Chapter 1

Shu was weak, and when Liao pressed its advantage, it demanded that our legitimate princess be sent north in a marriage alliance.

Princess Changning was gentle, gracious, dignified, everything a princess ought to be. She and Mr. Zhou, her chess tutor, loved each other deeply. Now they were to be parted for life. Hidden behind a great tree in the imperial garden, I watched Mr. Zhou hold her in his arms and thought them pitiful beyond words.

Changning had once saved me, and I had never found a way to repay her. I might as well take her place. A princess was bound to be married off sooner or later. Even if I escaped a diplomatic marriage, I would still end up the wife of some court official’s son.

The assembled court parted to let me through. Swallowing nervously, I clutched my skirt and walked up to Father.

“And you are?”

He truly did not recognize me.

The Empress came to his rescue. “Your Majesty, this is Wan, Lady Jiang’s daughter.”

Father had to think before he remembered my mother. He gave my shoulder an awkward pat. “My good daughter. A good princess of Shu.”

War had raged for years. I counted myself fortunate to have grown up in the palace, where I had never lacked food or clothing. But whenever I slipped outside, I saw people desperate enough to eat anything and children wailing from hunger, and my heart ached.

Changning had been kind to me. After Mother died, not one woman in the harem was willing to raise me. Changning had asked the Empress to take me in because she wanted a companion, and that was the only reason I had enjoyed the privilege of growing up in the central palace.

Liao had explicitly demanded the Empress’s daughter. No one had expected me to volunteer. Yet since I truly had been raised under the Empress’s roof, I could technically be called a legitimate princess, leaving Liao little room to object.

I was not marrying Liao’s Crown Prince. Shu was weak, Liao’s cavalry formidable, and the marriage treaty named Liao’s Fourth Prince as the groom.

I knew of him. He was Liao’s undefeated god of war—the man who had forced my country back step by step until we had been reduced to begging for peace with a princess.

On the day I left the capital, Father and the Empress came to see me off, along with the imperial consorts, the princesses I had scarcely met, and all my princely brothers.

Tears glimmered in the Empress’s eyes as she held my hands. “My dear Wan, you needn’t swallow every grievance once you get there. Your father and mother will always stand behind you.”

The other consorts murmured their agreement.

I did not know how to respond. Should I imitate my sisters, throw myself into the Empress’s arms, and sob that I did not want to leave home?

When I showed no reaction, the tears in the Empress’s eyes seemed to freeze. She dabbed them away with her handkerchief. “It is almost time. We mustn’t keep Liao’s envoys waiting.”

Changning had come too. Her eyes were red, though she remained as noble and elegant as ever.

After some thought, I decided I ought to say something. I went to her and lowered my voice. “Eldest Sister, don’t feel guilty. If you hadn’t asked for me to be brought into the central palace when we were children, I might have starved to death in some abandoned courtyard.”

She clasped my hand, pressed her lips together, and tried to smile through her tears.

So I added, “You and Mr. Zhou are perfect for each other. Once I am married, you’ll have time to make your plans.” I winked at her. “If the time I’ve bought you is enough for two people in love to find their happy ending, I’ll be more than satisfied. Just remember to send me some wedding sweets.”

Changning nodded, and at last she smiled.

She slipped the jade bangle from her wrist and put it on mine. I recognized the piece. Warm in winter and cool in summer, it was one of the many treasures Father had found for her coming-of-age ceremony.

“Wan, be careful in Liao. Don’t quarrel with people, but don’t let anyone mistreat you either. Your sister may have little power, but I know a few people there. If anything happens, ask them to send word to me.”

I nodded, though I knew I would never seek out her friends. My marriage to Liao was only a delaying tactic. In three years, five, perhaps seven, the two countries would inevitably go to war again.

What would I do then?

Cling to my husband and beg him to spare my homeland, or write to Father and urge him to submit?

Who knew?

I boarded the carriage bound for Liao. My dowry maid wept all the way, and when she saw that I did not, she asked me why.

I asked what she still longed for at home.

Sobbing, the young maid said she could not bear to leave her parents and little brother, the man she loved, or all the sisters she had served beside.

I laughed. “My mother died young, and Father doesn’t remember me. My sisters in the palace couldn’t tell you how tall I am or how old I am. Nor is there some nobleman in love with me, waiting to carry me into his home in a grand bridal sedan. Rather than stay in the palace until someone picks a random husband for me, I may as well go to Liao and become a proper princess consort.”

The journey was long. The familiar scenery faded little by little. When we finally reached Liao’s capital, I lifted the carriage curtain, and the clamor of the streets flooded the cramped compartment.

Strange faces, strange accents, strange streets.

Only then did I realize that I had truly left my homeland and come to this foreign country.

A land from which there was no promised return.

I had never seen Liao’s Fourth Prince. I had only heard that he was a giant of a man who could twist off a person’s neck with one hand, take a general’s head amid a melee, and win every battle through his mastery of war.

