19 The Azure Pool

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When Shi Nian awoke, she found herself trapped inside a sack, slung over someone's shoulder. Her neck ached, and after a moment she recalled what had just happened.

Damn it! The Grand Empress Dowager wanted to do her harm!

“Awake?” It was the same eunuch’s voice. “Good that you’re awake. Listen carefully to your surroundings; soon you won’t be able to hear anything.”

The distant sound of flowing water reached her ears. Swallowing hard, Shi Nian asked, “What do you intend to... do to me?”

The eunuch chuckled, evidently amused that she still harbored illusions. “Ahead lies the Cang Pool. The Grand Empress Dowager has ordered that the young envoy be sent to the afterlife right here.”

Were they planning to throw her—bag and all—into the Cang Pool? Even if she could swim, she wouldn’t survive...

Shi Nian told herself to stay calm—she must stay calm. There was still hope with Wei Zifu; her words seemed to have touched her. If she still had a conscience, she would seek out Liu Che for help, right?

So, all she had to do was buy time...

As the thought crossed her mind, the eunuch suddenly stopped and said, “Madam Young Envoy, I will escort you no further. Farewell on your journey; if you have grievances, don’t come looking for me...”

Shi Nian was shocked. “What? I will find you! Just wait! Don’t go so fast!” Give my rescuers a little more time!

But it was too late. The eunuch gave a strong shove, and Shi Nian felt herself flying through the air. The sack restrained her struggling, pushing back every effort to break free. Her body plummeted rapidly, despair instantly flooding her heart.

Was she really going to die here, in the Han Dynasty?!

The expected sensation of being submerged never came. Instead, she collided with something soft. Someone caught her, and they both tumbled heavily to the ground.

Stars danced before her eyes from the fall, but joy surged through her—was it Liu Che? Had he come to save her?!

The sack above was quickly untied, and she scrambled out eagerly. Before her lay Lu Zhiyiao, pinned beneath her, grimacing, “Big sister, ease up on me! I’m still the flower bud of the motherland; you can’t treat me like this!”

Shi Nian turned and saw Nie Cheng twisting the arms of two eunuchs, with Su Geng beside him. The girl smiled at her, “We came to fetch you. Your room was empty; luckily Nie Cheng had the foresight to follow the trail, and we finally caught up.”

Su Geng noticed Shi Nian’s lack of response, as if frozen by fear. “Shi Nian, what’s wrong...?”

Before she finished, Shi Nian threw herself into a bear hug, crying out, “Su Geng! You finally came! I missed you so much! Ugh, Nie Cheng and Lu Zhiyiao aren’t human! They scared me to death!”

Su Geng was speechless.

She patted Shi Nian’s shoulder, half amused, half exasperated. “It’s okay now. We know you suffered, but we can go home. Once we’re back, you’ll be safe.”

Shi Nian cried some more, then wiped her tears with hiccups. Lu Zhiyiao looked utterly bewildered, as if unable to comprehend why risking his life to save someone earned him a scolding.

Nie Cheng asked, “What do we do with these two?”

The two eunuchs snapped back to their senses. The one who had seized Shi Nian shouted, “Who do you think you are, daring to lay hands on us? Do you know whose orders we follow?!” He was tall and imposing, standing proudly beside Nie Cheng, but with his arms restrained, much of his menace was lost.

Shi Nian said coldly, “Kill them.”

Nie Cheng, Su Geng, and Lu Zhiyiao were speechless.

The eunuch was taken aback by her ruthlessness. His face drained of color as he stammered, “M-Madam Young Envoy, I told you, it’s not me who wants to harm you, but... the noble above gave the orders...”

Shi Nian approached, expression blank as she stared at him. His legs trembled uncontrollably as she raised her hand, aiming straight at him—

He shut his eyes in terror. After a long silence with no movement, he opened one eye, only to see Shi Nian smiling faintly, holding her strange concealed weapon.

The girl blinked. “Congratulations, I’m a law-abiding citizen of the twenty-first century. I don’t usually kill people.”

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Before he could understand, the stick pressed against his neck crackled with electricity. His head lolled to one side, and he passed out.

Shi Nian repeated the act on the other eunuch, then said with satisfaction, “When we get back, I must write a thank-you letter to the manufacturer of this stun baton. It’s the greatest invention of the twenty-first century!”

Lu Zhiyiao hid the two unconscious men in the roadside bushes. Shi Nian finally took in her surroundings.

They were at the southern part of the Weiyang Palace’s Cang Pool, a place where the imperial family leisurely rowed boats. The water stretched wide and boundless. Tonight, the moon shone, scattering silver light like flowing water, and the rippling waves shimmered coldly.

The bright moon above and its reflection below mirrored each other, blending desolation and grandeur.

Nie Cheng said, “I didn’t expect they’d bring you here.”

Shi Nian looked at him. Nie Cheng continued, “The entrance for our return is here too.”

Only then did Shi Nian notice several backpacks at their feet—luggage they had brought, including the one she had tidied that very day. Last night, he had only told her to prepare for retreat, but hadn’t yet explained how, when, or where.

Shi Nian asked, “We’re leaving now?”

Nie Cheng smirked, “What, don’t want to?”

Shi Nian’s expression darkened, “Nonsense!”

Lu Zhiyiao dragged out a small boat and jumped in first, hands behind his head, relaxed. “Ah, finally done. This mission took longer than I thought. When we get back, I’m sleeping for twenty-four hours straight. No one’s allowed to disturb me!”

“Sounds like you did all the work, but clearly Shi Nian bore the brunt,” Su Geng said. “Captain, when you write the report, praise her properly. I’ll be checking.”

