Another day passed, and Xie Zheng walked out of school listlessly, with Liu Xuan trailing behind him like a foolish dog, practically circling him and wagging an invisible tail.
"Brother Xie, that trick shot you made in the arrow toss last time won the prize at the grand opening of Jinxiu Tower. It left that kid from General Hu's family dumbfounded. Are you going to the hunting trip this time?"
The spring sunlight was radiant, dappling through the trees onto the young man's delicate features. His raven-black eyelashes seemed dusted with a layer of light, and his dark pupils appeared slightly lighter under the sun, though the lazy expression in them remained unchanged.
He tossed out two words indifferently: "Not going."
Most of these young noblemen's hunting trips only skirted the edges of the hunting grounds, bagging a few pheasants or rabbits—was this some kind of childish game?
Xie Zheng couldn't be bothered to join such a frivolous event.
Liu Xuan scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. "But I already made a bet with that Hu kid. If you don't go and I lose in the hunt, the twenty taels of silver I've saved up will be gone..."
Xie Zheng didn't even spare him a glance. "That's your problem."
"Hey, Brother Xie, you—"
Just as Liu Xuan was about to continue his wheedling, he noticed Xie Zheng suddenly narrow his eyes at something in the distance before striding over.
Following his gaze, Liu Xuan saw the little girl they'd met before standing under the shade of a tree by the upper courtyard gate, a small cloth bag of books slung over her shoulder. Her large, dark eyes were framed by thick, long lashes, and her slightly puffed cheeks were pink and soft, like a sticky rice cake doll.
This time, however, the two buns on her head were almost completely undone, and there was a long, thin scratch near her eye, as if someone had clawed her with their nails.
Liu Xuan's heart sank. Could it be his useless younger brother's doing again?
Torn between bolting and going over to ask, he ultimately mustered his courage and followed.
As soon as he approached, he heard Xie Zheng ask, "What happened?"
His tone was decidedly cold.
Liu Xuan cautiously studied Xie Zheng's expression. The latter was looking down at the girl, who was much shorter than him, his face unreadable—whether patient or impatient, his mood clearly wasn't good.
While Liu Xuan was inwardly nervous, the little girl showed no fear at all. "Got into a fight with a new kid at school."
Xie Zheng frowned. "Who?"
Changyu lowered her head slightly, tracing circles on the ground with the tip of her shoe. "I think his surname is Qi. I heard his servant call him 'Young Master.'"
Xie Zheng's frown deepened.
A Qi? Recently, only Prince Gong had visited the northwest as an imperial envoy, delivering the imperial decree conferring the title of Marquis of Guanshan upon Xie Linshan.
He crouched down slightly. "Was it Prince Gong's son who hit you?"
Changyu clutched the hem of her clothes, replying stiffly, "Don't know. Maybe."
Relieved it wasn't his idiot brother's doing, Liu Xuan immediately rolled up his sleeves. "Royalty or not, bullying a little girl is wrong! Come on, Brother Xie, let's go get justice for our little sister Changyu!"
Changyu stayed rooted to the spot.
Xie Zheng, who knew her well, felt his eyelid twitch. "How badly did you hurt him?"
Only then did Changyu murmur, "He bled. Lost a tooth."
Xie Zheng pressed his fingers to his forehead.Liu Xuan hadn't expected this seemingly soft and easy-to-bully little girl to strike so viciously. He stammered as he looked at Xie Zheng, "What do we do, Brother Xie? Prince Gong is the emperor's uncle. Your sister just beat up the emperor's cousin..."
Xie Zheng was pondering countermeasures when Liu Xuan's incessant chatter grated on his nerves. Raising his eyes sharply, he snapped, "Shut up first!"
Liu Xuan immediately fell silent, even miming zipping his lips.
Xie Zheng had no time for him and continued questioning Changyu, "How did your conflict with Prince Gong's heir begin?"
Changyu pressed her lips together without answering. Her lowered head cast long lashes over her eyes, sunlight filtering through to create fan-shaped shadows on her eyelids.
Xie Zheng frowned. "Surely you didn't strike first?"
Changyu shook her head.
Controlling his temper, Xie Zheng said, "If you're in trouble, you must at least give me a reason for your actions so I can help clean up the mess. If this isn't handled properly, even your parents taking you to apologize to Prince Gong's heir might not resolve it."
The girl remained stubbornly silent, though a faint redness had begun rimming her eyes.
After a long pause, she finally said, "I'll only tell you."
Xie Zheng gave Liu Xuan a look, and the latter obediently retreated further away.
Eyeing the inexplicably resistant child, Xie Zheng said, "Speak."
Changyu tightened her grip on her clothes. "He tried to pull down my pants."
Xie Zheng felt his scalp prickle violently. "What?" he barked.
