Beyond the Great Wall, in the depths of winter.
The emergency supply of provisions and fodder sent by the Hu people as reinforcements was ambushed during transport by a elite cavalry unit of Great Wei that had stealthily penetrated deep into enemy territory. All the supplies were burned to ashes. Subsequently, their last organized full-scale counterattack was mercilessly intercepted by Great Wei's forward troops, leaving them utterly routed.
One blow after another finally forced the Hu people to face reality.
Despite having prepared for this moment for a long time and mustering the full strength of their nation to wage war against Great Wei.
This conflict, which had begun in early summer last year, had dragged on intermittently until the harsh winter of this year.
But defeating the army commanded by the old Duke of Wei and wresting the Hetao region from his grasp now seemed like an increasingly distant dream.
Even Heaven showed no mercy. Heavy snow fell for three days and nights. Over the following days, countless men and horses succumbed to hunger and cold. Without retreat, once the Wei forces completed their encirclement, even if they retained the courage to fight to the death, the remaining troops would perish from starvation and freezing.
That night, the Hu forces fled northward. By dawn, their abandoned camps in the snow were strewn with the corpses of fallen cavalrymen and warhorses left unburied.
The arduous battle to defend Hetao, which had lasted over a year, finally concluded with this decisive victory for Great Wei.
The prolonged war had been exceptionally grueling. As dawn broke, triumphant cheers from the Wei army's camp resounded to the heavens.
Barrels of fine wine were brought in, herds of cattle and sheep awaited slaughter. This long-anticipated victory feast now only awaited the return of the elite cavalry who had risked their lives to penetrate deep into Hu territory and successfully executed the surprise attack.
Leading this heroic unit were the third prince Xiao Lie and Pei Xian, eldest son of the old Duke of Wei, commander of the Wei army.
This year, Xiao Lie was only eighteen.
Xiao Lie and Pei Xian had grown up together like brothers. A year earlier, when war broke out beyond the Great Wall, seventeen-year-old Xiao Lie obtained imperial permission to join Pei Xian in accompanying the old Duke of Wei to serve at the front.
Due to his royal status, the old Duke initially feared for his safety. In the first battle, Pei Xian served as vanguard while Xiao Lie was assigned to supply logistics. Xiao Lie went to the command tent to request combat duty, his impassioned plea stirring the old Duke's heart. Though permission was granted, the Duke ordered him to stay close behind as precaution. After several battles where Xiao Lie fought valiantly and coordinated seamlessly with Pei Xian to achieve repeated merits, the old Duke gradually grew confident. This time, he entrusted the critical surprise mission to Xiao Lie and Pei Xian, who had volunteered. True to expectations, they burned the Hu's reserve provisions, making decisive contributions to ending the war.The snow fell thick and fast, and the north wind howled furiously. Despite the harsh weather, the elite light cavalry, composed entirely of young riders, galloped swiftly on their journey back. The commander, Xiao Lie, and his deputy, Pei Xian, were in particularly high spirits. That night, as they set up camp, the two shared a tent and drank the last half-skin of wine left in their pouch. They made a pact to request permission upon their return to the military camp to attack a place called Mutuo, which had been seized by the barbarians during the previous dynasty, riding the wave of their victorious morale. Fueled by the wine, they drew their swords and sang, their youthful fervor soaring high. After the song, Pei Xian laughed and said, "Third Highness, it's been over a year since you left the capital. With your repeated achievements, not only has Father Marshal been impressed, but the entire army holds you in high regard. The triumphant reports sent to the capital will surely praise you, and His Majesty will be overjoyed. Have you thought about what reward you’ll ask for when the time comes?"
Among the emperor’s three sons, the youngest, Xiao Lie, was the most outstanding in talent and also the most favored by the emperor. However, Xiao Lie’s mother had passed away early, leaving him without maternal relatives to rely on. From a young age, he had a bold and unrestrained nature. In the eyes of others, while the Crown Prince was benevolent and the Second Prince steady, the Third Prince was seen as spoiled and arrogant, secretly earning the nickname "Little Devil."
"Boming, what if I said that after capturing Mutuo and returning to the capital, I don’t want any reward from His Majesty but instead wish to ask your father for a treasure? What would you think?"
Xiao Lie addressed Pei Xian by his courtesy name, smiling as he looked at him.
Pei Xian was taken aback. Meeting Xiao Lie’s gaze and seeing the faint glimmer in his eyes, he immediately understood.
The Third Highness and his younger sister, Wen Jing, were deeply fond of each other. Whether their parents knew about this, he wasn’t sure, but he had long noticed it—though he had never spoken of it.
He still vividly remembered that Lantern Festival years ago when he took his sister to see the lanterns. The crowd was so dense that they got separated. Fortunately, his sister had a loyal maid with her, and they had agreed beforehand to meet at the bridge if they lost each other. When he went looking for her, he spotted the Third Highness standing beside his sister under a willow tree. Xiao Lie hung what looked like a jade pendant on a willow branch and said something to her. At first, Wen Jing ignored him and turned to leave, but upon noticing Pei Xian’s arrival—perhaps afraid of being seen—she hurried back to take the pendant and hide it.
Though this had happened years ago, the memory remained fresh in his mind.
He stared back at Xiao Lie, his smile gradually fading.
"Third Highness, I know what you mean. I have only this one sister, and I won’t allow anyone to treat her lightly. Our parents cherish her as the apple of their eye—they don’t seek glory for her, only that she finds a good man. Though Your Highness is noble, if you trifle with Wen Jing, I will be the first to oppose it!"
He spoke each word deliberately.
"Boming, I swear to heaven, if I have even the slightest intention of toying with her or ever betray her in the future, may I, Xiao Lie, meet a wretched end! Even if I live, may my life be worse than death! How about that? Does this convince you of my sincerity?"
