Qi Zhu's impersonation of her cousin to enter the academy was ultimately discovered.
Her unreliable cousin had gotten into a fight with a wealthy family's son over cockfighting and injured the boy. The wealthy official brought his son to demand an explanation, and it was only then that Prefect An realized his son hadn't been attending the academy at all, but had been running wild outside all this time.
An Xu was dragged home by his father, and naturally, Qi Zhu's deception of attending the academy in his place could no longer be concealed.
As a princess, Qi Zhu commanded respect even from her uncle, Prefect An. He reported the matter to Grand Royal Concubine An, who was still at Guangling Temple praying to Buddha. It was the old maidservant from Grand Royal Concubine An's entourage who personally went to the academy to "escort" Qi Zhu back.
With such an incident occurring, Prefect An could hardly send his son back to the academy without embarrassment. To protect the academy's reputation, it was publicly announced that An Xu had withdrawn voluntarily.
When Qi Zhu was "escorted" into the carriage by her mother's maidservant, the carriage was nearly leaving the academy grounds. She had been quiet and cooperative the entire way, but suddenly, she leaped from the carriage, gathered her skirts, and ran straight toward the Imperial Library.
Her maids and guards tried to pursue her, but unfamiliar with the academy's layout, they couldn't catch up immediately.
The old maidservant sent by Grand Royal Concubine An was Qi Zhu's wet nurse and knew her temperament well. In the end, she only sighed, "Let her go."
Qi Zhu had never run so fast before. The air she gasped burned her lungs, but she dared not stop for even a moment.
She thought, if she could just see him one more time—at least let him know she was the girl who had played chess with him at the Wind and Rain Pavilion.
If she left without any explanation, she would likely regret it for the rest of her life.
It was a rest day, and the academy was closed for the holiday. Some students had gone out, while others remained on the grounds. On the main path leading to the classrooms and the Imperial Library, people occasionally passed by. When they caught sight of the young woman in radiant red silk rushing past, they all stopped and stared, entranced.
The Jiangnan region was known for its beauties, but rarely had anyone seen one as luminous as a mermaid's pearl or as dazzling as the sunset glow. It seemed as if the splendor of mountains and rivers draped upon her would not be excessive.
Qi Zhu entered the Imperial Library directly. As she ran up the wooden staircase, she brushed past several people, uttering countless "excuse me's." None of the students she bumped into showed any anger; instead, they wore expressions of dreamlike bewilderment, as if fearing they had hallucinated from too much reading.
Qi Zhu paid them no mind. By the time she reached the seventh-floor study, she was completely out of breath. She knocked on the door and urgently called out the name that had lingered on her tongue countless times: "Gongsun Yin..."
Her voice trailed off abruptly. The man in white robes was still seated by the window where he usually read and played chess, but this time, he was writing something with an ink brush.
When he saw her, he looked up with a faint smile. "I was just thinking that once I finished copying this chess manual, I could send it to the An residence, and it would likely reach you. I didn't expect you to come in person."
His calm demeanor startled Qi Zhu. "You... knew about my identity all along?"
Gongsun Yin paused his brush. "I only learned of your identity today."
The final character he wrote was slightly smudged by a drop of ink, but he completed it nonetheless. Setting down the brush, he lifted the paper to shake off the excess ink. "I knew you were a young woman, but I didn't realize you were the imperial princess."For some reason, Qi Zhu felt a lump forming in her throat. She asked, "Then did you know that the person playing chess with you at the Wind and Rain Pavilion in Guangling Temple was also me?"
Gongsun Yin looked at her and smiled with utmost gentleness. "I knew."
With just those words, a tear suddenly fell from Qi Zhu's eye, leaving a small damp stain on the wooden floor.
When Gongsun Yin folded the completed chess manual and handed it to her, she didn’t take it. Instead, she stubbornly gazed at him through tear-blurred eyes. "I came to this academy for someone."
Gongsun Yin lowered his eyes slightly and remained silent, offering no further response.
In that moment, an overwhelming sense of grievance surged in Qi Zhu’s heart. She was a princess, born to have everything she desired, and had never tasted the bitterness of rejection.
In the end, she didn’t even take those pages of the fragmented chess manual. With reddened eyes, she turned and ran without looking back.
