Li Zhan walked a few steps behind her, keeping his usual unreadable expression, but his eyes… they were annoyingly focused on her.
Concubine Wen stopped in front of a tiny stall selling trinkets —a pendant shaped like tiny star.
She held one between her fingers, eyes sparkling like a child, then quietly placed it back and followed the crowd again.
Li Zhan's eyebrow twitched.
She liked it but didn't buy it.
Of course she didn't ....
she didn't bring money. She never brings money.
She also never thinks before acting.
When she walked away, he stayed behind for a second.
"Wrap this," he said coldly to the trembling stall owner.
The man nearly fainted with excitement and fear.
Of course, the king buying anything in the market was terrifying.
Li Zhan tucked the little pendant inside his sleeve — hidden.
No one saw.
No one dared to look.
He caught up with her again.
She was walking like she was searching for someone — head turning, eyes darting, almost tip-toeing.
"…Who are you looking for?" Li Zhan asked.
Shu Min froze.
Then coughed lightly.
"M-Masked man."
Li Zhan's eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
"No no no no, not masked man— I mean— just… just wandering!" She chuckled nervously, her face cloth wobbling.
She clearly forgot she wasn't supposed to say that.
Li Zhan looked away before the corner of his mouth betrayed him.
Her chaotic mind… it was going to kill him one day.
Still, he followed as she continued scanning the crowd like she was expecting someone to jump out.
And he knew exactly who she meant — him. His own masked persona.
'Ridiculous woman…'
But as they walked deeper into the marketplace, Li Zhan's mood shifted.
The smiles faded from the crowd.
Some people avoided looking at him. Several had messy clothes, thin limbs, sunken cheeks. Malnutrition.
He felt his chest tighten.
Why is the northwest district like this? Who allowed this negligence?
His eyes sharpened.
Inspection forgotten
now he was furious.
He returned to the palace with Shu Min after the inspection.
At the gate, he signaled Yinzhi.
"There is something wrong in the guixia province northwest district.
Find out immediately."
Yinzhi bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Another servant approached.
"Your Majesty, the Queen requests your presence."
Li Zhan almost turned away.
He wasn't in the mood for palace politics.
But the maid insisted, "Her Majesty said it is important."
So,he went.
----
The queen sat gracefully at her room, infront of her ..a table ..full of foods, a warm smile on her face.
"Your Majesty, please take a sit" she said softly, "you went out today?"
Li Zhan sat and nodded once. "Inspection."
Her fingers played with the edge of her sleeve.
"I heard… Concubine Wen accompanied you?"
Li Zhan's jaw tightened.
"…yes !!..."
"I see." Her smile didn't fade, but her eyes dimmed just a little.
"Did she trouble you?"
He paused. "Trouble is her natural state."
The queen laughed gently.
"She must be lively then."
Li Zhan didn't respond.
She hesitated, then tried again.
"Your Majesty, next time you go out to inspect… may I accompany you? You have not allowed that for a long time."
Li Zhan's expression barely shifted.
"This was not a leisure walk. It was official work."
"Yes… of course." She lowered her eyes.
"I only worry for your safety."
Li Zhan softened a little, but only inwardly.
"I appreciate it," he said, voice gentler for one breath, "but it was a simple inspection."
Dinner was quiet after that.
She tried to ask another small question:
"Did you… enjoy the trip?"
Li Zhan drank his tea.
"It was productive."
The queen's smile weakened.
She knew it meant he doesn't want to talk about it.
After the meal, he stood.
"I will take my leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Her voice was soft, polite, controlled
but he heard the hidden disappointment.
---
He returned to his room, removed his robe, sat by the window.
His mind was still replaying concubine Wen's clumsy fall, her face cloth, her chaotic explanations, her searching for the masked man.
And the pendant in his sleeve.
He touched it lightly....
Then..
Yinzhi arrived quietly ..
"Your Majesty… about those people you mentioned earlier—the ones looking malnourished—there's more," he whispered.
"I checked again. Their food supply is definitely being cut."
Li Zhan didn't hesitate.
"Prepare disguises. We go now."
Within minutes, both men slipped out of the palace dressed as ordinary travelers.
But Yinzhi couldn't help teasing.