His uncontrolled volume drew curious looks from passing students and even the distant Liu Xuan.
Suppressing his fury, Xie Zheng examined the child's foreign-style attire and softened his tone. "What happened?"
The redness in the girl's eyes deepened, though she stubbornly refused to cry. "I practice martial arts with Father, so I wore foreign clothes. He mocked me for dressing like a boy and said I must be one. When I went to the privy to change, he brought people to corner me and tried to pull down my pants to check..."
Her voice finally cracked slightly. "I got scared, so I couldn't control my strength when hitting back."
Xie Zheng gently wiped away the tears the girl was fighting to hold back. "You hit well," he said gently.
The girl looked up in stunned silence at the youth before her.
A mild breeze stirred the young man's ink-black hair and robes as he asked, "How many people know about this?"
"Only him and his two lackeys," she answered. "It happened when I left archery class to change."
Xie Zheng's voice remained gentle but carried an undercurrent that chilled the bones. "Did he succeed?"
She shook her head. "I punched them until they cried when they pushed me toward the corner."
Tucking a stray lock behind her ear, Xie Zheng said simply, "Good. Had he succeeded, I'd have gouged his eyes out."
Giving her shoulder a reassuring pat, he added, "Don't be afraid. It's over now."
Perhaps it was the accumulated fear finally finding release in comfort, but Changyu finally allowed herself to cry. "But...his father is a prince. Have I caused big trouble?"
Continuing to wipe her tears, Xie Zheng said coldly, "Even if his father were the emperor, he had no right to commit such outrage."His anger hadn't subsided yet, so he only warned, "You mustn't tell anyone else about this. If others find out he tried to pull down your pants—whether he succeeded or not—you'll have no choice but to marry that scoundrel in the future."
The little girl seemed frightened, her lips pressing tighter together as tears welled up in her eyes.
Xie Zheng's heart softened slightly, and he gentled his tone. "Don't be afraid. Leave this matter to me."
He then called over Liu Xuan. "Keep an eye on my sister for me. Take her to Xu's Restaurant first—I have some business to attend to."
Liu Xuan scratched his head. "Brother Xie, what are you going to do at a time like this?"
Xie Zheng simply replied, "None of your concern."
In the end, Liu Xuan took Changyu to Xu's Restaurant. The twenty taels of silver he had yet to lose in the hunting competition were instead spent on braised pork knuckle at the restaurant.
But even after ordering a table full of the restaurant's signature dishes, he didn't see the child take a single bite. Instead, she leaned against the windowsill, staring longingly in the direction of the academy.
Liu Xuan tried to comfort her. "Don't worry about Brother Xie. Even if the other party is the Prince of Gong's heir, General Xie and Minister Wei are currently the emperor's most trusted officials. General Xie has even been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Guanshan. As long as Brother Xie says you're his sister, the Prince of Gong won't escalate the matter if he knows what's good for him."
The little girl remained silent, still clinging to the windowsill as she looked down.
Curious, Liu Xuan asked, "Did you push the Prince of Gong's heir and make him lose a tooth?"
The girl finally shook her head.
Liu Xuan was puzzled. "Then was it from bumping into something?"
The girl raised her small fist and answered truthfully, "Punched."
Liu Xuan: "……？？?"
After a long pause, he suddenly said, "Uh... Changyu, little sister, try punching me."
Changyu shook her head.
Liu Xuan stubbornly refused to believe it and continued persuading her. "It's fine, I can take it. Go ahead and hit me!"
By the time Xie Zheng arrived at Xu's Restaurant, he found Changyu sitting obediently on a stool while Liu Xuan's face was half-swollen like a pig's head, pressing a cold, wet handkerchief to his cheek.
When he saw Xie Zheng, he slurred, "Brother Xie, you're here..."
Xie Zheng frowned at Liu Xuan's badly swollen face and asked, "Did you get into another fight on the way here?"
Liu Xuan chuckled awkwardly. "No, I heard Changyu say she knocked out the Prince of Gong's heir's tooth with one punch, so I asked her to try hitting my face."
Xie Zheng immediately gave Liu Xuan a look as if he were an idiot.
Liu Xuan grimaced in pain, pressing the wet handkerchief to his cheek and inhaling sharply. "I didn't expect... Changyu's strength to be this great. It's almost on par with yours, Brother Xie..."
When Xie Zheng pulled out a stool and sat beside Changyu, she twisted her fingers nervously and murmured, "I didn't mean to..."
She had only hit him because he kept insisting.
Xie Zheng scoffed and said to Liu Xuan, "Don't feel guilty. He deserved it."
Liu Xuan, not wanting Changyu to blame herself, hissed through the pain. "Yeah, it doesn't actually hurt that much. The swelling will go down by tomorrow..."
