As night fell, thick clouds hung low. The north wind blew, and snowflakes drifted down in swirls, slowly floating onto the glazed blue tiles of Yaoguang Pavilion’s roof.

Below the roof tiles, in the bedchamber, gilded candelabras cast a flickering light. A figure in magnificent attire, wearing exquisite makeup, paced anxiously back and forth: “You’re saying I won’t be able to see A-Ce Brother tonight?”

“I’m afraid so…” Seeing how Jiang Zhiyi had been waiting eagerly all day and had spent a full hour on her makeup and dress, Gu Yu hesitated before finally speaking, “It seems Madam discovered you left through the window, and now she has sealed all doors and windows. Not only can we not get out, but we can’t even send a message…”

During the bandit encounter days ago, all of Jiang Zhiyi’s trusted guards had been injured. Her maid Jing Zhe, who had diverted the bandits, was wounded in a neighboring county a hundred miles away. She was rescued by kind-hearted people and taken to a local medical hall, unable to return to the capital for now.

In the vast Yaoguang Pavilion, the noble Princess was left with only a few inexperienced newcomers, and no one proved useful in this situation.

“Even the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet once a year, and after waiting three years, my aunt ruins my chance again…!” Jiang Zhiyi stamped her foot and, refusing to accept defeat, walked to the tightly closed door and tried to push it with all her might—

It didn’t budge at all.

Of course—her uncle worked in the Ministry of Works, passionate about construction. When he built this Yaoguang Pavilion for her, he used the most solid materials. This impregnable golden chamber was said to withstand even a battering ram for half a quarter-hour…

But had her uncle ever imagined that one day this golden chamber would imprison his niece!

Jiang Zhiyi sat down on the edge of the bed, closing her eyes in resentment.

Outside the window, the sound of falling snow was hushed and rustling. What should have been a romantic moment with beautiful scenery now felt like a knife cutting into her heart.

“The snow has started falling. Is A-Ce Brother already waiting for me?” Jiang Zhiyi gazed anxiously toward the window.

“The snow has just begun to fall heavily. I don’t think General Shen would arrive so early for the appointment,” Gu Yu consoled.

“Yes, with the snow falling so heavily, I wonder if he’s wearing enough clothes?”

Gu Yu: “?”

“General Shen is a vigorous young man who wears only a single layer even in the dead of winter. He must not fear the cold.”

“Yes, in this bitter winter, what if he catches a chill and falls ill?”

Gu Yu: “…?”

“General Shen spent three winters at the northwestern border. How could he get chilled in Chang’an!”

“Yes, those rough men from the northwestern border probably don’t know how to care for someone. Would they know how to make him some ginger soup to warm him up?”

Gu Yu: “???”

“Princess, I think you should worry about yourself first. You see, in the past, Madam would only scheme against you in secret, but now she’s openly offending you… As for General Shen, when he doesn’t see you, he’ll naturally go home.”

Jiang Zhiyi gently nodded.

Gu Yu had just started to relax—

“Yes,” Jiang Zhiyi pressed her temple with distress, “if he doesn’t see me, he definitely won’t go back on his own. I wonder how worried he must be now?”

Gu Yu: “…”

Well, she might as well keep quiet.

In the spacious bedchamber, the melancholy female voice fluctuated in volume and pitch.

“We promised to watch the snow together when he returned. Is our vow to grow old together ultimately impossible to fulfill…”

After some time, so long that Gu Yu had begun to doze off while standing, Jiang Zhiyi finally stopped her murmuring and stood up from the bed’s edge: “No, I must find a way to meet him!”

Snow fell heavily through the night, finally stopping at dawn. The mountains and plains were covered with snow, a vast expanse of white.

On the winding mountain road outside the capital, two stallions—one black, one brown—galloped lightly, splashing the soft, fine snow as they went.

At a fork in the road, the young man on the glossy black steed suddenly pulled the reins and stopped.

“What’s wrong, General?” Mu Xinhong stopped as well, following Shen Yuance’s gaze.

On the road to the military camp, there were two fresh wheel tracks.

Soldiers in the camp always traveled on foot or horseback. Could it be…

Yesterday, the General had burned the Princess’s note and completely ignored her invitation. Could the Princess have come to confront him?

“General, if anything happens, just ride away. This humble one will shield you.”

The two horses moved forward cautiously, as if facing a great enemy.

When they reached the camp gate, they saw an elm-wood carriage with a medical hall’s sign.

Shen Yuance tossed his horsewhip and dismounted, gently patting his horse’s back.

The glossy black horse snorted relaxedly and walked leisurely to the stable for hay.

Mu Xinhong also breathed a sigh of relief, pointing at the elm-wood carriage as he asked the soldier on duty: “Why did you call for an outside physician? Did the prisoner not hold up?”

“…It was this Princess who couldn’t hold up!”

A delicate jade hand with red-tinted nails swept aside the carriage curtain. A young woman in bright winter garments, adorned with hairpins, dangling ornaments, necklaces, and precious accessories, extended her neck as she emerged: “Can’t even bring a sedan chair in a quarter-hour? Is this how you treat your future Young Madam?”

