Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When we were children, because Consort Shu and the Empress were at odds, Changping and I could only see each other in private.

“If you have an idea, say it.” The Empress had me sit. “Once His Majesty learns Changping has returned, he will have her tied up and sent back.”

I acknowledged her.

His Majesty was far too benevolent. Had he been born in an age of peace and prosperity, perhaps he might have achieved something.

Unfortunately, these were troubled times. Among the three warring states, the Chu Kingdom was the weakest, caught between Northern Qi and Southern Jin and exploited from both sides.

“Relations between two nations are no small matter. The Princess must return,” I said quietly.

Changping shot to her feet. “I won’t go back. That brother of his is disgusting-dark, ugly, with a mouthful of yellow teeth. I want to vomit every time I see him.”

“Princess. Right now, the question isn’t whether he is ugly or handsome. It’s how you can come home alive with your head held high.”

Not by running away. Not by faking her death and handing others leverage over her. She had to return from Northern Qi openly and honorably.

Changping paced around the room in a fury.

“Good child, go on,” the Empress said, holding my hand. “There is no need to be afraid of anything.”

I replied, “We can only think of a way after returning to Northern Qi.”

The Empress’s grip tightened around my hand. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “With that brain of hers, what plan could she possibly come up with? She would only be waiting to die.”

As she spoke, she looked at me. I met her gaze calmly.

“Good child, do you dare accompany Changping on this journey?”

“If you can bring Changping back safely, I will grant you one wish. No matter what it is, I will agree.”

Changping stood frozen in place, stunned by the conversation between the Empress and me.

I rose and bowed to the Empress, then said softly, “Ning Yan accepts the order. I will bring the Princess back.”

“Good. Good!” the Empress said.

Changping argued with the Empress. “Ning Yan may be clever, but she’s still a woman. She can save me?”

“Be quiet,” the Empress scolded. “From now on, you will listen to Ning Yan. She knows what she’s doing.”

I lowered my eyes. This journey would be a narrow escape from death, but it was worth risking everything for.

As long as I brought Changping back for a legitimate reason, then this civet cat of mine would truly leap over the Dragon Gate.

I would no longer be a counterfeit or an abandoned pawn.

As for why the Empress agreed at once to let me go?

It was simple. For the sake of relations between the two nations, Changping had to return. Not even she could change that outcome.

Second, whether I lived or died meant nothing to her.

Third, I was more beautiful than Changping. If the ruler of Northern Qi took a fancy to me, that would benefit Changping.

From the Empress’s perspective, no matter what happened, she had nothing to lose.

Changping remained in the palace for only two hours.

Then she and I set out once more for Northern Qi.

The ruler of Northern Qi was forty-four this year and had twenty-three sons in total.

His eldest son was twenty-six, his second son twenty-three, and his fourth son seventeen. The other sons could be disregarded for now.

Silent, I lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the boundless white farmland. Wheat seedlings lay buried under thick snow, waiting for the spring warmth and the day they could finally break through.

“Tell me your plan.” Changping nudged me. “Whenever you get that grim look on your face, you seem terrifying. I’ve been afraid of you like this since we were little. It always feels like you’re holding back something wicked.”

I looked at Changping and said through gritted teeth, “Kill Kelen.”

“Are you joking?” Changping’s hands began to shake. “Just you? You and me?”

I pressed down on her shoulders. “If you don’t fight, you will only die. The only difference is whose bed you die in.”

Changping’s tears fell at once.

I said, “Changping, in this life, aside from the circumstances of your birth, everything else can be chosen. Do not submit to fate!”

Changping gripped my hand. After a long silence, she clenched her teeth and said, “Fine. I won’t submit!”

On the road, I wrote out every connection in the Northern Qi palace on paper, then listed every possible accident that might arise in our plan.

Changping and I analyzed them in detail and finalized every step.

Twenty days later, we arrived at the Northern Qi palace.

As soon as we entered the palace, Changping was seized by Kelen and dragged into his room. I stood outside the door with my head lowered, listening as Changping was tormented until she wept.

At noon two days later, Changping “fell ill.” In my anxiety, I stopped Kelen’s second son.