A month later, just before she and An Taifei departed for the capital, she received a letter sent from Luyuan Academy to the An residence. Inside were those very pages of the chess manual fragments.
No one knew how many nights she had spent in the quiet darkness, clutching that manual and shedding silent tears.
...
Snapping out of her memories, Qi Zhu watched the rain pouring from the eaves and suddenly smiled bitterly.
She had been trapped by that chess manual for so many years. Though she had long since returned it to its owner through A Yu, it was time she truly moved on.
Before she knew it, June arrived. Grand Royal Concubine An summoned the elderly matriarch of the Shen family to the palace for several conversations. It seemed the Shen family was also willing to welcome a princess as their daughter-in-law.
When Qi Zhu accompanied Grand Royal Concubine An to the summer retreat at the imperial villa, the assigned escorting general was none other than Shen Shen.
Shen Shen shared one striking similarity with Gongsun Yin—he also loved to smile. But unlike Gongsun Yin’s effortless, spring-like warmth, his smiles were born of innate cheerfulness.
Every time he laughed, it radiated pure sincerity and fervor. With someone like him, even deceiving him felt like a sin.
Qi Zhu often thought his temperament was remarkably similar to Fan Changyu’s. Though not siblings by blood, they were closer than most.
During their stay at the villa, he would often take guards to hunt pheasants in the nearby mountains or catch fish from wild streams, then hand them to the kitchen to prepare delicious meals.
Grand Royal Concubine An, eager to foster a connection between the two, frequently tried to persuade Qi Zhu to join him. But Qi Zhu disliked the scorching sun, found mountain paths difficult to traverse, and hated sweating profusely, so she always declined.
Unable to sway her, Grand Royal Concubine An eventually heard about the upcoming Lantern Festival on Qixi and arranged for Shen Shen to escort Qi Zhu there.
The festival was crowded, and Qi Zhu, dressed in lavish attire, had no desire to jostle through the streets. Instead, she rented a painted boat to admire the Qixi lanterns and the young men and women releasing river lanterns from a distance.
Qi Zhu remained listless throughout, while Shen Shen, keeping her company, spoke little. Both felt awkward.
Out of courtesy, Qi Zhu reluctantly stood with Shen Shen at the bow for a while. Just as she was about to retreat into the cabin, a chorus of excited gasps rose from the riverbanks. Lifting her gaze, she saw a small boat drifting toward them from afar. An old boatman poled from the stern, while at the bow stood a figure as ethereal as an immortal.
Clad in white robes with ink-black hair, he held a folding fan, a faint smile playing on his lips. Amid the flickering lantern lights along the riverbank, he seemed to have stepped out of a painting.
When Qi Zhu recognized him, her breath caught slightly.
In Great Yin’s customs, during Qixi, young men and women could toss flowers at their beloved as a token of affection.As Gongsun Yin's small boat passed by the shore, the young maidens on the bank eagerly threw flower branches toward him. However, the distance was too great, and most landed in the water, with only a few scattered blossoms reaching the boat.
Gongsun Yin did not pick them up, merely offering a slight bow toward the shore as a polite gesture.
The girls on the bank erupted in excited gasps, their delicate faces flushing pink as they clamored to ask which noble family this young master belonged to.
Qi Zhu watched quietly, feeling a faint tightness in her chest, but eventually, it all settled into calm. Just as she was about to turn away, a voice carried from afar: "This humble official greets Her Highness."
The voice, carried by the night breeze, was gentle and refined.
Qi Zhu lifted her gaze toward the small boat approaching the painted pleasure barge.
The man standing at the bow offered her an elegant salute, his wide sleeves and robes fluttering in the night wind, giving him an ethereal, almost immortal air.
Qi Zhu nodded slightly and replied coolly, "Junior Tutor."
As the boat drew closer, Gongsun Yin retrieved a white-pink peony from his sleeve and presented it to Qi Zhu with a bow. "I heard that on the Qixi Festival, one may offer flowers to their beloved. Yin ventures to present this to Your Highness."
Qi Zhu studied the vibrant peony in his hand for a moment before smiling faintly. "The Junior Tutor is too late. This princess has already accepted flowers from General Shen."
