[Great Qi, Back Courtyard of the Prince of Zhan's Manor]
Outside, the moonlight was cold and desolate, but inside, the room was a whirlwind of activity. Meiniang and Xiao Xi were red-eyed, swiftly packing winter clothes and dried rations into travel bundles.
"Princess, you've only been back in the manor for a few days; you haven't even had a chance to settle in! Why must you leave for Southern Tang already?" Meiniang grumbled heart-wrenchingly as she wiped away tears. "Southern Tang is a world away, over mountains and rivers, and the situation there is chaotic. How can your precious body withstand such hardship? And the Prince—he usually seems to dote on you so much, how could he allow you to act so recklessly at a time like this?"
The more Meiniang spoke, the angrier she became. She suddenly stood up. "No, this old servant will go find the Prince right now. I'll risk my old life to talk some sense into him!"
"There's no need to look for me. This Prince is already here."
A raspy, somewhat gravelly voice drifted from behind the folding screen.
Meiniang and Xiao Xi turned in shock. They saw a middle-aged man dressed in coarse linen, with a sallow complexion and a messy, thick beard. Though his stature was imposing, his face... was so utterly mediocre it looked like any common laborer you'd find on the street.
"Pri... Prince?" Meiniang rubbed her eyes, unable to believe that this "Old Zhang the Groom" was the peerless Prince of Zhan.
Beside her, Xiao Xi lacked the same composure. Her shoulders shook violently as she desperately fought back laughter, keeping her head bowed low for fear of being punished. Meiniang, being an elder, knew better than to be rude, but her face was a masterpiece of conflicting emotions—shock, terror, and the agonizing urge to laugh.
Sensing the eerie silence in the room, Xiao Zhan's face turned as dark as the bottom of a scorched pot. He, the magnificent Prince of Zhan, had fallen so far as to be ridiculed by his own servants—all for the sake of a certain "restless" Princess.
"Ahem. This Prince will head out first and wait at the back gate," Xiao Zhan huffed. With a black expression, he flicked his coarse linen sleeves and strode out with long, indignant steps.
Watching his slightly flustered departure, Crimson Nine let out a soft chuckle. She stepped forward to take Meiniang's trembling hand, her eyes radiating a stabilizing strength.
"Wet-nurse, Xiao Xi, there is someone in Southern Tang I must bring back," Crimson Nine said, her tone warm yet resolute. "The manor is currently the safest place. To the outside world, claim I have contracted a plague. Guard this courtyard well. The Prince and I will return as soon as possible. Do not worry."
Seeing the cold determination in Crimson Nine's face, Meiniang knew her mistress's mind was set. She could only nod heavily. "This servant understands. Princess... you and the Prince, please take care."
[Great Qi, A Secluded Courtyard]
Before the drum signaled the departure, Chu Yuning intercepted Blue Five, who was trying to slip toward the back gate. He opened his palm to reveal a small object carefully wrapped in a handkerchief.
"Miss Situ, I carved this over the last two days. It's for you."
Curious, Blue Five unwrapped the silk to find a piece of high-quality agarwood carved into a lifelike figurine. The little figure had a high ponytail, a bulging pack slung over her shoulder, and even held a tiny, exquisite crossbow—the very image of her when she was working.
"Yuning! You're incredible! This craftsmanship is insane!" Blue Five's eyes widened in delight, her fingertips tracing the delicate grain. "Thank you! I'll definitely treasure this and never lose it!"
Watching her treat the gift like a precious treasure, the pain in Chu Yuning's fingers—covered in tiny nicks and even traces of blood from his frantic work—seemed to vanish instantly. As long as she liked it, the two sleepless nights were worth it.
"After this parting, it may be several months before we meet again," Chu Yuning's voice was slightly husky. Thinking back to the half-year in the Western Yan mines, where they were together day and night, he had grown accustomed to seeing her busy silhouette whenever he turned his head. Now, his chest felt hollow.
"Yeah, but a few months will fly by," Blue Five said dismissively, her eyes curving into crescents. "Take care of yourself in Zhanchuan. Don't walk around with a stiff face all day; it'll make you look old."
"You too," Chu Yuning couldn't help but soften his tone, nagging like an old monk. "Remember to eat on time. Remember to rest. Don't be like you were at the mines—once you start researching a mechanism, you don't sleep for days..."
"Alright, alright, I get it, Instructor Chu!" Blue Five interrupted his nagging, unable to take it anymore.
She fingered the warm agarwood carving and looked up at him, a rare seriousness flashing in her eyes. "Now that we aren't in the Western Yan mines, we should drop those cover identities. You don't need to call me Miss Situ. My codename is Blue Five; you've known that for a long time." She paused, leaning in a bit closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But my real name... is Si Jingyu. That is my true name."
"Si... Jing... Yu." Chu Yuning's tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth as he slowly repeated the three characters, as if carving the unfamiliar syllables into his heart. "Jingyu."
"Yep, Jingyu. If you say it fast, doesn't it sound a bit like 'Goldfish' (Jingyu)?" Blue Five grinned, showing two sharp little canine teeth. "Back when I was a kid, the naughty boys used to call me Goldfish. But I never let them call me by my full name. Do you know why?"
Chu Yuning looked at her animated expression and shook his head honestly.
"Because Si Jingyu... Si Goldfish... if you say it too smoothly, it sounds like 'Dead Goldfish' (Si Jingyu)!" Blue Five rolled her eyes playfully. "How unlucky is that? So, I only let people close to me call me 'Goldfish.' Even the Captain and Yellow Seven don't know this. It's a secret between the two of us, got it?"
Chu Yuning listened to her quirky homophone logic. Though the superstition about "dead goldfish" was a bit lost on him, the word "secret" hit like a heavy hammer against the softest part of his heart. Even her closest teammates didn't know; she had told only him.
"A secret..." Chu Yuning nodded solemnly, a spark dancing in the depths of his eyes. "I'll remember it, Jingyu." He spoke the name softly, yet it felt like a sacred vow.
Blue Five didn't notice the overflowing affection in the man's eyes. She just slapped his shoulder heartily, and then, acting as she would with a best friend, she took a bold step forward and gave Chu Yuning a firm, solid hug.
In the modern world, this was a perfectly normal farewell. In Great Qi, it was a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
Chu Yuning froze instantly.
In all his years, he had never even held a girl's hand, let alone been embraced at such close range. The faint scent of gunpowder and herbs on her skin swirled around his nose. Through the thin layers of their clothes, he could even feel the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Blue Five didn't notice his internal crisis. She just patted his back like a comrade, chirped "I'm off! Take care!" and turned around with a swagger, humming a tune as she ran toward the waiting carriage.
She left Chu Yuning standing alone in the cold courtyard, unable to move for a long time, like a stone statue. The warmth of her hug lingered on his skin, but his heart was beating so fast it felt like it would break through his ribs.
"Jingyu," he whispered again to the empty air.
This name was hotter than "Miss Situ" and more intimate than "Blue Five." He knew that for the rest of his life, he would never be able to let go of this lively, mischievous "Goldfish."
Blue Five would never have guessed that her "friendly hug" would cause this formidable Young General to toss and turn in bed for countless nights to come. In those sleepless hours, Chu Yuning would sit alone under the lamp, brush in hand.
Sheet after sheet, he drew only fish.
Vibrant, elusive, and impossible... to ever let go.