Perchance to Dream

20: End of the Tail

Winter nights in the Yan Capital were always calm and still. The cold silenced most of the animals and kept its people indoors except for the guards and night watchmen that patrolled the city. Out in the mountains, things were even quieter.

Chu Yexuan finished downing a cup of hot tea with a rueful sigh. "I'd probably stay warm longer with a goblet of wine down my throat."

"Yes, until you run into a tree and knock yourself out cold," Ling Fengxiao's expression was wooden as he poured him more tea.

"Oi, oi! Try to spare my feelings here, I'm doing you a favor!"

After it had been settled that Chu Yexuan would play Follow the Spy, the prince had whiled after the rest of the afternoon at Ling Fengxiao's estate, splitting his time before practicing moves in the courtyard and pilfering his friend's snacks. They were now wrapping up an early dinner so Chu Yexuan could tail his target on a full stomach.

"You're also eating up all the meat of the estate for the rest of the week," Ling Fengxiao observed. While his estate had plenty of food, the limitations of the winter meant that supplies weren't inexhaustible. Even the imperial family had limits to how much fresh meat and vegetables they could eat per month and favored salted, preserved varieties to get through the winter.

"My compliments to the storehouse," Chu Yexuan praised grandly. "I couldn't stop once I tasted the salted pork!"

In a season where preserved food was king, each family had their own pickling, salting, and freezing methods to keep meat edible. Chu Yexuan was quite partial to the Ling Estate's meats, finding them more flavorful and gamey than the palace varieties.

"I'm beginning to suspect you volunteered for the mission just to eat my food," Ling Fengxiao narrowed his eyes, but the stern expression did nothing to deter Chu Yexuan's good humor.

"If you're not going to finish your share, I'll have the rest!"

--

When night finally fell, the moon shone upon a lone figure making their way through the forests. His silver-lined white robes blended into the snowscape since he'd opted to leave the fur-lined cloak back at the Ling Estate. His steps against the snow were silent and left no trace, a clear sign of his superior lightness techniques.

In the series of a few seconds he had ducked behind multiple trees to track the elusive figure fleeing through the branches above him.

Heh, he's a slowpoke! Chu Yexuan grinned.

The figure above didn't seem to notice Chu Yexuan's presence---or if he did, he didn't show it. As he headed towards the capital city, his pursuer kept close, their shadows weaving through the woods in intricate twists and turns. By the time Chu Yexuan came to rest above the city walls, the moon was already high in the sky. He jumped to a nearby building and flattened himself against the roof as two night patrols passed by, then quickly hurried after the other man from a parallel distance behind him.

He's heading towards the southeast, Chu Yexuan observed. That's where the Ministry of Works' official has his estate.

But they soon passed by the sprawling estate of the minister and headed more towards the districts bordering the civilian homes. Ling Fengxiao hadn't told Chu Yexuan anything beyond the fact that the man had been spying on his gates, so the prince had no idea where they were going. When he saw the man slow down, he slowed down to match him, expecting that they were approaching their destination.

But as he settled down to hide behind another roof, the man he was tailing vanished!

Chu Yexuan blinked. He was certain he had seen the man there one second before he disappeared in the next! He crept as close as he dared to the target's last known position and stared incredulously at the empty, undisturbed roof.