But the pain must have been unbearable, because his mouth was slightly twisted as he said to Xie Zheng, "Brother Xie, since you're here, I'll head back first..."
He needed to hurry home and apply some medicine—it hurt like hell.
Xie Zheng glanced at the table full of dishes, then untied the purse from his waist and tossed it to Liu Xuan. "Go see a doctor."Liu Xuan reached out to catch it, feeling the weighty heft of the pouch in his hand. His face immediately lit up with joy, though half of it was swollen, and one eye was squinted into a slit, making him look rather comical. "Thanks, brother."
After Liu Xuan left, Xie Zheng turned to Changyu and asked, "Why haven't you touched any of these dishes? Not hungry?"
Changyu nodded slightly.
Xie Zheng stood up. "Then I'll take you to the West Market for a stroll."
Changyu clutched the cloth bag containing her books, remaining seated on the stool without moving.
Xie Zheng bent down and pinched her cheek. "Throwing a tantrum?"
Changyu shook her head, pressing her lips together before murmuring, "The Prince Gong's heir..."
Xie Zheng's hand, which had been on her cheek, moved to the top of her head, ruffling her already loose bun into further disarray. "Don't worry, I've taken care of it."
Changyu eyed him with a mix of doubt and hope.
Xie Zheng chuckled. "Don't trust me?"
Changyu shook her head again, her soft hair brushing against the back of Xie Zheng's hand as it swayed with the motion.
Xie Zheng paused for a moment before saying, "Forgot to tie your hair back..."
After fashioning two messy little buns atop her head, the young man extended his hand. "Let's go."
Changyu took his hand and hopped off the stool. The lopsided buns wobbled as she walked, giving her an adorably clumsy look.
The West Market was primarily a livestock trading hub, filled with horses, cattle, and related goods like saddles, whips, swords, and slingshots. Changyu had always frequented the East Market, with its flower shops, bird vendors, and snack stalls—this was her first time in the West Market.
Xie Zheng took her through every game available, from archery to pitch-pot. Initially, Changyu remained sullen, preoccupied with her worries, but soon she was swept up in the fun. She won a pile of prizes—kites, porcelain figurines, small drums—and even got to ride horseback with Xie Zheng for a few laps around the field.
By the time they headed back, the sun was already dipping below the horizon.
Exhausted from the day's excitement, her feet sore and eyelids heavy, Changyu plopped onto a roadside stone block and refused to move. "I need to rest before walking again."
Xie Zheng watched her head droop sleepily like a pecking chick and patted his pockets helplessly. "I don't have a single copper coin left to hire a carriage for you."
Changyu, barely able to keep her eyes open, mumbled, "I can walk back myself."
Amused yet sympathetic, Xie Zheng thought of what she'd been through that day. He stroked her hair, then crouched in front of her. "Hop on. I'll carry you back."
Changyu stared at the broad back of the young man before her, wrestling briefly with sleepiness before finally giving in and climbing onto his back.
Xie Zheng carried her home under the fading glow of sunset, listening to her steady breathing behind him. He sighed softly. "What’s to become of you, little troublemaker, once I’m off to the military camp?"
Changyu slept straight through until the next morning. At breakfast, her mother was as gentle as ever, and her father only spoke briefly about military affairs—neither mentioned the incident with the Prince Gong's heir.
Changyu exhaled quietly in relief.
It seemed her parents were unaware that she'd knocked out one of the heir's teeth. She wondered how Xie Zheng had managed to keep it under wraps.
At the academy, she struggled to focus during morning classes, her mind preoccupied with visiting Xie Zheng afterward to ask what he'd done the day before.As soon as morning classes ended, she was about to head to the upper courtyard when her deskmate called out, "Changyu, Changyu! Did you hear? That arrogant Prince Gong's heir got beaten up by the young Marquis yesterday. They even stripped him and his two lackeys naked and threw them out onto the street! How humiliating! I bet that Prince Gong's heir won’t dare show his face at the academy again!"
Changyu froze for a moment, not even managing to reply before clenching her small fists and dashing straight toward the upper courtyard.
The windowsills in the upper courtyard were high, and she had to stand on tiptoe to peer inside.
An older student inside noticed the shadow moving outside the window and, seeing it wasn’t a patrolling teacher, relaxed and called out, "Whose little sister is out there?"
The academy had been established by the Xie family, and the children of military officers were sent here for their early education. Many of the students in the upper and lower courtyards were siblings.
Xie Zheng’s seat was empty. When Liu Xuan spotted Changyu, he stepped outside and asked, "Looking for Xie?"
Changyu nodded.
The swelling on Liu Xuan’s face had subsided somewhat today, but a bruise remained. He said, "Xie didn’t come to the academy today. I heard about what happened with Prince Gong’s heir."