Looking at my own thin arms, I could not help feeling afraid. Once I married him, I would make myself as unobtrusive as possible. A few grievances would be nothing.

Liao bridal dress was nothing like Shu’s. Layer upon layer of jade and beads chimed whenever I moved. The heavy earrings pulled until my ears bled. I sat miserably inside the sedan, supporting the earrings with both hands and fighting back tears.

When it was time to descend, I took my maid’s hand and carefully lifted my skirt with the other, my heart lodged in my throat. They led me toward the ceremonial hall. Young men hooted along the way, calling out that the bride had arrived and urging the Fourth Prince to lift my veil.

How shameless, I thought.

In Shu, a daughter married at dusk while her parents grieved and she wept. Firecrackers welcomed her at her husband’s home. Only after the wedding bows and a round of toasts with the groom was the ceremony complete.

The people of Liao truly were a rough lot.

I was led to the center of the hall. Through the swaying veil, I saw a pair of dark red men’s boots beside me. I stole a look at my own wedding shoes and, when I saw the matching embroidery, pressed my lips together to hide a smile.

The Emperor of Liao had not come. The Crown Prince attended in his place, accompanied by the Crown Princess.

I knew of her. She was a true woman general, the kind other women could only envy. Changning had spoken of her many times.

In beauty and learning, the Crown Princess was the equal of any sheltered noblewoman. On the battlefield, however, she stood above every woman alive.

Changning had once read me one of her poems and said that, had they not been born on opposite sides of a war, she would certainly have sought her friendship.

Such an extraordinary woman had ultimately married the Crown Prince. I did not think marriage a terrible ending, exactly, but I still regretted that even a woman like her had ended up as someone’s wife.

My princely brothers had been delighted. With the Crown Princess safely married, they had finally managed to win a few battles.

The Crown Prince sounded like a perfect elder brother. He brought many priceless gifts and offered me several compliments. The Fourth Prince, by contrast, replied with cool indifference. His voice was more pleasant than his brother’s, but his manners left much to be desired.

“Our thanks to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess for the gifts,” he said.

There was little about the wedding bows worth remembering. I had expected to be so nervous that I would not even hear the officiant. Instead, I was perfectly calm. Had my etiquette mistress from Shu been there, her jaw would have dropped before she praised me for performing every movement as well as Changning.

After the ceremony, a crowd escorted me to the bridal chamber. The hall behind us remained deafeningly lively. Above the noise, a few clear young voices called me their little sister-in-law.

I waited until deep into the night. The heavy headdress nearly snapped my neck, and my earlobes felt hot and swollen. I summoned Caiyun, the young maid who had accompanied me, and sent her to find a cooling salve.

I did not know how much time had passed when my empty stomach began to growl. I was about to sneak a few pastries from the table when a jumble of footsteps sounded outside. A group of young noblemen laughed and clamored to see the bride, calling the Fourth Prince their fourth brother.

I had read about Liao’s rowdy wedding customs, but the thought of enduring them myself made me clutch my wedding robe in dread.

“And what makes you little devils think you may look at my princess?” The Fourth Prince’s drink-heavy voice stopped them outside the door.

“Fourth Brother, everyone says women from Shu are tiny and fair. Let us see what our new sister-in-law looks like.”

“That’s right, Fourth Brother. I’ve never seen a princess from Shu.”

Humiliation burned through me, and my grip tightened.

The Fourth Prince still seemed to be outside. “You couldn’t even drink the groom under the table, and now you want to see the bride? Have you no shame?”

Then he said, “If you insist on seeing the princess, fine—keep drinking with me. Someone, bring more wine!”

At once, the young men lost their nerve and backed away laughing.

“A night of pleasure is worth a thousand pieces of gold, Fourth Brother. We won’t disturb you.”

Silence returned. The Fourth Prince’s footsteps approached.

I turned my head slightly. To my astonishment, he fell straight onto me. I cried out as we crashed heavily onto the bed, my veil tumbling aside.

At last, I saw my husband.

His eyes were beautiful, exactly like the peach-blossom eyes described in books. He was so close that I could count his long, thick lashes.

He had plainly drunk too much. Braced on one arm, his face almost touching mine, he tried and failed to focus his gaze. His eyes shifted as if he were studying my features.

Only then did the pain in my ear return. My fingers came away wet. Blood.

“Wrong,” he said for no apparent reason, then pushed himself upright and sat beside me.

What was wrong? I could not understand. The marriage agreement had already made clear that Changning would not be the bride.

Liao’s wedding robes for men were cleaner and more fitted than Shu’s wide sleeves. The brilliant red made his face look carved from pale jade, while the sharp cut emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

Caiyun returned with the salve. She was as hopeless as I was. At the sight of the Fourth Prince, she stammered so badly that she abandoned the medicine and fled.

