That night, all was silent and still.
From the food stall selling sesame flatbread at the crossroads, bright yellow flames suddenly shot up. The fire quickly spread to the neighboring buildings, and in an instant, thick smoke billowed and flames lit up the sky.
The guards from the military posts and the patrolling Golden Guard rushed over in a panic to fight the fire. The sounds of gongs, drums, footsteps, shouts, and curses blended into a chaotic clamor.
A ox-drawn carriage was parked in the shadows at a street corner one block away, with a horn lantern hanging in front bearing the Zheng family emblem.
The coachman, looking nervous, helped the pale-faced Du Sinan into the carriage and urged repeatedly, "Sir, let's go quickly! You can't stay in the capital any longer!"
Du Sinan was disheveled, his clothes in disarray, his long hair loose, and his soft headwear crookedly perched on his head with its ties knotted. He looked utterly wretched.
Before boarding the carriage, he glanced back at the distant residence being mercilessly consumed by the flames, his palms cold with dread.
The Crown Prince had actually tried to kill him.
Du Sinan knew the Crown Prince suspected him of being too closely involved with the Second Prince, but he had believed the Crown Prince to be broad-minded and unlikely to hold it against him. He had been confident he could win the Crown Prince's favor.
Unexpectedly, he had miscalculated this time—the Crown Prince had moved so swiftly to eliminate him.
Was the Crown Prince so wary of the Second Prince?
Or... was the person the Crown Prince truly wary of actually the Seventh Princess?
Having narrowly escaped death, Du Sinan's mind raced. He lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the sturdy guard standing beside the carriage.
Earlier that night, he had been sleeping soundly when Xie Qing suddenly burst into his room, hauled him out of bed, and carried him over his shoulder. They scaled the wall and fled to the base of the block's boundary wall. Just as Du Sinan was about to cry for help, he caught a strong, acrid smell of burning in the wind and immediately understood, his courage shattering in terror.
He was a strategist, not a soldier—he feared death.
Having survived this brush with death, Du Sinan had no intention of losing his life in the capital. He decided to leave the city first to avoid disaster and seek a better opportunity later.
But before leaving, he had a question.
"Does the Princess have any instructions?"
Since the Seventh Princess had sent someone to save him, she would surely use this life-saving favor to pressure him into supporting the Second Prince.
Xie Qing replied expressionlessly, "No."
Du Sinan sneered.
His current predicament was entirely the Seventh Princess's doing. Why would she pretend to be magnanimous now?
Xie Qing handed a waist token to the coachman. "Leave through the western city gate. If anyone asks, say you're a servant of the Zheng family, sent by Her Highness the Crown Princess to deliver a letter outside the city."
The coachman, terrified of staying any longer and being burned to a crisp, nodded repeatedly like pounding garlic.
Seated inside the carriage, Du Sinan wore a mocking smile, waiting for Xie Qing to play hard to get and try to persuade him to stay.
The wheels began to turn, and as the carriage left the long street, Xie Qing finished his instructions and turned to leave without another word.
After waiting for a long time, Du Sinan lifted the curtain, his expression stiff.
The coachman advised, "Sir, the Princess means you no harm. If she hadn't sent someone to wake us in time, we would have been burned to death! Next time you see the Princess, don't be so cold to her."
The Princess, with her snow-white skin and flower-like beauty, stood like a pearl or jade. When she smiled radiantly, even the flowers of Chang'an seemed to pale in comparison.
Every time he saw the Princess, he was too awestruck to breathe, yet his master treated her so indifferently—truly lacking in appreciation!
Du Sinan couldn't figure out what Li Yaoying was up to. She neither tried to win him over nor eliminate him, and had even saved him... What was her real intention?
"What does she actually mean?"
The coachman asked, "Sir, haven't you heard the rumors in the capital?"
Du Sinan frowned. "What rumors?"The coachman sighed and said quietly, "Everyone in the capital says the Seventh Princess admires your talent, but you're just a commoner with humble origins."
Du Sinan rolled his eyes skyward. He hated it most when people discussed his background.
Seeing that his master hadn't understood his hint, the coachman shook his head: "Young master... Xue Wulang and others all say the Seventh Princess wants to make you her consort!"
Du Sinan's pupils abruptly contracted, standing dumbstruck like a wooden chicken.
The next moment, his fair face flushed crimson like a green shrimp thrown into boiling water.
...
After seeing off Du Sinan, Xie Qing returned to the princely residence to report.
Li Yaoying sat cross-legged in front of the corridor, checking the household accounts with bowed head. She wore a light blue silk gown and pomegranate-red skirt, her partially exposed bosom fair as snow.