He gave Changyu a puzzled look. "How did he bully you? You already knocked out one of his teeth, and Xie still beat him black and blue before stripping him and tossing him onto the street. Word is, Prince Gong’s consort went crying to the Xie residence yesterday afternoon demanding an explanation. I reckon Xie’s bound to get punished for this."
After hearing this, Changyu turned on her heel to run back.
Liu Xuan called after her, "Where are you going?"
Changyu answered, "Back!"
By the time she returned to the lower courtyard, the teacher was already inside the classroom, holding a copy of The Analects . "Today, we’ll study the Xue’er chapter," he announced.
Noticing Changyu standing at the doorway, he smiled kindly. "Hurry and take your seat."
She had always been well-behaved in the academy. Though her handwriting wasn’t the best, she had never neglected her studies or skipped class. The teachers all adored this earnest, sweet-natured girl.
Changyu clutched her stomach with both hands, trying her best to look pained. "Teacher, my stomach hurts."
She rarely lied, but the teacher, seeing her adorable, snow-white face and considering her usual good behavior, didn’t suspect a thing. He immediately said, "Then I’ll have someone escort you home."
Changyu nodded, picked up her small satchel, and followed the instructor out of the academy.
On the carriage ride home, as they passed the Xie residence, Changyu asked the coachman to let her off there.
The coachman hesitated. "This... I must see you safely home, miss."
Changyu replied seriously, "My mother is visiting Uncle Xie. I’m going to see her."
Only then did the coachman relent, watching her enter the Xie family’s gate before driving off.
Changyu and her mother were frequent guests at the Xie residence, and the gatekeeper recognized her. Seeing her enter with her little satchel, he smiled and asked, "Miss Meng, what brings you here?"
Changyu fiddled with the strap of her bag. "I’m here to see Big Brother."
The gatekeeper chuckled awkwardly. "The young Marquis got into trouble. The Marquis punished him with a whipping, and he’s kneeling in the ancestral hall now. Perhaps you could come another day?"
At this, Changyu’s lips pressed tightly together. "I want to see him."
The gatekeeper looked troubled. "The Marquis gave strict orders—no one is to go near the ancestral hall. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Miss Meng."
Changyu quickly changed tack. "Then I want to see Aunt Xie."This time, the gatekeeper didn’t stop her and asked eagerly, “Shall I have someone show you the way?”
Changyu, already walking forward with her small satchel, replied, “No need, I remember the way.”
Past the ornamental gate, there were two paths—one leading to the inner courtyard and the other to the western wing. But with a detour, one could reach the Xie family ancestral hall.
Having visited the Xie residence many times, Changyu was familiar with these routes.
She took the detour straight to the ancestral hall. Guards stood at the main entrance, so she circled to the back wall, removed her small satchel, and pushed it through a dog hole before squeezing in herself.
The spring chill was biting. Xie Zheng, who had returned the previous night, had been given ten lashes by Xie Linshan, denied food and water, and made to kneel in the ancestral hall overnight in thin clothing. Now, he was burning with fever.
His head was heavy, and after kneeling for so long, a dull ache spread through his knees.
In his daze, he thought he heard a faint creak from the door behind him.
Xie Linshan had ordered that no one was to visit or bring him food or water. His mother, furious over his beating of the Prince of Gong’s son, hadn’t pleaded for him either. Who would come to the ancestral hall to see him now?
Xie Zheng curled his lips in self-mockery, not even bothering to open his eyes.
Yet footsteps approached from behind and stopped in front of him.
A small, unexpectedly cool and soft hand pressed against his forehead.
Xie Zheng lifted his eyelids to see the little girl who should have been at school frowning down at him. “You’re burning up! I’ll go get help!”
Changyu turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”
His voice was hoarse from the fever, his handsome features weary.
Changyu insisted, “But you’re sick!”
She tried to pry his scorching-hot fingers off her wrist. “Uncle Xie punished you because you beat the Prince of Gong’s son, right? I’ll tell him—that boy bullied me first!”
The boy’s grip didn’t loosen. Suppressing his headache, he scolded, “Little fool, didn’t I tell you not to tell anyone about this?”
Changyu asked, confused, “Not even Uncle Xie and Aunt Xie?”
He didn’t answer, only saying, “I already taught that ugly fatso and his two friends a lesson. They won’t dare spread this around. I beat him up, stripped him, and threw him into the street—that’s revenge enough for you. This punishment is nothing.”
Changyu noticed the bloodstains on his torn clothing from the whip lashes. Her nose stung. “You should’ve told them the truth.”
Xie Zheng was too weak. His eyelids drooped shut as he muttered, “Little fool, I said no telling means no telling.”