But unlike her, I could not run.

The Fourth Prince noticed the jar and then the bead of blood on my earlobe. “Come here.”

I edged closer, wondering if he meant to apply the salve for me.

No such romantic scene occurred. He reached out, took my earlobe between his fingers, and gave it a measured pinch. I gasped in pain. When he drew back, fresh blood stained his fingertip.

His long arm swept behind me and returned with a snow-white handkerchief. The moment I saw it, my face flamed.

He wiped his finger clean, tossed the cloth onto the floor, and only then bothered to speak to me.

“You have no feelings for me, so I won’t touch you. Remember to use the salve. Eat whichever pastries you like.”

With that, he pulled off his boots and outer robe, loosened his hair, and prepared to sleep.

I stared at him in a daze. It took me a long while to understand that he neither favored nor despised me.

He simply had no interest in me at all.

I rose to fetch the salve. As I dabbed it onto my earlobe, his voice drifted from the bed. He sounded nearly asleep, as though he had suddenly remembered one last question. His low, blurred voice made my ears prickle.

“Which side do you prefer?”

“Either is fine,” I said quickly.

He gave a faint grunt. “Sleep on the inside.”

It was deep into the night. The red wedding candles at the head of the bed crackled and spat. I removed my own ornaments, finally freeing hair that had been pulled tight all day, then followed his example and discarded my heavy wedding robe.

The Fourth Prince was so tall that, lying on his back, he seemed to take up the entire bed. I carefully climbed over him and lay down at his side.

So this was my wedding night?

I clutched the quilt. The sharp scent of Liao wine filled each breath, and his even breathing sounded beside me.

Was this what marriage felt like?

Sleep weighed down my eyelids. I turned and looked at the handsome profile he had left facing me.

Unlike the princes of Shu, the Fourth Prince carried the battlefield in his bones. Even asleep, he looked alert, as if in the next instant he might draw a blade and cut an enemy’s throat.

I spoke as softly as I could, scarcely more than breath.

“Now that I’ve married you, can the fighting stop?”

Only his sleeping profile answered.

“I know it will begin again sooner or later,” I murmured to myself. “I’m only a pause in the war.”

When I woke the next morning, the space beside me was empty, and the maids charged with dressing me were waiting outside. A palace matron happily carried away the bloodstained handkerchief to report to the court. I yawned and beckoned the maids inside.

One placed a flower-shaped hairpin in my hair. I had never seen the blossom before: small and white, like a tiny lantern. The craftsmanship was exquisite, particularly the dewdrops on its green leaves, which looked ready to roll free with my next step.

“What flower is this?” I asked.

“Lily of the valley, Your Highness,” the maid replied.

On the way to the palace, I could not stop reaching for the hairpin, though I was afraid of ruining my coiffure. My movements became so obvious that the Fourth Prince finally told me to leave it alone.

To my surprise, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were already in the Empress’s palace when we arrived. I performed the proper greetings. The Empress took my hand and praised my delicate beauty, while the Crown Prince went to speak with the Fourth Prince and the Crown Princess remained beside her.

Holding both my hand and the Crown Princess’s, the Empress smiled at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, look at these two lovely children.”

The Crown Princess and I lowered our heads with shy smiles. The lily-of-the-valley pin swayed above me.

For some reason, the Crown Prince spoke up. “That pin of Fourth Sister-in-law’s looks familiar. Yue, if I recall correctly, you have several lily-of-the-valley hairpins too.”

“They were fashionable in the capital a few years ago,” the Crown Princess said. “Not only I, but every lady in the harem owned a few.”

She turned to me, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “But now that I have seen Fourth Sister-in-law’s, ours seem like vulgar trinkets.”

Everyone looked at me. Sweat dampened my palms. Neither books nor my palace matrons had taught me how to handle such a moment.

Once again, the Fourth Prince stepped forward. Taking my hand, he smiled at the Emperor and Empress.

“Father, Mother, I made this lily-of-the-valley hairpin myself. It is the only one in the world.”

The Empress teased the Emperor. “Your Majesty always says Yuan understands nothing but war. It seems to me he knows perfectly well how to cherish a wife.”

The Crown Prince joined in. “If Fourth Brother treats his wife this tenderly, Yue will make a scene when we return to the Eastern Palace.”

The Crown Princess glanced at him.

“What flower do you like, Yue?” he continued. “Shall I make you a hairpin myself?”

She smiled. “Your Highness already works so hard to ease Father’s burdens. Knowing that you would make the effort is more than enough for me.”

Throughout breakfast, I sat like a little fool and spoke only when addressed. The Crown Princess, by contrast, was gentle and composed, every answer impeccable. She was a hundred—a thousand—times better than I was.

As we left the palace, the Fourth Prince suddenly asked if I wished to return in the future.

I chose my words carefully. “If the palace summons me, of course I will come.”