"Your Majesty, even in these clothes, even with that mask your face looks… too clean. Maybe smear some dirt—"
Li Zhan's glare shut him up instantly.
They entered the north district.
Shops half-closed.
Street lamps weak.
People thin and tired.
Because villagers didn't recognize him, Li Zhan walked silently, observing.
Every emotion was kept behind tight lips.
Only his eyes moved — sharp, taking in every detail.
Yinzhi, acting like a simple guard, whispered updates in his ear.
"That family on the left… they used to run a rice stall. Now they barely have soup."
"That boy there — he fainted last week from hunger."
"That group… they believe the King hates them."
Li Zhan's jaw clenched behind his masked.
A small child ran by, hugging a tiny bag of grain like gold.
Li Zhan slowed.
A woman sat on a broken step, feeding her children thin soup.
Her hands shook.
Yinzhi softly nudged the King's arm, signaling her condition.
Li Zhan knelt beside her, pretending to adjust his boot — an excuse to be close without revealing his identity.
The woman sighed tiredly, speaking to no one in particular:
"They only give us half rations now… sometimes none. They say it's the King's order."
Li Zhan's eyes flashed.
The words stabbed deeper than any sword.
Another villager passing by muttered:
"His Majesty… he doesn't care about us."
Li Zhan lowered his head, hiding the fury and hurt tightening in his chest.
He whispered under his breath—barely audible:
"That is not my order…"
Yinzhi heard it and sighed.
"Your Majesty, don't take it to heart. They don't know the truth."
Li Zhan didn't answer.
He walked further, touching a cracked wall, the empty sacks, the cold pot on a fire with no fuel.
His thoughts were loud, though his lips stayed sealed:
'This is my kingdom… and it suffers while I sit on a throne unaware.'
Yinzhi stepped beside him, voice gentle this time:
"You're only one man, not a god."
Li Zhan muttered, "I didn't ask for wisdom."
Yinzhi smirked.
"Still giving it."
Despite the tension, Li Zhan's mouth twitched—it almost became a smile but died instantly as he looked back at the villagers.
A little girl shivered nearby.
Without a word, he removed his cloak and draped it over her.
The mother looked startled but grateful.
Yinzhi leaned closer and whispered teasingly,
"If you do this too often, your 'cold and heartless king' reputation will collapse."
Li Zhan ignored him completely.
Instead, his voice dropped to a deadly calm:
"Find who is stealing the grain. Every guard. Every official. Every storage house. Every carriage."
Yinzhi straightened.
"It will be done."
The cold night air carried the quiet resolution in Li Zhan's heart:
'Someone dared to harm my people under my rule. I will tear apart the palace before I allow this again.'
As they finally walked back toward the palace, silence stretched between them—heavy, thoughtful.
Yinzhi suddenly felt something hard pressing inside his sleeve.
He paused, touched it, then blinked.
"…Your Majesty," he whispered, "isn't this the little pendant she stared at in the market?"
Li Zhan stiffened.
He had forgotten he was still carrying it.
Yinzhi grinned. "You bought it secretly like some.....ahemm..!"
Li Zhan cut him off with one cold look.
"Leave."
Yinzhi vanished instantly.
Li Zhan, however, didn't continue toward his own chambers.
Almost unconsciously, his steps carried him toward the Cold Palace courtyard.
He stopped just beneath the window—her window.
Soft moonlight spilled across the frame.
Inside, Wen Qian stood with her back slightly curled, staring up at the sky.
Quiet.
Lost in thought.
So delicate she looked almost unreal.
His eyes softened without permission.
Just then—
Wen Qian suddenly turned her head.
Their gazes met through the thin curtain.
Her entire face changed instantly.
Shock—
then fury.
She pointed at him aggressively through the window.
Then made dramatically exaggerated gestures:
"WAIT THERE!"
Li Zhan's eyes widened.
He did not flee.
But he did not stay openly either.
With the reflexes of a trained warrior, he shifted sideways
and hid behind a nearby tree.
A whole King… hiding.
Because of one woman's silly moon-gazing and angry waving.
He pressed a hand lightly over his face mask.
What was he even doing?
And still—
he didn't move.
He waited.
Exactly where she told him to.