Love and Crown

No one had noticed that within the Imperial Villa of Daiyu City's Hailuo Hunting Grounds, there stood a crabapple tree.

Autumn hunts usually took place in the deep autumn when withered grass stretched to the horizon, and it was only then that the Hailuo Hunting Grounds would come alive with the neighing of steeds and the clamor of people, welcoming and sending off various imperial relatives, dukes, and powerful nobles.

Thus, every spring, the crabapple tree would bloom quietly in the deserted courtyard, its petals falling like rain onto the green bricks where no one passed, year after year.

Until much later, when Emperor Dexin, governing with benevolence and unwilling to harm living creatures, decreed the closure of the Hailuo Hunting Grounds, which had already been half-abandoned during the Deyou era. The few old guards left to watch the gates grew even more idle.

No more important figures would come here, so these old guards became more casual, brewing a pot of wine each night and gathering under the faded eaves of the double-roofed pavilion to chat idly.

The current emperor was not to be spoken of lightly, but they could still recount the legends of the imperial couple from the Deyou era, or the brotherly bond between Emperor Deyou and the Regent Prince.

Yet as they spoke, they would inevitably recall their younger selves from the Deyou era—bright-clad and spirited youths—and the girl of their dreams, then just blooming into maidenhood. A touch of melancholy would creep in, and they would drink a few more ounces of aged wine.

Unnoticed, another winter passed, and spring arrived once more. On this day, a few pale pink petals drifted into the old guards' warming wine pot.

The old men couldn't help but look up and see the crabapple tree in the courtyard, radiant as a dream under the night sky.

The blossoms were ethereal as mist, layered like clouds, no less splendid than those in the imperial gardens. But how could the golden branches and jade leaves within the palace walls compare to this desolate wilderness?

Someone sighed, and the others fell silent for a moment.

This brief silence would soon be drowned out again by their chatter, as if it had never happened. But in that quiet, someone suddenly noticed a white figure standing in the courtyard.

No one knew why or when this person had arrived, but by the time they saw him, he was already beneath the flowering tree, tall and elegant in wide white robes.

After a moment of shock, one of the old guards raised his spear and shouted, "Who goes there? This is forbidden royal ground!"

The man remained with his head slightly tilted, gazing at the profusion of blossoms. Before the old guards could rise to their feet, he spoke softly, "I merely came to see this place. There is no need for ceremony."

His voice was too calm, his bearing too regal. The old guards had seen many imperial relatives in the Hailuo Hunting Grounds in their youth, and one suddenly remembered who this was. Leaning on his spear, he knelt, his voice trembling, "Your humble servant greets His Highness, the Regent Prince."

The Hailuo Hunting Grounds had been abandoned for years. Why would the all-powerful Regent Prince come here alone in the dead of night? The old guards had no idea.

Yet the man's face and demeanor left no doubt—it was indeed the prince they had once seen.

The old guards hastily knelt, but the man beneath the tree continued to watch the falling petals. After a long while, he sighed softly, "She once said it was here that she first met my imperial brother."

The Regent Prince's imperial brother could only be one person—Emperor Deyou from many years ago.As for who this "she" was, the old guards naturally dared not speculate. They could only kneel silently in place, heads bowed, staring at the green bricks before them.

The Regent Prince had only uttered that single sentence before falling silent beneath the blooming tree, as if listening to the sound of falling petals, or as if his thoughts had drifted to some unknown place.

After what felt like an eternity, one of the old guards—stiff from kneeling and hearing no movement for so long—ventured a cautious glance upward, only to find the space beneath the tree empty. The Regent Prince who had stood there was gone, having departed at some unknown time.

They rose one after another, exchanging bewildered looks. Before them lay only the desolate, empty hall and the charcoal brazier simmering wine, emitting faint crackling sounds.

Had they not all witnessed it, they might have thought the figure from moments ago was nothing but an inexplicable illusion.

After another long silence, one of the old guards sighed softly for no apparent reason and said, "Come to think of it, it's been over twenty years since the Deyou era."

For a moment, no one spoke. Time had flown by swiftly. No matter how much they longed for the vigor of their youth, those days of glory on horseback were long gone.

The Deyou era, and even the earlier Delun era—those were many years ago, so distant that the past could never return, so distant that soon no one would remember.

Back then, amid the still-vibrant carved beams and painted rafters of this place, there had been a small child pinned to the ground by a group of richly dressed young nobles, and a youth approaching slowly from the end of the corridor.

The child's face was smeared with dust, yet they stubbornly clenched their teeth, tiny fists balled tight, dark, bright eyes wide open—utterly tearless, clear and pure, like the cloudless blue sky of that moment.

The youths scattered in alarm at the cry of "His Highness the Crown Prince approaches!" and knelt in disarray. The newcomer dismissed them with a calm command.

When the surroundings had emptied, the child still lay on the ground, only to see a pale, delicate hand extended toward them—slender fingers with distinct knuckles.

Without a word, they grasped that hand, and the youth half-knelt to pull them up, then drew their small body into an embrace.