With that, she allowed her maids to assist her back into the cabin. Shen Shen was momentarily stunned, watching Gongsun Yin standing silently with the flower at the bow of his boat. Eventually, he coughed awkwardly. "Ah... Brother Gongsun, forgive my abrupt departure."
Gongsun Yin's lips still held that faint smile, though it seemed tinged with melancholy as he nodded slightly. "Yin has imposed."
As the small boat drifted away, Shen Shen lifted the curtain to enter the barge and unmistakably caught the glimmer of tears in Qi Zhu's eyes. Noticing his arrival, she hastily dabbed them away with a handkerchief.
Shen Shen sat across from Qi Zhu and said, "This humble Shen was presumptuous—I did not prepare flowers, nor did I intend to offer any to Your Highness."
His words bordered on rudeness, and the palace maid at Qi Zhu's side was about to reprimand him when he continued, "I know Your Highness came boating today at Grand Royal Concubine An's behest. Shen is but a rough soldier with little refinement. For Your Highness to endure my company is truly beneath you."
Qi Zhu quickly replied, "General Shen must not belittle yourself. Today, this princess came of her own will."
Shen Shen simply smiled at her. "Shen is a blunt man, so I'll speak plainly—Your Highness must forgive my lack of tact. I have a younger sister whose temperament resembles yours. Watching Your Highness quarrel with the Junior Tutor feels no different from watching my own sister. Though I do not know what misunderstanding lies between you, matters of marriage should not be decided in a moment of anger."
Qi Zhu suppressed the ache rising in her throat and shook her head. "This princess is not acting out of anger."
Shen Shen sighed softly. "If Your Highness had truly moved on, you would not be so heartbroken."
After their Qixi Festival boat outing, Qi Zhu and Shen Shen grew closer, though their relationship remained platonic. To Qi Zhu, someone so similar to Fan Changyu felt more like an elder brother.
Grand Royal Concubine An, unaware of this, was delighted to see their rapport improving.
As autumn approached, urgent reports arrived from the northern border once more. The throne of Great Yin had changed hands, and Wu'an Marquis, who had long guarded the frontier, returned to the capital to assist the young emperor. Seizing what they saw as a rare opportunity, the Northern Turks repeatedly harassed the Great Yin civilians near Jinzhou, bringing the two sides to the brink of war.Qi Yu was still young, and without Xie Zheng holding the court in the capital, chaos would surely ensue. After deliberation, the court first dispatched General Tang Peiyi of the Western Pacification to lead troops to the northern frontier, with General Fan Changyu of the Huaihua following with provisions.
Qi Zhu and Grand Royal Concubine An, upon receiving the news, also hurried back to the palace early.
Fan Changyu was heading to the northern frontier for battle, so naturally, she couldn’t take Changning along. Upon hearing she would be separated from her elder sister for years, Changning clung to her waist and cried until she was a tearful mess.
Fan Changyu promised to send her letters every month via the Gyrfalcon, finally soothing the little tearful bundle.
Yu Qianqian knew Xie Zheng had countless matters to handle and likely couldn’t spare much attention for Changning, so she proposed bringing Changning into the palace. Aunt Zhao was also granted permission to enter the palace together.
Two days before Fan Changyu’s departure from the capital, Changning was still crying uncontrollably. Qi Zhu, whenever she had time, would go to the Cining Palace to help comfort the child.
Occasionally, Qi Yu was also there. Perhaps because children understand each other better, he always found ways to cheer Changning up.
The delicate little girl, her grape-like eyes swollen like walnuts, rubbed her eyes and asked pitifully, “When will Gongsun return to teach? Before leaving, A-jie told Ning Niang to study hard. Ning Niang must listen to A-jie…”
As she spoke, she began sniffling again, her large, dark eyes brimming with endless tears. She wiped them clumsily with her chubby hands, a sight that tugged at the heart.
Qi Yu said, “Gongsun is ill. He’s been attending court meetings recently despite his condition. Once he recovers, he’ll return to the Chongwen Hall to teach.”
After wiping Changning’s tears, Qi Zhu’s hand holding the handkerchief suddenly tightened. “The Junior Tutor is ill?”