Xiao Lie’s expression turned solemn, his earlier smile gone.Pei Xian locked eyes with him for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "With Your Highness's words, what more could I worry about? Upon our return, I shall take you to meet my father. As long as Your Highness speaks up, how could my father refuse? Even if he were to refuse, I would lend you my aid to ensure you and my sister are united. Rest assured, Your Highness!"
Overjoyed, Xiao Lie poured out the remaining wine from his flask, and the two downed it in one gulp. "With your word, Bo Ming, I am at ease," he said with a smile.
That night, the two conversed freely until late, retiring only when their spirits were sated.
Xiao Lie gradually drifted into slumber.
In his dream, a world of ice and snow stretched before him. The girl who had occupied his thoughts for over a year appeared, smiling as she slowly approached.
He felt no chill, his heart warm as spring.
Overflowing with joy, he called her name loudly and rushed toward her.
The war had ended, Great Wei victorious. Not only had he fulfilled his childhood dream of heroism on the battlefield, but he had also proven his capabilities.
He was no longer the reckless prince others saw—one who relied solely on his father's favor to act as he pleased.
He was Xiao Lie, a prince who had earned the respect of Great Wei's hardened warriors through his own efforts.
In a few months, by next spring at the latest, he could return, make her proud, and then take her as his wife.
A lifetime with her by his side would be enough.
But just as he was about to embrace her, an invisible thunderbolt seemed to strike, carving an insurmountable chasm between them. Unable to cross, he could only watch helplessly as she stood on the opposite shore, her sorrowful eyes fixed on him, her figure growing smaller and smaller until she vanished entirely.
Strange scenes began flashing before his eyes.
At his father's funeral, he caught a distant glimpse of her back. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and glanced at him.
Just a fleeting look.
By then, she had already married, becoming the empress of his eldest brother, the newly ascended emperor. Shortly after, he left for Yunnan to establish his own residence.
That single glance became the last memory she left him before his departure.
Later, a plague struck the capital, and she fell ill, sent to a temple for treatment.
He saw himself sneaking in to accompany her. Half a year later, before leaving, he committed a grave mistake.
That one mistake cost her life.
He watched as she struggled to give birth to his child before passing away, while the real him remained oblivious to it all.
He saw clearly—in her final moments, she clutched the jade pendant he had playfully forced upon her during that Lantern Festival night long ago...
"Wen Jing!"
His heart pounded violently as he jolted awake with a cry, only to find himself still in the tent.
The extinguished candle had somehow relit. Beside him, Pei Xian slept soundly, while across from him stood a figure who hadn't been there before.
It was a young man with strikingly bright eyes that left a lasting impression.
Tall and lean, refined and gentle, yet exuding an aura of command—as though he could lead armies and shape the world with a single gesture.At this moment, he stood there quietly, gazing at him with a desolate expression. His eyes seemed filled with sorrow, yet also pity, unmoving as they fixed upon him.
From the very first glance at this young man, Xiao Lie had felt a strange sensation surge within him.
He was absolutely certain that in his eighteen years of life, he had never met this man before.
Yet the feeling was so eerily familiar—as if this man were the closest person in his life.
"Who are you?"
Xiao Lie slowly rose from where he had been sleeping and stood up, his voice trembling slightly from the terrifying dream.
The man stared at him and said, "I came to tell you something. The Emperor will soon pass away. If you proceed to attack Mutuo now, by the time you return to the capital next spring, the Crown Prince will have already sought the Emperor's decree for marriage. By then, she will no longer be your wife for the rest of your life."
The Crown Prince had long been of age, but a diviner once deduced from his birth chart that he should not marry early. Coupled with the Crown Prince's own indifference to the matter in recent years, no Crown Princess had been appointed thus far.
Xiao Lie immediately recalled everything he had seen in his dream and grew even more horrified. "Who are you? How can you speak such absurdities? Why would the Crown Prince ask His Majesty to marry Wen Jing?"
But the man said no more. He turned and walked out of the tent.
Xiao Lie chased after him but couldn't catch up. He watched helplessly as the figure's robes fluttered in the wind, about to vanish into the snowy night at the edge of his vision.
Frantic with anxiety, he took another step forward but slipped and fell into the snow. With a loud cry, he suddenly heard a familiar voice beside his ear calling, "Third Highness," and woke up with a start. Opening his eyes, he saw Pei Xian sitting up and looking at him—it was he who had woken him, and he was still inside the tent.
Had everything just now been a dream within a dream?
"Third Highness, did you have a nightmare? I heard you shouting and woke up, only to find you still asleep."
Pei Xian's eyes were filled with concern.
Xiao Lie was drenched in cold sweat. On such a winter night, his entire body felt as if it had just been pulled from water. He sat there dumbly, staring straight ahead as if something were there. After a moment, he suddenly leaped up and rushed out of the tent, only to find the snow-covered ground stretching endlessly under the dark night sky. There was no trace of the man from his dream.
"Third Highness, what happened?"
Pei Xian chased after him, shocked to see him standing barefoot in the snow.
Xiao Lie stood frozen for a long moment before abruptly turning around, his voice trembling. "Boming, there's something urgent. I must return to the capital tonight!"
With that, he hurried back into the tent, donned his armor, and sprinted to the horse enclosure. He led out his warhorse, mounted it, and galloped away.
Across the snowy wilderness, a powerful warhorse carried the eighteen-year-old young prince as he raced madly toward the capital.
Just before waking from the dream, he had been brandishing his sword and singing triumphantly, his spirits high. But now, his heart was filled with horror, fear, and anxiety. He wished he had wings to fly back instantly to that distant, walled city a thousand miles away.
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