Nie Cheng kicked Lu Zhiyiao, “Remember that?”

Lu Zhiyiao, long accustomed to having others write his reports, was speechless.

Shi Nian boarded the boat as well. Lu Zhiyiao grabbed the oar and pushed hard, and the boat wobbled away from shore. Shi Nian sat at the bow, one foot dangling, lazily tracing the water’s surface. She wore wooden clogs popular in the Han era, which she’d never gotten used to—and wouldn’t wear again.

Lu Zhiyiao suddenly asked, “Hey, you’re not thinking of staying here, right? Wanting to be an empress in the Han Dynasty?”

Shi Nian looked up. Lu Zhiyiao grinned mischievously. “Actually, I can get why you might want to stay. I hear Emperor Wu likes you a lot. If you keep going, you might even take Wei Zifu’s place as empress! Isn’t that what you girls like?”

Shi Nian’s expression was unreadable. “You sure understand women. You look small, but you have plenty of ideas, little brat!”

“Who are you calling little brat?”

“Aren’t you the little brat? By the way, I haven’t asked—Mr. Lu, how old are you? Still a minor?”

Shi Nian meant it as a tease, but Lu Zhiyiao’s face changed. He didn’t deny it.

Shi Nian’s eyes widened. “No way, you’re really not an adult? You still use child labor?”

Lu Zhiyiao blushed fiercely. “Who are you calling child labor? I’m seventeen, just a few months from adulthood!”

“A few months from adulthood means you’re not an adult yet, right? I was going to hit you because you’re annoying, but since you’re still a kid, forget it. How could I quarrel with a child?”

The more she teased, the angrier Lu Zhiyiao became, unable to find a good comeback. Eventually, he turned away sulking. “Next time you fall in the river, don’t expect me to save you!”

With the child ignoring her, Shi Nian smiled triumphantly. But then her gaze darkened. She didn’t say it, but at the brink of life and death, the person she truly wished for was someone else...

Suddenly, she sensed a gaze studying her. Startled, she looked up to see Nie Cheng lowering his eyes, watching the watch on his wrist.

Had she imagined it?

The boat stopped in the middle of the Cang Pool. Shi Nian glanced around nonchalantly. “By the way, where’s this entrance you mentioned?”

Nie Cheng replied softly, “Time’s up.”

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No sooner had he spoken than a fierce wind swept over the once calm Cang Pool. The boat rocked violently, but the water’s surface remained smooth as glass, glowing with an eerie green light beneath the night sky. Circles of white light radiated out from the boat like tangled strings on a zither, just like the artificial hill that night!

Shi Nian was held firmly by Nie Cheng, preventing her from being blown away. She shouted against the wind, “What do we do now?!”

Lu Zhiyiao smiled. “What else? Jump!”

Without hesitation, he dropped the oar and leapt heroically into the water. Shi Nian watched as his tall figure entered the pool without making a splash, as if the water willingly accepted him.

Damn! Last time, they sent me crashing into a wall; now they want me to jump into a river! Can’t you have a safe way to cross?

On the other side, Su Geng slung a bag over her shoulder, smiled at Shi Nian, and said, “I’ll be waiting for you over there!” Then she plunged into the water.

Only the two of them remained on the boat. Nie Cheng lowered his head, looking at Shi Nian cradled in his arms. “This time, do you want me to carry you?”

He didn’t bring her before; now he was pretending to be kind. Shi Nian shifted away slightly, staring into the green-lit waters.

If she jumped in, she could go home—leave this strange Han Dynasty and return to the world she longed for: with the internet, cold drinks, and safety.

But here, she still hadn’t said goodbye to the people she knew...

“Shi Nian!”

A voice rang out behind her, filled with shock, anger, and disbelief, like a thunderclap that drained the color from her face. Without hesitation, she shoved Nie Cheng into the water. As he was swallowed by the pool in an instant, she turned around.

The stormy waters whipped around Liu Che, who stood on another boat. His clothes and hair whipped wildly in the wind; his face was pale, but his black eyes gazed steadily at her across the water.

Palace guards at the stern struggled to keep balance, trying to approach, but the wind was too fierce. Fearing capsizing, they gave up.

Liu Che said, “You promised me.”

Shi Nian bit her lip, unsure how to reply.

“Come back.” He reached out, trying to smile. “If you come back, I won’t blame you for wanting to run away tonight. I will still treat you well.”

Shi Nian finally spoke. “Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager won’t tolerate me. Staying forcibly won’t do any good...”

“I want you to stay. No one can drive you away!” He suddenly roared. “Trust me, I was negligent tonight, but there won’t be a next time. Stay, and I will protect you. No one can harm you...”

Shi Nian shook her head. “Actually, even without the Grand Empress Dowager, I would still leave. I’m sorry. I lied to you. I shouldn’t have appeared by your side. Now, it’s time for me to leave.”

His face was almost translucent in its whiteness. Shi Nian held back tears and smiled. “Your Majesty, you will be a great ruler. History will record your deeds in detail for a thousand years. Your wishes will come true. Even if I’m not by your side, I will always watch over you and wish you well.”

He shook his head, his black eyes full of resistance.

Shi Nian opened her arms, her mouth moved silently, and then she leaned back, falling into the lake.

In the brilliant white light, Liu Che’s eyes widened in anguish. He leapt after her but was firmly held back by Yang Deyi beside him.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, no!” Yang pleaded.

After an unknown length of time, the wind ceased, the light faded, the moon hung high, and the lake was calm as before, as if nothing had happened. Only a small boat remained moored.

Liu Che stared at the empty bow. After a long moment, he slowly closed his eyes. The last words she had spoken echoed in his mind.

She had said, “Liu Che, goodbye.”