Qi Yu nodded. “He’s been sick for over a month. Even the imperial physicians haven’t been able to cure him.”
On her way back from the Cining Palace, Qi Zhu was lost in thought. Her long-calm heart suddenly felt unsettled again.
Over a month? Counting back, he must have fallen ill after the Qixi Festival.
How could he have gotten sick? Was it from the river breeze that day?
In the following days, whenever she had time, Qi Zhu would take Changning to play. Changning had an excellent memory. Even if momentarily distracted by the new toys Qi Zhu brought, she would soon sit on the courtyard steps, her chubby arms resting on her knees, her hands cupping her chin, and her head full of tiny buns tilted upward as she gazed at the sky.
Occasionally, when a falcon flew by, her eyes would sparkle, only to dim again when she realized it wasn’t the Gyrfalcon.
She was even mature enough not to cry in front of others. Only occasionally, upon waking in the morning or from a nap, as if momentarily forgetting her sister’s departure, would golden tears well up in her eyes. But before anyone noticed, she would secretly wipe them away.
Qi Zhu genuinely cared for the child and gave her all the childhood toys she had collected in her palace.
Because she visited often, she also frequently heard court updates from the Empress Dowager and her son.
For instance, the northern frontier campaign was not going smoothly. General Tang Peiyi of the Western Pacification, after a forced march, was severely wounded in the initial battle due to exhaustion. Fortunately, Fan Changyu arrived with reinforcements in time, stabilizing the situation. However, the entire burden of defending against the invaders now fell squarely on Fan Changyu’s shoulders.For instance, the Prince Regent's methods had grown increasingly ruthless and cruel. When it came to military supplies for the northern frontier, no official dared make the slightest mistake, fearing they might become the Prince Regent's next target.
Or how the Junior Tutor had taught Qi Yu something new, devised some fresh national policy...
Though these were but fragments of news about that person, Qi Zhu found inexplicable comfort in them.
The Prince Regent would spare time every half-month to meet Changning at Chongwen Hall. Usually, Yu Qianqian would have her maidservant escort Changning there, but today the old woman happened to suffer a recurrence of her chronic back pain and couldn't get out of bed.
Having recently grown quite close to Changning, Qi Zhu offered to accompany her instead.
Unnoticed, winter had descended upon the imperial city once more.
As Qi Zhu waited outside the hall for Changning, a cold gust swept by, chilling her to the bone.
Clutching her brass-wired hand warmer tighter, she was about to stroll nearby when she spotted Gongsun Yin in white robes ascending the white marble steps with several officials, apparently heading to Chongwen Hall for political discussions.
Upon seeing her, they all bowed respectfully: "Greetings to the Grand Princess."
Since the inner court didn't interfere with state affairs, Qi Zhu merely nodded in acknowledgment.
But Gongsun Yin remained standing, telling his colleagues: "Gentlemen, please wait for me in the side hall first."
The officials exchanged glances but complied and withdrew.
Qi Zhu held her hand warmer tightly. Though winter was bitterly cold, her palms suddenly grew damp with sweat.
Gongsun Yin's gaze was gentle and composed. He still appeared unwell—his complexion poor, his frame noticeably thinner—yet he carried himself with newfound steadiness: "Might Your Highness spare a moment for conversation?"
They walked slowly through the small garden outside Chongwen Hall. Gongsun Yin began: "I heard Your Highness and General Shen are to be wed soon?"
Qi Zhu's grip on the warmer tightened. She stopped abruptly, her beautiful eyes turning frosty: "Did the Junior Tutor summon me out here just to offer premature congratulations?"
Gongsun Yin studied her intently, his refined features clearly pained as he replied: "If true, this humble official should indeed offer congratulations. But there are other matters I wish to discuss."
He continued walking. After a moment's hesitation, Qi Zhu followed.
The southwest wind blew fiercely. Gongsun Yin, still recovering from illness, occasionally inhaled cold air that triggered quiet coughs: "A century ago, the Gongsun family flourished greatly. Two empresses—one for Emperor Chengzu, another for Emperor Xuan—came from our house. But towering trees attract the wind. Our family's fate proved worse than the Qi family's seventeen years ago. When dragon robes were 'discovered' in the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Shaoyang was stripped of titles. Two Gongsun empresses hanged themselves in the palace... The main lineage was exterminated through executions and exile. Even the plaque for the 'Imperial Library' at Luyuan Academy was nearly reclaimed by the throne... Later investigation revealed it was all a prince's fabricated scheme."