“If the Prince of Gong and his wife find out, they might shamelessly demand you marry that pig-headed brat. It’d ruin your reputation—not worth it, understand? This punishment is necessary to show the Prince of Gong’s family. Telling them would only make my mother and the old man feel worse.”
Changyu stared at the gruesome whip marks on his back, fighting back tears. “Does it hurt? I brought wound medicine. Let me apply it for you.”
After she started practicing with the blade, cuts and scrapes became common. Her satchel always held травма medicine alongside her books.Changyu pulled out the bottle of травма medicine and began cleaning the wounds on Xie Zheng's back. The blood had already clotted, causing the torn fabric to stick firmly to the flesh of the wounds. Any attempt to pull it away felt like tearing off a layer of skin.
She dampened the fabric clinging tightly to the wounds with water from her flask, then carefully peeled it away.
Even so, she still heard Xie Zheng's muffled groan.
Flustered, she said, "Does it hurt? I'll be gentler..."
Xie Zheng's cheeks were flushed from the fever, and a fine layer of sweat had formed on his forehead. He lifted his eyelids and said, "Are you peeling off a snail shell with how slow you're taking this?"
With that, he grabbed the blood-crusted fabric stuck to his flesh and yanked it down forcefully. Fresh beads of blood welled up from the wounds, but he paid no mind.
"Apply the medicine," he said.
Changyu was applying the травма medicine powder to him, her lips pressed tightly together the entire time. "It's bleeding..."
Xie Zheng kept his eyes shut, enduring the pain with sweat pouring down his face, forcing out two words through gritted teeth: "Doesn't hurt."
After finishing the treatment, perhaps because the cold seeped in after sweating so much, Xie Zheng's fever spiked even higher.
He still refused to let Changyu call for help. Even though he was practically burning up like a piece of charcoal, he kept murmuring incoherently about feeling cold.
Changyu draped her little cloak over him, but it didn’t seem to help.
The eight-year-old girl didn’t know how to reduce a fever. Hearing him say he was cold, she crouched beside him, cupped one of his hands in hers, and blew warm breath onto it, rubbing his fingers to warm them up.
When Madam Xie came to check on her son, who had been punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall, she found the two children curled up together, fast asleep.
Later, Madam Xie teased her son about it, saying that even though he’d been beaten, at least his future wife skipped school to see him—so it was worth it.
For the first time, Xie Zheng responded to his mother with complete seriousness: "Mother, Changyu is older now. Please don’t joke about such things anymore. I only see her as a younger sister."
When he was a child, he didn’t understand what marriage meant. Hearing his mother’s playful remarks back then, he had assumed it just meant there would be one more little sister in the household for him to take care of.
Now that he was growing up and gaining awareness—and having watched that girl grow up alongside him—he naturally couldn’t take Madam Xie and Changyu’s mother’s casual banter seriously.
Madam Xie hadn’t expected her lighthearted teasing to be met with such a formal response from her son. She paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, alright, I’ll remember that."
As Madam Xie carried the medicine bowl out, she spotted Changyu standing by the door, holding a small box. She wasn’t sure how much the girl had overheard of her conversation with Xie Zheng, but assuming she was still too young to understand, Madam Xie smiled and greeted her warmly: "Changyu, here to see your Xie Zheng gege?"
The little girl nodded obediently.
Madam Xie said, "He just took his medicine. He’s inside—go talk to him."
Changyu gave a soft "Mm," then stepped over the threshold, box in hand, and entered the inner room.
Xie Zheng was leaning against a pillow, coughing. When he saw her, he said weakly, "Just sit by the table. Don’t come closer—I still have this cold. Don’t let me pass it to you."
Ignoring him, Changyu placed the box on the small bedside table before stepping back a few paces. "I heard you haven’t had an appetite, so I bought you a box of candied orange peel."
Xie Zheng coughed lightly and smirked. "Rare of you to buy me something. What’s the occasion?"
Changyu didn’t answer. She sat quietly on the embroidered stool for a while before suddenly blurting out, "Thank you."
The smile vanished from Xie Zheng’s lips. "You caught the fever too? Is it frying your brain?"
Changyu muttered, "If you keep scolding me, I’ll tell Aunt Xie."
Xie Zheng shot her a sidelong glance. "If you don’t want to be scolded, then watch what you say."
Changyu grumbled, "What’s wrong with thanking you…"
Xie Zheng scoffed. "After all the messes I’ve cleaned up for you, when have you ever thanked me? Meng Changyu, who are you acting so distant with?"
The little girl hung her head and stayed silent on the embroidered stool. After a long pause, she finally mumbled, "Xie Zheng… you’ll be my brother forever, right?"