Xie Qing asked: "Your Highness, why did you save Du Sinan?"
Yaoying straightened up, rubbing her waist. The coiled-grass patterned gold bracelet on her wrist jingled softly.
"No particular reason, just a small effort."
Since nothing had happened yet, she didn't want someone to lose their life over events that hadn't occurred. In her previous life, Du Sinan had merely followed orders. In this life, he would never gain Li Xuanzhen's trust again and posed no threat to Li Zhongqian.
Yaoying never expected Li Xuanzhen would be ruthless enough to target Du Sinan.
The Crown Prince wasn't known to be narrow-minded in the public eye - he was approachable, treated his followers well, respected advisors, and employed talent regardless of background, which was why so many generals of humble origins were willing to follow him.
Why did he hate Xie Guifei so much?
Yaoying lost herself in thought for a while.
As usual, Xie Qing stood quietly outside the half-rolled painted screen of the long corridor, his posture straight as a pine tree.
Li Zhongqian returned from drinking outside, his steps unsteady, collar half-open, his honey-colored chest stained with wine as he stumbled onto the corridor.
Yaoying had a maid bring sobering sugarcane juice for him to drink.
Li Zhongqian walked to her side, sitting down close to her. His wide sleeves swept across the account books and documents on the table, scattering counting rods everywhere with a clatter.
Yaoying gritted her teeth in anger, swatting his arm away as she reorganised the counting rods.
"I've been calculating for over an hour! Elder Brother, please go sit somewhere else, stay away from me."
Drunk and merry, Li Zhongqian laughed heartily. The more Yaoying disliked his proximity, the more he insisted on crowding her.
Yaoying laughed while pushing him: "Elder Brother, you're drunk. Go sober up elsewhere, don't disturb me."
Her slight strength naturally couldn't move the tall and robust Li Zhongqian.
After fooling around for a while, Li Zhongqian sobered up somewhat. Leaning on the table with one hand and holding a silver bowl with the other, he drank some sugarcane juice. His gaze swept over Xie Qing's face, eyebrows furrowing.
"Little Seven, His Majesty summoned me yesterday."
He put down the silver bowl, speaking softly without any expression on his face.
Yaoying's heart skipped a beat.
Not long after Li De ascended the throne, court ministers had advised him to cease military campaigns, advocating for rest and recovery of production.
The lands north of the western river loop were barren and poor, while the more distant Western Regions provinces had been occupied by various tribes decades ago.
What was lost was lost.
With northern nomadic tribes growing powerful, offering more gold and treasures to win them over could turn conflict into peace.
Why bother with conquest?
To the south, Nanchu, Baiyue and other regions were separated from Great Wei by mountains and great rivers. With corrupt governance and constant internal strife, they surely wouldn't dare attack north.
Nothing to worry about.
Recently, Li De had returned to Chang'an, holding consecutive banquets for submitted tribal Chieftains and foreign envoys while handling accumulated government affairs.The ministers were greatly relieved: now that the Sage had ascended the throne and was no longer the General of Wei Commandery, he should remain in the imperial capital instead of leading troops into battle as he had in the past.
While they were satisfied, Li De had other plans.
His ambitions ran deep—he was not content with merely occupying the Guanzhong region and aimed to seize the Hetao area in one fell swoop, then reclaim the Western Regions.
However, the opposition at court was too strong, and the state treasury was depleted, unable to sustain military supplies. Thus, after recapturing several prefectures and counties, he had no choice but to lead his troops back to Chang'an.
Li De was unwilling to give up.
While the Son of Heaven could not leave the capital, the princes could. The sons of the Li family had grown up on horseback, accompanying their fathers and elder brothers to the battlefield since childhood. The Crown Prince, Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince were all brave and skilled in warfare.
At the grand palace banquet two days prior, Li De had bestowed armor, swords, and other items upon Li Xuanzhen, Li Zhongqian, and their brothers.
At that time, Yaoying already knew that her father intended to dispatch her elder brothers to lead troops into battle.
In the corridor, apricot trees bloomed in abundance, like clouds and radiant mist.
Flowers bloom and wither, the same every year.
But people are not like flowers.
Yaoying scattered the counting rods and asked in a trembling voice, "Elder brother, are you going off to war again?"
Li Zhongqian looked down at her and nodded slightly.
Yaoying’s heart grew heavy.
She could cautiously guard against Li Xuanzhen, but she could not influence the battles fought a thousand miles away.