Here Gongsun Yin smiled bitterly: "What frame-up could be so flawless? The truth was simply that the emperor could no longer tolerate the Gongsun family's power. Our branch lineage survived by clinging to Luyuan Academy for a century, with the first clan rule being 'No member shall enter government service.'"
Qi Zhu stood stunned.Gongsun Yin gazed at her and said slowly, "On your first day at the academy, I could tell you were a girl. It wasn't until we played that game of chess in the Imperial Library that I realized you were also the one I met at the Wind and Rain Pavilion in Guangling Temple."
The corners of his lips curved slightly, his eyes tinged with the obscure melancholy of time passed: "I admired that girl, only to later discover she was the princess of this dynasty."
The question she had asked him years ago in Luyuan Academy's Imperial Library finally received its answer today, yet Qi Zhu only felt her throat tighten.
Gongsun Yin continued to watch her with a faint smile, though it seemed fragile under the thin sunlight: "I will never enter officialdom in this lifetime—how could I dare to mislead her?"
Qi Zhu's eyes had already reddened, her breathing trembling faintly. She stared at him: "What do you mean by telling me all this now?"
A cold breeze stirred Gongsun Yin's snow-white robes as he stood there like a gaunt yet resilient pine: "After helping Jiuling overthrow Wei Yan and the Li family, I returned to Hejian and spent a day and night persuading my grandfather to amend our clan's rules, allowing our kin to serve in court. But to avoid repeating past mistakes, I will resign once His Majesty's power is firmly established."
"The year you returned to the capital, I placed third in the imperial examinations and entered the palace. Seeing the towering palaces where you resided, I never dared to ask if you would be willing to travel the land with me and live in seclusion. Today, I wish to be bold—when I resign and return home, would you be willing to join me as carefree wanderers?"
He smiled again: "The Gongsun family's centuries of endeavors have left us with modest means—enough to ensure you won't suffer hardship. Though Hejian can't compare to the capital's splendor..."
His smiles had always been gentle yet tinged with fox-like calculation, but now it seemed like a fragile mask barely concealing the shattered emotions beneath.
Qi Zhu coldly raised her eyes: "What if I say no?"
Gongsun Yin's smile stiffened before he finally clasped his hands with difficulty: "Then I have spoken presumptuously."
Qi Zhu ignored him, clutching her hand warmer as she hurried away.
Gongsun Yin remained where he stood, feeling an icy chill seep into his chest, covering his lips to suppress a low cough.
"Gongsun, you blockhead!"
A playful voice called from behind.
Pale-faced, Gongsun Yin turned to see Qi Zhu, her expression no longer able to suppress a smile as she declared with charming arrogance: "This princess demands your family's library—all ten thousand volumes—as betrothal gifts!"
Gongsun Yin froze momentarily before slowly breaking into a smile, replying softly: "Agreed."
...
Having just met her brother-in-law, Changning and Qi Yu hid behind a rockery, watching the scene unfold. Changning whispered to Qi Yu: "Is Uncle Gongsun going to marry the princess?"
Qi Yu nodded, his young face solemn as he pressed his lips together: "When I come into power, I won't act against the Prince Regent or Gongsun."
He added unhappily: "Only incompetent emperors distrust their ministers."
For a better view, Changning crouched by the rockery while Qi Yu stood behind her.
She tilted her head up to ask: "Then can you make me a princess someday?"
Qi Yu looked down at her: "You want to be a princess?"
Changning nodded eagerly: "Yes! Like Aunt Zhu—so majestic! The groom has to offer his family's wealth as betrothal gifts!"
Qi Yu frowned slightly: "This empire is mine—no one has more to offer than I do. Why not be my empress instead?"
Changning blinked her large, dark eyes in surprise: "Then will you give me this palace as betrothal gifts?"
Qi Yu said: "The realm itself."
Changning looked puzzled: "What's the realm?"Qi Yu said, "From the lands where your sister wages war, to this imperial palace, and even further south—all of it is mine. If you become my empress, it will be yours too."
