froze. Jing Heng ordered, “Take her to the study first. I will be there shortly.”

Behind him, Wei Yao’s trembling voice rang out, “Don’t go!”

Jing Heng paused for a brief moment before striding out of the hall, ignoring her calls.

As soon as he stepped outside, the chief eunuch serving at his side eagerly came forward to greet him.

The Crown Prince brushed off his sleeves, straightened his attire, and asked, “Is there anything amiss with my appearance?”

The eunuch scrutinized him carefully and shook his head.

Jing Heng then proceeded toward the study. At the door, he took a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside.

Wei Zhen was seated behind a small table. Upon hearing his footsteps, she slowly lifted her gaze from the chessboard and curved her lips slightly. “Your Highness.”

“I have kept you waiting, Ah-Zhen. Yiyang had something urgent to ask of me, so I had to accompany her. I didn’t expect to make you come all this way to see me instead.”

As he lowered his eyes, he noticed a few confidential letters scattered beside the chessboard—letters he had previously opened but forgotten to put away. His brows twitched.

These letters contained encrypted information about the Qi family’s treason case—something that must not be leaked to outsiders.

Fortunately, the content was encoded, and judging by their placement, she had likely not touched them.

Jing Heng called for a servant to remove the chessboard and letters. Then he said, “Ever since the day you were in danger and came out of the woods, you haven’t seemed quite yourself. You must have been truly frightened. Are you feeling better now?”

“I am much better,” Wei Zhen replied with a light smile.

She had intended to be direct and ask about his stance on their engagement. As she leaned forward slightly, a faint fragrance drifted into her nose at just the wrong moment.

Though extremely subtle, she still caught it—

A scent too alluringly delicate, unmistakably from a woman.

Not something a man like Jing Heng would wear.

The tea in the bowl boiled, causing the lid to rattle with a “puff, puff” sound. Wei Zhen didn’t quite catch what the Crown Prince had just said, but she smiled and asked, “Your Highness, what kind of fragrance are you wearing?”

“Fragrance?”

Jing Heng hadn’t noticed it until she mentioned it. Now, as he sniffed carefully, he detected the lingering scent belonging to Wei Yao.

The Crown Prince replied, “Just the usual palace incense. It was sent by the Queen’s attendants, and I haven’t bothered to ask what it is.”

Had he claimed it was picked up while spending time with Princess Yiyang, Wei Zhen wouldn’t have doubted him. But to say it was from the palace incense burners—

That seemed a little suspicious.

Her gaze lowered slightly, falling on the intricate cloud-and-water embroidery of his sleeve. There, she spotted a faint smear of red lipstick that had yet to be wiped away.

Had he met another woman that afternoon?

Wei Zhen’s eyes curved slightly in amusement. “The fragrance is light yet pure, reminiscent of magnolia—truly refreshing and pleasant. I quite like it. Would Your Highness be willing to part with some and gift me a few sachets?”

Their gazes briefly met, and Jing Heng’s fingers tightened around the teacup.

Wei Zhen maintained her gentle smile. A faint sweat appeared at the Crown Prince’s temples as he finally said, “I will have the attendants prepare some and send it to your chambers later.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Jing Heng turned to instruct a servant to fetch Wei Yao. Wei Zhen stood gracefully from her seat, offering a respectful bow as she prepared to take her leave.

The Crown Prince said, “I had originally planned to visit you today to express my concern, yet now I have inconvenienced you into coming here instead. I feel truly guilty.”

Given the current situation, he dared not linger too long with her, lest she notice anything more amiss about him.

Jing Heng personally escorted her to the hall’s entrance and bid her farewell.

The sun set behind the western mountains, its rays casting a golden-red glow across the sky like fish scales. The light spilled over the flowerbeds, dyeing Wei Zhen’s dress in shades of crimson.

As she reflected on what had transpired in the hall, footsteps sounded from behind her. A eunuch had come on the Crown Prince’s orders to deliver the incense sachets.

After the servant departed, Wei Zhen glanced at the small wooden box containing the incense and instructed her guard, “Find out who else in the palace uses this scent.”

The guard clasped his hands in acknowledgment.

“But…” Wei Zhen took a few steps forward, then hesitated.

The guard asked, “Does my lady have any further instructions?”

In Wei Zhen’s mind, the scene of running into the Crown Prince and her stepsister by the rockery that day resurfaced.