Xie Zheng found the child particularly odd today. "Unless my parents give me another sister, who else would I have besides you?"Changyu fiddled with the tassels on her clothes, silent for a moment before lifting her head with a bright smile. "Then it's settled! You'll be my brother for life!"
Xie Zheng thought the child had been frightened by the incident with the Prince Gong's heir. After coughing twice, he chuckled, "Naturally."
The child, who had previously been rather aloof, turned back at the doorway as she left and waved at him with a smile. "Goodbye, Brother Xie Zheng!"
Madam Xie arrived with freshly brewed medicine and noticed Changyu's departure. She smiled at Xie Zheng, "I see Changyu has grown much closer to you. I’ve never heard her call you so affectionately before."
Xie Zheng watched the little girl’s retreating figure without a word.
This child... something felt off.
But Xie Zheng didn’t have much time to dwell on it, as war broke out beyond the frontier again. Xie Linshan and Wei Qilin led their troops away overnight.
The Northern Jue had a new king, eager to prove his worth and suppress rebellious chieftains in his tribe. The new king launched a surprise attack on Jinzhou.
The assault was fierce. Before leaving, Xie Linshan even ordered the evacuation of civilians from the city and instructed his family guards to escort Madam Xie back to the capital.
Unfortunately, a spring rain fell that day, making the journey along the official road difficult. A cargo carriage’s wheels got stuck in the mud, and the guards, wearing bamboo hats and raincoats, shouted as they pushed the wheels.
Madam Xie and Meng Lihua personally stepped out to inspect the situation.
Changyu, listening to the thunder and rain, curled up drowsily in the carriage.
Suddenly, a flash of white lightning illuminated the interior, revealing a figure lifting the carriage curtain to look at her.
Changyu rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things. Realizing it wasn’t an illusion, she quickly said, "You haven’t recovered from your cold—you shouldn’t be out in the rain. Come inside the carriage first..."
"Tell my mother I’ve gone to Jinzhou."
The boy interrupted her.
Changyu froze. "But Jinzhou is at war..."
He grinned, raising the silver halberd in his hand. "Exactly why I must go."
Tilting his head slightly, he studied her under the dim glow of the glass lamp inside the carriage and said, "I’m off."
With a tug of the reins, he vanished into the rainy night with his halberd.
By the time Changyu returned to the capital, it was three months before she received another letter from Xie Zheng.
In it, he wrote that the battle in Jinzhou was progressing smoothly, though the Northern Jue’s offensive was fierce. After nearly a decade of silence, this war was bound to drag on.
He also mentioned meeting a skilled bowyer in the army who had crafted a small horn bow for her, which would likely reach the capital by autumn.
As seasons passed, the wooden box where Changyu kept letters from the north gradually filled with a thick stack of correspondence.
She received the exquisite redwood bow, but from the second year onward, the letters grew fewer. Most news about Xie Zheng came from Madam Xie—how he had distinguished himself in battle, slain a Northern Jue general, or nearly captured a prince...
Time flowed like water, and the distance between the two youths grew ever wider.
When Changyu turned ten, the enlightened emperor, valuing both civil and martial arts, promoted women’s education by establishing the Female Class House at the Imperial College.
To set an example, the emperor sent his princes and princesses to study at the Imperial College. The civil and military officials naturally couldn’t let the emperor lose face, so they enrolled their own daughters of appropriate age as well.When Madam Xie learned that Changyu was going to study at the Imperial College, she was genuinely happy for her. Having no daughters of her own, she had watched Changyu grow up and treated her like her own child.
While discussing this with Meng Lihua, she couldn't stop praising: "The current Chancellor of the Imperial College is truly an extraordinary figure—the venerable Gongsun. It's said His Majesty sent imperial envoys and high-ranking ministers multiple times to invite him out of retirement, but all were politely declined. Later, during His Majesty's southern tour, he personally visited the Gongsun family in Hejian before finally persuading the old master."
"The Gongsun family of Hejian—what profound heritage they possess! Even the rarest lost manuscripts can find their rubbings in their library. That His Majesty could recruit such talent is truly a blessing for Great Yin!"
Thus Changyu studied at the Imperial College for several years. Because she always achieved top marks in archery and equestrian classes, Qi Zhu and other noble girls who couldn't even draw their bows would often pitifully seek her help.
Over the years, all the noble daughters of the capital came to regard her as a close friend. Whenever there were poetry gatherings, they never forgot to send her invitations.
After years of study, Changyu still developed headaches whenever she had to compose poetry, usually finding excuses to decline whenever possible.
On this day, she was about to refuse the Flower Appreciation Invitation from the Marquis of Jinwen's residence as usual, but Qi Zhu was also attending. Claiming she wouldn't know any noble girls at the banquet, she insisted Changyu accompany her.
