Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“The Yan Region marriage alliance… have you truly thought this through?”

It was the dead of winter, and snow drifted from the eaves of the corridors. Yet, inside the golden hall, it was as warm as spring.

I knelt on the floor, bowing low in a deep kowtow.

“Ah Yu lost her parents as a child and has been drifting ever since. I was born in the Yan Region and am fluent in the Hu languages. I am willing to ease Your Majesty’s worries.”

The Emperor reached out with both hands to help me up.

“Ah Yu, is this because of the Crown Prince’s recent betrothal?”

Just half a month ago, His Highness the Crown Prince became engaged to the legitimate daughter of Duke Meng.

Previously, everyone assumed Zhao Xizhen would marry me, to the point that I had now become the person in the most awkward position in the palace.

I remained silent for a moment, then shook my head slightly.

“Your Majesty, it has nothing to do with him. I only wish to fulfill my duty.”

The Son of Heaven had no daughters, so I had been taken in as his adopted daughter and raised in the palace for many years.

I enjoyed the respect of the common people and the vastness of imperial favor.

Compared to those young, innocent Palace Maids who worked tirelessly all day, I was the best candidate for the marriage alliance.

Furthermore, Western Xia had sent word that they were willing to offer Yanzhou as a betrothal gift, seeking only a marriage alliance with the Celestial Empire.

I was a native of Yanzhou to begin with.

The Emperor fell silent for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.

“The date for the marriage alliance shall be set for after the Lunar New Year.”

It was already the twelfth lunar month; only one month remained.

I accepted the gold-flecked imperial decree.

“There is only one thing. I ask Your Majesty to help me keep this from the Crown Prince.”

The Emperor sighed softly.

“If you leave, he will surely be heartbroken. I will not tell him for now, but he will find out sooner or later.”

I lowered my head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

“Then let it be as late as possible. A marriage alliance is a matter of great importance; I only wish for as few complications as possible.”

By the koi pond in the Imperial Garden, there was a plum grove connected to a covered walkway.

Noble ladies were gathered there in small groups, playing pitch-pot in the snow.

As I passed through the walkway, five or six palace servants followed closely behind me, carrying vermilion lacquer trays filled with gold and silver treasures.

“Even though the Crown Princess has been decided, Commandery Princess Changyi is still favored.”

“Who knows? In the future, she might enter the Eastern Palace as a Secondary Consort.”

At that moment, an arrow whistled past my ear and struck a servant’s hair bun.

The lacquer tray slipped from her hands and crashed to the ground.

Gold and silver jewelry spilled out, and a jade bracelet shattered into pieces.

A servant picked up the wooden arrow from the ground; its tail was carved with delicate orchid leaves, exquisite and elegant.

My gaze lingered on it for a moment.

A maid from the Meng Mansion snatched it away.

“His Highness the Crown Prince made this specifically for our lady.”

Carving marks on one’s belongings was something I had taught the Crown Prince.

When I took him south to flee the war, the journey was chaotic. I taught him to carve crude fish patterns on the bottom of his bowls.

Snapping back to reality, I felt a burning pain in my cheek.

I pressed a handkerchief against it; when I pulled it away, it was stained with thin streaks of blood.

“Commandery Princess, your face…”

Meng Lanci hurried over, lifting her skirts. Seeing the mess of fragments on the ground, she moved to take off her own jade bracelet to give to me.

“Sister Ah Yu, I’m so sorry. I’ll compensate you with this.”

I refused.

Those were rewards given to me by His Majesty for the marriage alliance.

When I married into the Yan Region in the future, everything had to match the gift inventory. It was better to have a missing item than to have things mixed up.

Meng Lanci, however, refused to take it back.

During the back-and-forth shoving, the bracelet was tossed into the pond with a crisp splash.

“Sister Ah Yu, this was a gift from His Highness! I was willing to give it to you, but even if you didn’t want it, you shouldn’t have thrown it into the water!”

Her expression suddenly changed as she grabbed my sleeve and wouldn’t let go.

I glanced at her.

“You threw it yourself,” I said coldly, pushing her away.

I had barely taken half a step when I ran straight into His Highness the Crown Prince. I froze for a moment, then lowered my head and curtsied to him.

I didn’t know how long Zhao Xizhen had been standing there.

He looked at me with a frigid gaze, saying word for word, “Go down and get it back.”

The koi pond wasn’t even as deep as a person was tall.

But it was the middle of winter and snowing; one could imagine how cold it would be.

The noble ladies crowded under the walkway, all eyes fixed on me.

Meng Lanci said softly, “Perhaps we should just forget it. It’s so cold; let’s not make things difficult for the Commandery Princess.”

Zhao Xizhen thoughtfully placed a hand warmer into her palm.

“Ah Yu, you are a very good swimmer. This should be easy for you, shouldn’t it?”

I had once jumped into a river to save someone.

I stared at him for a long while. “Fine.”

I was leaving soon anyway.

I rolled up my skirts, clutching them tightly to my chest, and waded into the pond.

The water was bone-chillingly cold.

I moved forward with a hunched back, reaching down to the bottom of the pond until I felt the cold jade bracelet.

I climbed back onto the bank in a wretched state, shivering all over. I grabbed Meng Lanci’s hand and slid the bracelet onto her wrist.

“Here, back to you.”

“It’s so cold!” Meng Lanci made a show of pulling her hand back, though she didn’t use much strength.

Zhao Xizhen frowned, pulling her into his arms and pushing me away.

I didn’t have time to steady myself. I stumbled back several steps and tumbled into the water.

“Commandery Princess!”

The cold seeped into my very marrow.

The multicolored koi, like a cluster of colorful dreams, scattered in a panic.

Through the undulating surface of the water, I could vaguely see Zhao Xizhen’s face.

Just like the year we first met.