If asked who could appear in the Crown Prince’s residence and be so intimate with him, the first person Wei Zhen thought of was this stepsister.

And it seemed that Wei Yao had a very good relationship with Princess Yiyang as well.

Wei Zhen recalled that when she entered the palace to study etiquette, the Crown Prince often visited Princess Yiyang. Princess Yiyang had a wide circle of friends and frequently hosted banquets, inviting noble ladies into the palace as company.

Among them, of course, was Wei Yao.

At that time, what exactly did the Crown Prince and Wei Yao do in Princess Yiyang’s residence?

She said, “There’s no need to search one by one. Just check on Second Miss Wei and see if this is the fragrance she commonly uses.”

“Yes.”

While the eunuch delivered the incense to Wei Zhen, Wei Yao returned to her chambers. Her maid had gone out to gather information and now whispered a report upon returning.

“You’re saying the Crown Prince gave my incense to Wei Zhen?” Wei Yao’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and the hand resting on the dressing table clenched tightly.

The maid nodded slightly, not daring to make a sound.

Wei Yao turned, her chest rising and falling with emotion, and said angrily, “I thought he asked me for the incense because he liked the scent I made. I never expected he would give it all to another woman… Clearly, I knew the Crown Prince first, and Wei Zhen is nothing but an outsider. How can she come between us?”

When did she begin to have romantic feelings for the Crown Prince?

Perhaps it was after she came of age. Even though she knew he was to be her future brother-in-law and would marry her elder sister, she still couldn’t help but want to get close to him.

The Crown Prince had promised to annul the engagement and be with her. Wei Yao believed his words—just as her father had done. Even if his marriage had not been his original wish, in the end, had he not still married the woman he truly loved?

But now, at this moment, the Crown Prince was letting her down again and again.

“The Crown Prince is also being pressured by King Chu; he has no choice. Miss should try to be more understanding,” said an older maid who approached to console her, gently patting her back. “Enduring for now is only temporary. Has Miss forgotten what Madam said? If you give up now, you will truly be overshadowed by the son and daughter of that Wei woman for a lifetime.”

“Moreover, only by relying on the Crown Prince does Miss have a chance to overturn your brother’s case, isn’t that so?”

Wei Yao had only this one brother. No matter what, she had to bring him back.

Her feelings for the Crown Prince were deep, but she was not without ambition. Only by depending on him could she regain some power in the Wei family from that pair of siblings.

Wei Yao knew that relying solely on a man’s affection was unsustainable; beauty would fade, and favor would wane in time.

She only resented her grandfather for refusing to divide the family fortune. If her father had any real power, they wouldn’t be in such an awkward position at court.

“The Crown Prince truly cares for Miss. Even we can see it clearly. If his feelings are sincere, what does Miss have to fear? Your relationship is genuine; there is no wrongdoing. Madam only asks you to have a little more patience.”

Wei Yao looked at her reflection in the mirror, placing a hand over her slightly rounded belly. After a long pause, she murmured, “Yes, I will listen to Mother.”

**

Rain drummed against the plantain leaves, falling in scattered rhythms.

In the dead of night, Wei Zhen lay on the bed. This time, as her consciousness sank, the dreams of her past life came once more.

It was the same scene as before—

The mist dampened the lanterns, rain pattered gently, and a young man leaned over her. They were so close that their breaths intertwined, and she looked up at him, her heart pounding twice in quick succession.

Water droplets slid down his long lashes, then dripped—one after another—until the water turned into beads of blood.

A warm, wet sensation spread across the front of her clothes, and she saw a deep red stain spreading from the wound in the man’s chest.

Outside the hall, the clatter of armor echoed in the air. The night was filled with chaos—soldiers’ shadows flickered against the window, and the palace doors resounded with urgent knocks.

“Wei Zhen! Miss Wei!—”

The wind and rain howled as bamboo and cypress trees swayed violently.

Wei Zhen turned toward the hall entrance.

“The Qi family father and son plotted treason. The evidence is conclusive. King Chu has ordered Qi Yan’s immediate capture, dead or alive. Someone saw the rebel fleeing into this place. Miss, please open the door and allow us to search—”

Drip. Drip.

Blood splattered onto her collarbone, a chilling cold seeping into her skin.

The man above her, his eyelashes damp with blood mist, whispered, “They’ve come to seize me, Miss Wei. Will you turn me in?”