If only she had known all this sooner. If she hadn't been diagnosed with lung cancer, if her depression hadn't relapsed… she would have taken her mother and Xiangsi and left Didu, left Xizhou, and fled from this web of intrigue long ago. But now… “Mom,” she said, her voice hoarse, “I can’t leave. I have to stay in the city. The court and the authorities could summon me for questioning at any time.