Chapter 4

Winter came.

As always, I practiced riding and archery.

I sent my Feiyun steed racing at full speed, drew my bow, and loosed an arrow.

It struck the bull’s-eye with a thud.

Applause sounded in the distance.

I raised a brow toward the sound and saw a young man in red, his high ponytail tied with a scarlet ribbon.

He sat astride a fierce red-maned horse.

Beneath bold brows, his black eyes held a rebellious glint. His striking features called to mind red plum blossoms in winter and scarlet silk drifting over water. He was outrageously beautiful.

I rode over to him.

“Why haven’t you knelt before me?” I asked coldly.

“I am a prince of the Southern Territories, as noble as any princess. I came to Great Sheng as a guarantee of peace between our kingdoms. Her Majesty of Sheng has exempted me from kneeling to anyone but her.”

“So you’re Han Zishu, the hostage prince?”

“Since you’re already on horseback, how about a race with me?”

“Just what I had in mind.”

Han Zishu was superb at riding and archery. After an entire afternoon, neither of us had managed to defeat the other.

He awakened my desire to conquer him.

I invited him to my estate and treated him to a sumptuous meal.

We drank our fill and talked for hours.

Zhuyu chuckled. “This servant knew Your Highness would like him.”

Han Zishu’s long, phoenix-shaped eyes glinted with teasing amusement.

“It is Zishu’s good fortune to have earned the princess’s favor.”

“What a glib tongue.”

I drained my cup with a smile.

I enjoyed watching that rigid Yujingzi lose control and abandon himself in my hands, but the absence of any response from him inevitably disheartened me.

Being with someone as bright, bold, and spirited as Han Zishu was far better.

We traded move for move as equals, and the give-and-take put me in an excellent mood.

Over the weeks that followed,

Yujingzi gradually slipped from my mind.

I did not remember him until my birthday at the end of the twelfth month drew near and Zhuyu asked, “Your Highness, will you have him attend the birthday banquet as well?”

Only then did I think of him.

I sent for Yujingzi and had him brought to my bedchamber.

He still possessed that gentle, otherworldly purity.

But beneath his kasaya, he wore the thin lotus-red garment he had once refused to put on no matter what. Its gold-threaded sash would tear at the slightest pull. He looked like an elegant beauty newly risen from the water, captivating enough to steal the heart.

Shackles circled his ankles, chiming with every step.

As stubborn as ever, he knelt before me, his voice broken. “Princess, no matter how you treat this humble monk, I will never yield.”

I watched him in silence.

At first, I had liked him very much.

But more than half a year had passed, and he was still the same, never giving me the slightest response. Anyone would have lost interest.

I sighed inwardly. It was time for this affair to end.

As though he could hardly bear another moment, Yujingzi pleaded in a trembling voice, “Please, Princess… let this humble monk leave.”

A long silence passed.

Then I said, “Very well. I release you.”

His head snapped up.

His pupils contracted in disbelief.

I twisted my lips in mockery. “Why so shocked to hear that I’m letting you go?”

With a wave, I ordered the attendants to unlock the shackles around his ankles.

“Leave now.”

Yujingzi rose, but did not move. His long lashes lowered slightly, self-mockery in his eyes. “Is this… another of the princess’s games?”

I cut him off, my voice calm and distant.

“No.”

“I grew tired of playing with you. I’ve found someone more interesting, and I want a different flavor.”

“So you can finally leave, just as you wished.”

“Go.”