Li Zhongqian pinched Yaoying’s cheek and said with a smile, "Don’t worry. This time, I’m not in the vanguard—I’m only responsible for escorting provisions."
Yaoying’s nose tingled with sorrow, and her eyes quietly reddened.
Every time Li Zhongqian went to war, she would have nightmares.
She dreamed of yellow sand filling the sky, him holding a blood-stained golden hammer, clad in tattered armor, trudging forward step by step with great difficulty.
All around were swarms of Northern Rong cavalry.
His personal guards died one by one, and corpses lay scattered around him.
A spear pierced his chest, and blood gushed forth.
The enemy general waited for him to surrender, but he glared coldly, sneered, propped himself up with his hammer, and stood unyielding until he died of exhaustion.
As the cavalry retreated, he remained standing in the sand, long dead, his figure unmoving, guarding the vast land behind him.
Before long, vultures began to peck at his bones.
His towering figure collapsed with a crash, leaving only stark white bones.
Yaoying closed her eyes, suppressing her grief, and reached out to straighten Li Zhongqian’s disheveled collar.
"Elder brother, on the battlefield, blades and arrows are blind, and the situation changes in an instant. You must listen to others’ advice and not act recklessly."
Li Zhongqian agreed with a smile.
After talking for a while, he casually made an excuse and asked Yaoying to fetch something for him. When she stood up and went inside, he turned to Xie Qing, who was guarding the corridor. His phoenix eyes narrowed, his expression cold and severe.
"You’re quite skilled. Why not follow me to the battlefield?"
Xie Qing remained motionless.
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
Li Zhongqian smiled faintly, his phoenix eyes slanting upward, gleaming sharply.
At that moment, he made no effort to conceal his domineering authority and condescending arrogance, his tone haughty.
"You are a descendant of the Xie family’s generals, sworn to be loyal to me. Can I not command you?"
Xie Qing knelt, sweat dripping down his back, yet his posture remained ramrod straight. "Your Highness, I am the princess’s guard. I take orders from her alone."
Li Zhongqian raised his thick brows slightly, his overbearing demeanor softening a little. "A fine man should gallop across the battlefield and achieve glory. With your martial skills, as long as you join the army, you’ll quickly stand out. I will nurture you well—within a year, you’ll be commanding your own troops."
Xie Qing’s expression remained solemn as he said firmly, "Every man has his own ambitions."Li Zhongqian's expression darkened slightly, his gaze sharp as a blade: "Your ambition is to serve as the Seventh Princess's guard?"
Xie Qing knelt in front of the corridor, his expression resolute, and declared clearly: "Indeed, my ambition is to protect Seventh Lady's safety and follow by her side. This heart of mine can be witnessed by the sun and moon!"
Hearing him change the form of address, Li Zhongqian frowned.
...
Xie Qing was the son of a Xie family military retainer. According to the Xie family's rules, sons of hereditary servants could participate in the annual competition starting at age thirteen. The winner would be sent to the army for promotion and important assignments.
After the Xie family met with tragic martyrdom, their followers scattered like monkeys fleeing a falling tree. Many family retainers quietly changed their surnames and went their separate ways to seek their own futures.
Some chose to stay. Among them, some remained in Jingnan to guard the Xie family tombs, while others became Li Zhongqian's personal guards.
Xie Qing was the son of one such family.
He began challenging older boys when he just turned thirteen, losing more often than winning. By age seventeen, he finally defeated everyone and won the martial arts competition.
Li Zhongqian asked what reward he wanted.
He shook his head and said he wanted no reward, only to become Li Yaoying's guard.
Li Zhongqian flew into a rage, thinking Xie Qing was overstepping his bounds and harboring improper thoughts about Yaoying, and immediately drew his sword to strike.
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Xie Qing became Yaoying's guard.
His former opponents rose rapidly through military ranks, yet he remained completely unmoved, content to follow Li Yaoying.
...
Recalling Xie Qing's performance over the past two years, Li Zhongqian's expression softened somewhat.
This young man was single-minded, inflexible in his thinking, utterly loyal to Little Seven. He obeyed whatever Little Seven said and always remembered his servant status, never overstepping boundaries. Usually maintaining personal integrity, he was taciturn, didn't drink, didn't frequent pleasure quarters, doing nothing but practicing martial arts.
He was a loyal servant.
Since he was willing to stay by Little Seven's side as a guard, he could remain for a while longer.
The rustling sound of long skirts brushing against the corridor floor approached as Yaoying walked out.
Li Zhongqian waved his hand, signaling Xie Qing to rise.
Xie Qing stood up without a word, returned to his post in front of the corridor, and continued his watch.
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