Meng Lihua was quite pleased to hear her daughter was willing to attend. Teasing her younger daughter, she said: "Good. Come the new year, you'll be having your coming-of-age ceremony—it's time to start considering marriage prospects."
Changyu poked her little sister's rosy cheeks, saying only: "It's still early, Mother!"
Meng Lihua looked at her two daughters, one big and one small, and smiled: "Not early at all. It seems like just yesterday you were Ning Niang's age, constantly getting into trouble with the young Marquis cleaning up after you. In the blink of an eye, you've become a young lady."
With Changyu entertaining Changning, Meng Lihua stood to organize clothes from the chest: "Your father wrote recently—another great victory in battle. The northern frontier is essentially secured. The young Marquis's reputation has resounded throughout the court these years. This time he's coming to the capital to receive honors on behalf of your Uncle Xie."
Changyu's fingers paused slightly in the cat's cradle game with her sister, absentmindedly murmuring "Mm."
Changning pouted unhappily: "Sister, sister! You messed up!"
Meng Lihua laughed at the sight: "Mother will play with Ning Niang later. Your sister needs to change for the flower gathering at the Marquis of Jinwen's residence today."
Changning immediately blinked: "Can Ning Niang go too?"
Meng Lihua shook her head.
Changning's little face fell: "Why not?"
Kneeling, Meng Lihua tapped her nose: "When our Ning Niang is a bit older, then you can go..."
The flower gathering at the Marquis of Jinwen's residence was, unsurprisingly, lively.
Talented scholars and beautiful ladies drank wine, composed poetry, and reveled in refined pleasures.
Qi Zhu seemed to be looking for someone at the banquet. Unable to find them, she remained disinterested until finally hiding in a corner with Changyu to watch the noble girls showcase their talents.
Though young, she belonged to the same generation as the current emperor—even the empress had to address her as "Princess." No guest at the residence dared show her disrespect.
However, the Marchioness of Jinwen was determined to play matchmaker today. She proposed having noble girls write the first half of poems on wooden tablets anonymously, then having maids deliver them to the gentlemen's section where scholars would select and complete the verses.This plan was well-received by the noble ladies, as it merely involved passing around wooden tablets. Even if no one filled in their poems, it wouldn’t be embarrassing, and they could still assess the talents and calligraphy of the scholars through the verses written on the tablets.
Since the method was proposed by the wife of Duke Wen of Jin, Qi Zhu couldn’t very well refuse to participate.
She wasn’t skilled at composing poetry either, and after scratching her head in frustration with Changyu for a long while, they exchanged helpless glances before finally managing to cobble together a couple of lines.
When handing the tablet to the maidservant of Duke Wen’s household, Qi Zhu deliberately put on a haughty air and said, “When these tablets are collected later, bring mine to me first so I can find my own.”
The maidservant hastily agreed.
Once the maidservant had left, Qi Zhu slumped her shoulders and whispered to Changyu, “We’ll retrieve ours first. Even if no one fills in the verses, no one will notice our embarrassment.”
When the wooden tablets were returned, Qi Zhu found hers and, scanning it, couldn’t suppress the joy that lit up her eyes and brows.
Changyu, however, frowned at the elegant and refined handwriting beneath her own barely passable two lines.
Qi Zhu peeked over and teased, “The calligraphy is graceful and dignified, and the verse isn’t without substance. The person who filled this must be quite talented. I think A Yu should meet them.”
Changyu frowned. “No, I don’t have a knack for literary pursuits…”
Qi Zhu studied the half-finished verse again, and her expression suddenly turned odd. “You know, this handwriting looks a bit like Li Huaian’s.”
Changyu gasped.
After examining the tablet closely, Qi Zhu declared, “No mistake about it! I’ve copied his homework often enough—it’s definitely his!”
Turning back to Changyu, Qi Zhu’s smile took on a teasing edge. “A Yu, your handwriting is quite distinctive among the noble ladies too! Do you think that taciturn Li Huaian deliberately picked your tablet to fill in?”
Changyu sighed. “He was probably forced into it, just like us. He’s ranked among the capital’s top scholars—if he didn’t fill in a verse, people would surely pester him. Writing for someone else might cause misunderstandings, and since he’s more familiar with the two of us, and yours was already taken, he ended up choosing mine.”
This explanation gave Qi Zhu pause, and she nodded. “That’s possible.”
The latter half of the poetry activity involved the noble ladies, if they wished, sending servants with the wooden tablets to the gentlemen’s side to inquire about the identities of those who had filled in their verses. Once the ladies learned who the gentlemen were, they could assess their talents, looks, and family backgrounds before deciding whether to pursue an acquaintance. If interested, the servants would then inform the favored gentleman of the lady’s identity.
If both parties took a liking to each other through this process, a match was practically made.
