Second Chapter
On the hunting grounds of Lucheng, a young girl galloped after a herd of panicked yellow sheep. With swift precision, she nocked an arrow to her bow, and with a twang of the string, the arrow shot through the air, striking down one of the sheep. Cheers erupted from the sidelines.
"If Yixiao were born a man, she would have surpassed us long ago," Ning Fei remarked, riding up to meet her as she returned. Xiao Weiran, following close behind, chuckled, "If she were a man, who knows how much more trouble His Highness would have to worry about because of her."
At seventeen, Yixiao carried a longbow and quiver, her eyes brimming with vigor. The moment her feet touched the ground, she barely spared Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran a glance, calling out instead to the figure behind them, "Give me the bow!"
Xia Jingshi slowly lifted his gaze to meet her dark, fathomless eyes—eyes that shimmered like autumn waters startled in a dream, or like the crimson fall of blossoms. A faint smile touched his lips. "As you wish."
Truthfully, the bow had always been meant for her. He had only proposed the challenge of felling a running beast within five breaths on a whim, wanting to tease her.
As she gleefully took the gleaming Silver Bow and examined it, Xiao Weiran pinched her cheek. "You little brat, where are your manners? How dare you order His Highness around like that?" "You're so annoying—His Highness doesn't mind," she retorted, slinging the bow over her shoulder before turning to Ning Fei. "Ning Fei, come with me to test the new bow!"
Just as Ning Fei handed her the reins, the sound of urgent hoofbeats approached from behind. "Your Highness, my lords..." A palace guard galloped toward them at full speed.
Xia Jingshi's previously gentle demeanor sharpened, his dark eyes glinting with intensity. "What's happened?" The guard reined in his horse, dismounted swiftly, and knelt. "A decree from the Holy Emperor has arrived. Your Highness is summoned to receive it at once!"
Xia Jingshi gave a slight nod. "Understood. I shall return immediately." He then glanced at the three behind him. "You come as well."
Though Yixiao longed to try out her new bow, Xia Jingshi's words were an unbreakable command to her. Reluctantly, she mounted her horse alongside Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran, following Xia Jingshi back to the Royal City.
Born into a renowned scholarly family of the Brocade Dynasty, Yixiao's mother had been a lowly servant of the Fu household, holding no status or regard. Thus, she grew up roughhousing with boys, developing a bold and straightforward personality, and forming an unbreakable bond with Ning Fei.
After Ning Fei enlisted in the military, he introduced her to the King Who Pacifies the South, Xia Jingshi. At the subsequent Martial Arts Tournament, her extraordinary archery skills stunned the crowd and earned the king's admiration. Despite her youth, she was exceptionally recruited into his service as a captain. After the war subsided, she was promoted to the rank of military general.
Over the years, her gaze had always followed Xia Jingshi with reverence, admiring the noble grace in his every gesture, captivated by the aura he exuded. To remain by his side, she turned down the advances of many young officers. As she grew older, fewer matchmakers came knocking, but she paid it no mind.
Yet Xia Jingshi remained distant.
Not just toward her—he treated everyone the same, alternating between warmth and aloofness. But none of it deterred her. If she could bring even a flicker of joy to his face, she would gladly give everything she had. She didn’t know where her heart would ultimately lead, but for now, she simply wished to stay by his side."...Thus decreed," the imperial envoy drew out the final syllable with a long flourish, smiling as he folded the edict. "This humble official heard that for this marriage alliance, it was Princess Xiyang who specifically requested to wed Your Highness—even the enemy princess is captivated by Your Highness's noble bearing. Truly, Your Highness is—"
"This edict cannot be accepted!" Fu Yixiao, who had been kneeling behind, suddenly sprang up, startling the envoy. "Yixiao, don't act recklessly," Xiao Weiran shot a glance at the inscrutable Xia Jingshi and was the first to intervene.