Changning tried to imagine just how vast that territory must be. She counted on her fingers for a long while before finally exclaiming in astonishment, "Even a falcon would take days to fly across it all?"
Qi Yu nodded.
In the end, Changning reluctantly agreed, "Alright then. To make sure you don't go back on your word, let's pinky promise."
"Pinky swear, a hundred years, no take-backs! Whoever breaks it is a puppy!"
That year's New Year's Eve, Changning spent in the palace with Yu Qianqian, her child, and Aunt Zhao. Her brother-in-law had settled all affairs in the capital before entrusting them to Gongsun Yin and his trusted aides, freeing himself for half a month to ride swiftly northward to find her elder sister.
The following autumn, the Grand Princess married the Junior Tutor.
After the new year, the Huaihua General returned victorious from the frontier. Throughout the year, she had repelled over twenty attacks from the Northern Turks. In the northern borders, alongside the "Xie" banner, she raised another Commander's Flag that struck fear into the Northern Turks—the "Huaihua" banner. The court, acknowledging her origins in Qingping County, ennobled her as the Qingping Marquis.
That same year, the twelve-year-old young emperor assumed personal rule. Xie Zheng resigned as Prince Regent and, together with his wife, the Qingping Marquis Fan Changyu, returned to guard the northern borders.
On the day the couple left the capital, the citizens, just as during their wedding, voluntarily gathered outside the city to bid them farewell.
The young emperor also rode out in his carriage to see them off. Changning, now much taller over the years, waved to him from her carriage.
When Qi Yu stepped forward to hand Changning the farewell gift entrusted to him by the Empress Dowager, his little finger lightly hooked hers. After a silent moment, he said, "Remember our promise."
Changning held the bundle he handed her without speaking, her cheeks slowly reddening as she avoided his gaze.
After Fan Changyu bid farewell to Qi Zhu, who had also come to see them off, she rode back to the carriage. The young emperor then turned to her and the stern man behind her, saying, "Aunt Changyu and Uncle, may you have a smooth journey."
Fan Changyu smiled. "Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty."
Xie Zheng gave a slight nod. "With the realm at peace, Your Majesty may now act freely. The court has many capable ministers like Gongsun, Shen Shen, He Xiujun, and Lu Bai. Consult them in all matters. My wife and I will guard the northern borders for Your Majesty."
The young emperor bowed solemnly to the Martial Marquis, who had held the reins of power for years before fully relinquishing them to him. "Uncle and Aunt's great kindness is etched in Yu'er's heart. Yu'er will be a good emperor, worthy of Uncle and Gongsun's teachings."
Xie Zheng said no more, only patting the young emperor's still slender shoulder.
As the army set off northward, Fan Changyu rode alongside the carriage, looking at her sister, now blossomed into a young woman leaning against the window. She smiled and asked, "What did His Majesty say to Ning Niang?"
Changning gazed at her elder sister with smiling eyes. "It's a secret."
Fan Changyu chuckled and didn’t press further, urging her horse forward to catch up with Xie Zheng riding ahead.
Under the setting sun, amidst lush grass, the two rode side by side. The Gyrfalcon soaring in the sky was now accompanied by a slightly mottled White Falcon.
Fan Changyu asked the man beside her, "Where shall we go first upon returning north?"
"Yanzhou."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
The man lightly tugged the reins, the muscles of his forearm beneath his archer's sleeves flexing slightly. His strikingly handsome face, though cold and imposing, had drawn many gazes along the way. Only when he looked at the woman beside him did a hint of tenderness appear in his eyes. "To take you to see the sunrise at Mount Yan."
Fan Changyu laughed. "And then hunt at Huizhou's hunting grounds?"
Xie Zheng gave a soft "Mm."
It was what he had once promised her.
Under the slanting sunlight, after riding ahead of the army, the female marquis on horseback grabbed her husband's collar and kissed him.
Birds chirped, and the mountains were awash with blooming flowers—a perfect spring scene.
On that autumn day in the sixteenth year of Yongping, they had once lost each other amidst a sea of reeds.In the spring of the fourth year of Yongxing, they journeyed north together and were never parted again.
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