Qi Zhu seemed to already know who had filled in her verse and didn’t send anyone to inquire. Before long, however, a maidservant approached and whispered something to her. Unable to contain her delight, Qi Zhu coughed lightly and said to Changyu, “A Yu, I’m going to meet someone. Play by yourself for a while.”
Changyu nodded.
But once Qi Zhu left, other noble ladies inevitably came to socialize with Changyu, and she was eventually dragged behind a screen to sneak a peek at several of the capital’s renowned scholars.
The noble ladies chattered excitedly: “I’ve heard that not only scholars from the capital are attending this banquet, but also several distinguished young lords from noble families!”Changyu paid no heed to any of it. Seizing an opportunity, she slipped away to the crabapple grove in Duke Wen of Jin's estate to find some peace.
Duke Wen was a man of refined tastes, fond of brewing tea and discussing philosophy in his daily life. The gardens of his estate were also crafted with ingenuity. The crabapple grove featured winding streams for floating wine cups and layered rockeries. Crabapple petals blown by the wind drifted into the water, creating a picturesque scene of falling blossoms and flowing streams.
Not far away stood a waterside pavilion. Changyu leaned over the rail, plucked a lotus leaf, placed it over her face, and lay down on the leaning rail for a nap.
The sunlight was just right, warm and soothing, making it all too easy to feel drowsy.
But the moment she lay down, something struck the lotus leaf covering her face.
The impact was light, as if it were just a bud or seed blown by the wind.
Changyu ignored it, merely scratching her cheek before settling back to sleep. Yet again, something struck the lotus leaf on her face.
Frowning, she sat up and glanced around the pavilion but saw no one.
Just as she was puzzled, another crabapple bud came flying toward the top of her head.
Changyu looked up and finally spotted the culprit.
The pavilion adjoined a high stone platform, but the area around it was densely planted with rare and precious flowers and trees, lush and verdant, making it difficult to see the platform from the pavilion.
The young man who had thrown the bud at her stood leaning against a crabapple tree, arms crossed. Dressed in black robes with intricate patterns that shimmered in the sunlight, his Diéxiè belt hung with jade pendants and pearls that glinted dazzlingly under the sun.
Changyu raised a hand to shield her eyes.
The young man seemed to chuckle. His strikingly handsome features still bore traces of the past, and his lazy demeanor matched her memories. Without waiting for her to greet him, he quirked a corner of his lips and drawled, "After all these years, don’t recognize me anymore?"
Changyu stared at him for a long moment before blurting out a single word: "Brother."
The moment the word left her mouth, the two fell into silence, eyeing each other awkwardly. It felt unnatural, yet no other term seemed more fitting.
Xie Zheng pushed aside the branches and leaped down from the platform.
Changyu asked stiffly, "What are you doing here?"
Xie Zheng glanced at the wooden tablet she had placed by the leaning rail and replied with a sardonic smile, "Heard you were here picking a husband for yourself. Thought I’d help vet the candidates."
He had rushed back from the northern frontier, dusty and weary. After meeting with Madam Xie, he mentioned bringing gifts for Changyu and wanted to deliver them. But upon learning from Madam Xie that she had gone to Duke Wen’s flower banquet, he tagged along using his friend Shen Shen’s invitation.
Changyu sensed a barb in his words but couldn’t fathom why. She answered truthfully, "I haven’t really looked much…"
Noticing his gaze fixed on the wooden tablet by the rail, she guiltily hid it behind her back, afraid he’d see her terrible handwriting and embarrassing poetry and scold her for it.
Xie Zheng continued to smile, though his grin now seemed laced with knives.
He couldn’t quite name the emotion stirring in his chest. He had traveled all the way from the north, bringing her all sorts of treats and trinkets. From afar at the banquet, he’d noticed she had grown taller and felt oddly pleased.
But now, face to face, she treated him with none of the closeness they once shared. This realization suddenly irritated him.
And seeing her sneakily hide the poetry she’d composed with someone else at the banquet only stoked his frustration.After years of training in the military, he had learned to rein in his emotions. With an air of nonchalance, he said to the now-grown girl, "If you didn’t find anyone suitable, let’s go. I’ll take you home."
The two walked side by side out of the waterside pavilion. Unable to find a suitable topic for conversation, they remained silent the entire way.
At a corner, they came across a refined and elegant man in a pale violet scholar’s robe. Upon seeing Changyu, the man first greeted her with a smile and a bow. When his gaze shifted to Xie Zheng, there was a hint of hesitation. "And this is…?"
Changyu replied, "My brother."
The young man seemed to exhale slightly in relief, then bowed properly to Xie Zheng with a mix of nervousness and shyness. "Greetings, Elder Brother."
Xie Zheng: "..."
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