Yixiao remained stubbornly standing, her large eyes blazing with anger as she glared at the envoy. "His Highness has spent these years tirelessly working on border affairs, often going days without sleep. Now that the war has finally ended and he's barely had a few days of peace, the Holy Emperor wants him to marry into the enemy country! Is he no longer useful now that there's no war?!" The envoy stammered in rebuke, "H-How dare you..."
"Your subject receives the decree with gratitude," Xia Jingshi, amidst the commotion, had already bowed respectfully. "Your Highness!" Yixiao exclaimed in shock. He offered the envoy a faint smile. "This prince has failed in discipline, making a fool of myself before the imperial envoy." His gaze turned stern as it returned to Yixiao. "Captain Fu, for disrespecting the imperial envoy, you are to receive thirty military cane strikes!"
"Your Highness..." Ning Fei jumped up in alarm. "Yixiao has always been outspoken since childhood. Please, Your Highness, consider that she's a woman and spare her this punishment?" Before Xia Jingshi could respond, Yixiao sneered coldly and retorted, "Why beg? It's my fault for not knowing what's good for me, nearly ruining his grand plans..."
"Make it fifty," his eyes narrowed in displeasure, sharply cutting off Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran, who were about to speak again. "Anyone who dares plead for her again will make it seventy!"
The soldiers nearby hesitated as they stepped forward. "Cap... Captain Fu..." Yixiao turned and snapped angrily, "Stop stuttering! It's just fifty strikes—what's there to stammer about?! If I cry out in pain even once today, I'll write my name 'Fu Yixiao' backward from now on!" With that, she shot Xia Jingshi a glare and strode toward the training grounds.
Xia Jingshi turned away impassively and smiled at the still-dazed envoy. "This prince has military affairs to attend to and must take his leave—escort the envoy to the side hall for rest." With that, he left behind the frantic Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran and headed toward the rear hall.
Ning Fei stamped his foot in frustration. "Yixiao has always been like this—stubborn to the point of infuriating. And His Highness insists on provoking her... Fifty strikes would leave even the toughest man bedridden for ten days to half a month. How can Yixiao endure it?" Xiao Weiran pondered for a moment. "Shall we go together to plead for leniency?"
Ning Fei was aghast and grabbed Xiao Weiran's arm to stop him. "Are you mad? That would kill Yixiao! Didn't you hear His Highness say that anyone who pleads again will make it seventy?" Xiao Weiran glared at him. "You're the mad one. His Highness's words earlier were for the envoy's ears. If that official were to take it seriously, which of the crimes—defying an imperial decree or disrespecting an imperial envoy—could Yixiao bear?" With that, he shook off Ning Fei's hand and hurried after Xia Jingshi.
Yixiao bit down hard on her knuckle, enduring the pain, repeatedly telling herself not to shed a single tear.
Never in her life had she been punished like this, let alone in front of so many people. Yet the pain in her heart far outweighed the pain on her body.He was actually getting married—to a woman he had never met before, a woman who had never fought alongside him in battle, stayed up through the night with him, bandaged his wounds, or killed for his sake...
Perhaps that woman had nothing but an illustrious family background.
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen..." The military officer enforcing the punishment counted each strike methodically.
Seventeen. She was already seventeen. Girls her age in the clan were already mothers by now, or at the very least, had respectful and harmonious husbands. And her? To stay by his side, she had spent her days trailing behind a group of rough men, rolling in the dirt with them, drinking from big bowls and eating large chunks of meat—she had almost forgotten she was a woman!
Suddenly, the strikes stopped, and a pair of embroidered satin boots appeared before her.
He had come.
She looked up and met Xia Jingshi's half-smiling eyes. "Well, have you learned your lesson?" Yixiao lifted her stubborn face. "This subject knows how to pronounce every word—except those two, Your Highness!" She deliberately emphasized the first word, smirking coldly, expecting him to lose his temper. Instead, she heard him chuckle softly. "What a sharp-tongued girl—fine. Considering your contributions over the years, the remaining strikes are waived." As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Fei yanked Yixiao up from the bench, aggravating her injuries and making her grimace in pain. Xiao Weiran sighed helplessly from behind. "Be gentle... Do you really think Yixiao is made of iron?"
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