The child was still so young that the youth saw nothing improper in this. Instead, with the gentle smile one might give a younger sister, he used a light blue silk handkerchief to carefully wipe the dirt from their face, sighing softly, "How could a girl let her face get so dirty?"

Though dressed in unisex servant's clothing, he had somehow recognized her as a girl—something she didn't notice at the time. Instead, she grew angry, snatching the handkerchief away with a swipe of her hand: "Who says I'm a girl!"

He didn't argue, simply smiling as he helped her to her feet. "You're much too small, and the brother who brought you here didn't protect you properly. Why don't you come with me instead?"

Her face had shown disdain initially—she feared no "Crown Prince" and wanted to tell him to leave her be, confident she could handle the situation alone. Yet his cool fingers loosely holding hers inexplicably brought her a sense of security.

So she tilted her head in thought, then nodded slightly, tacitly accepting his arrangement.The man, still with infinite patience, held her hand and drew her close, settling her on his lap as he fed her pastries and sweet rosewater.

She complained about how boring it was inside the palace, so he took her outside to the grassy hunting grounds, spreading a blanket beneath the shade of a tree where they sat together to rest.

Lying against his knee, she chattered endlessly about herself—about the grandmother in her village, her loving yet strict father, and the brother who always played with her.

She thought he didn’t know who her father was, but from her stories, he had already pieced together which noble family she belonged to. Still, he said nothing, merely listening with a faint smile as she rambled on.

Her childish voice carried a slight regional accent, unlike those in the capital, clear and bright like birdsong outside a window—not annoying, just endearing.

A five-year-old was still too young, after all. Eventually, she grew tired and simply dozed off right there on his lap.

By then, dusk had fallen, and the hunting party was slowly returning. He looked down at her peaceful sleeping face, smiling as he gently lifted her into his arms.

Attendants hurried forward, offering to take the child from His Highness the Crown Prince, but he shook his head with a quiet laugh, refusing. Instead, he sent someone to inform her father and brother before carrying her back to his own chambers.

Even in sleep, she clung tightly to his robes, unwilling to let go for even a moment. The stubborn pretense of strength she had shown during the day seemed to melt away into vulnerability now.

With a soft sigh, he simply held her and lay down to sleep in his clothes.

She woke once in the middle of the night, lifting her head to gaze at him. Her large, dark eyes, like glossy black grapes, gleamed brightly in the candlelight as she declared, "You're so nice. When I grow up, can I marry you?"

Startled awake by her movement, he hadn’t expected such words. After a brief pause, he chuckled in amusement.

When he didn’t answer, she hurriedly added, "I’ll treat you well! I’ll protect you so no one can bully you again. And I’ll give you a big golden house—my brother says it’s called… a golden house, a golden…"

Smiling faintly, he supplied the phrase for her: "A golden house to hide a beauty?"

She nodded eagerly in realization. "Yes! I’ll hide you away, so you’ll be mine alone!"

He didn’t take such childish words seriously, only replying gently, "I’m sorry, but I can’t be yours alone."

Instantly annoyed, she demanded, "Why? Am I not good enough to you?"

He shook his head with a laugh, patting her round cheek. "Because I still have many things to do… Once I finish them, perhaps I can stay with you."

Being older and more mature, his words carried deeper meaning. She didn’t notice that he had only agreed to "stay with you," not that he could belong to her alone, and so she relaxed, patting her chest happily. "Fine then, I’ll wait for you to finish those things."

Then, as an afterthought, she added, "I’ll wait for you to come find me, and then I’ll protect you!"

But he shook his head again, amused. "Girls are the ones who should be protected. I don’t need it."

She blinked. "Oh… aren’t you a girl?"

This time, he laughed outright, shaking his head. "Of course not."She was dumbfounded. This "of course not" far exceeded anything her little mind could currently process, leaving her at a loss for how to respond.

The man looked at her stunned expression and laughed again: "But since you're a girl, I can protect you."

She gave a vague "oh," feeling utterly exhausted by this conversation. He kept nodding and shaking his head, thoroughly confusing her about what was right or wrong.

Already drowsy from sleep, her mind grew foggier as sleepiness returned. Counting on her fingers, she couldn't determine whether he'd actually promised her anything or not.

Before she could figure it out, her little head began nodding forward, tilting toward his embrace.

He caught her with raised hands, gently patting her back a few times until she nestled comfortably into his arms and fell asleep.

The next morning, while still half-asleep, she was fetched home by her father's servants. As the household attendants carried her away, he smiled faintly and softly spoke a few words to her.

Yawning, she mumbled some vague "ohs" and barely managed to retain the memory of those words, though she forgot why they'd been spoken.

That year, she was far too young, and ultimately misremembered many details.

She didn't recall falling asleep in his arms that night, nor her earnest promises to marry him, protect him, and gift him a golden house.

All she remembered was his final sentence: "Little one, it's settled—I'll protect you in this life."

But she forgot the faint amusement and tender warmth in his eyes when he said those words.

As if it had been just an offhand remark, yet in the long years that followed, he would spend his lifetime fulfilling that very promise.