Mu Xinhong: “???”

Shen Yuance stopped in his tracks and slowly turned his head.

Jiang Zhiyi’s irritated expression instantly changed to a spring-like smile. Lifting her skirt, she jumped into the snow: “A-Ce Brother!”

Shen Yuance’s face turned cold as he turned and walked into the camp: “Stop her.”

“Yes!” Mu Xinhong led his men to grab their weapons and surround her.

This Princess Yongying kept inviting secretly and then announcing publicly—it seemed she was determined to falsely accuse the General of having an affair with her. They would defend the General’s clean reputation to the death—

Jiang Zhiyi took something from her sleeve and tossed it into the air.

A golden imperial token flew high.

Several soldiers gasped, dropping their weapons with a clatter, scrambling to catch it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyi had already gracefully entered the camp, holding up her skirt: “A-Ce Brother! A-Ce Brother, are you angry with me?”

Shen Yuance closed his eyes briefly before turning back: “A bunch of useless fools.”

Jiang Zhiyi stopped in her tracks, her slender, snow-white neck slowly drooping.

“I’m sorry, A-Ce Brother. I know you must be angry with me. I’ve come to explain—I didn’t mean to break our appointment last night. My aunt locked me up… I tried many ways to escape but failed. Only this morning, when the physician came for a follow-up examination, did I have a chance to secretly board the medical hall’s carriage…”

Shen Yuance looked down at the top of her head, nodding as if in approval: “The Princess’s daily drama is so intricate that one can never guess the next plot twist.”

Jiang Zhiyi was stunned: “What I said is true…”

“Princess, you seem quite capable here, imperial token in hand, who could restrain you?”

“That token only allows me free passage through city checkpoints. My household is not under the Emperor Uncle’s jurisdiction…” Jiang Zhiyi frowned in difficulty, then suddenly her eyes brightened, “How about this—I’ll request another imperial token for use at home. Then we can meet whenever we want. Wouldn’t that make A-Ce Brother happy?”

“…”

Shen Yuance turned and walked away.

He seemed even angrier than before.

Why was he so difficult to appease?

Jiang Zhiyi quickly followed, noticing the snow particles in his black hair. She wanted to brush them off for him, but with her three steps barely matching his one, she truly couldn’t keep up.

“A-Ce Brother, you have so much snow on your head. Did you wait for me all night?” Jiang Zhiyi struggled through the snow in her skirts, one foot deep and one foot shallow, busy watching both her step and his.

“The Princess is overthinking.” Shen Yuance looked straight ahead, continuing to walk, “I did not go to the appointment.”

“You say that to ease my guilt…”

“No.”

“Do you know I didn’t sleep all night, constantly worrying about you…”

“I don’t.”

“Now that you know, can’t you forgive me!”

“No…” Shen Yuance stopped in his tracks, frowning as he turned back, “This is a military camp, not a theater stage. If the Princess wants to perform, go back to your…”

Jiang Zhiyi suddenly stood on tiptoe and reached out her hand.

Shen Yuance raised his arm to block, looking up at the hand that was whiter than the frost and snow on the ground.

“I just wanted to brush off the snow for you…” Jiang Zhiyi sighed, gently stroking his forearm through the cold armguard, as if smoothing fur, “Alright, you endured a night of cold for me, so, naturally, you can’t forgive me immediately. I’ll stay here with you until your anger passes.”

“…”

A quarter-hour later, Jiang Zhiyi stood facing a rack full of glinting weapons and torture implements. Looking at the various strangely shaped knives, scissors, hooks, saws, whips, and iron chains thicker than her arm on the rack, her face paled as she grabbed the chair beside her for support.

“A-Ce Brother, you brought me here to…?”

Shen Yuance narrowed his eyes as he observed the person before him. This Princess who alternated between arrogance and excessive sentimentality—what play was she performing? He couldn’t understand and had no intention of trying.

A person who could be knocked unconscious for ten hours with a single chop couldn’t be beaten or scolded away, so he’d brought her to the torture chamber to frighten her. Let’s see how long this golden branch and jade leaf could withstand a place of bloody slaughter.

Shen Yuance glanced at her trembling hand, supporting herself on the chair: “Is the Princess also interested in torture implements?”

“Mm—what?”

Shen Yuance bent slightly and pulled away the black cloth lying on the chair.

The chair’s surface, covered with densely packed spikes and old bloodstains, was revealed. Jiang Zhiyi jumped back, hand and all.

“Not interested?” Shen Yuance carelessly bundled the cloth and tossed it aside. “Then the Princess can still leave now.”

Jiang Zhiyi shook her head quickly: “No, I’m interested, very interested!”

“The Princess’s expression doesn’t look interested.”

“…This is what I look like when I’m interested.”

Shen Yuance raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, then nodded toward a guard on duty: “The one inside, has he confessed yet?”

The soldier picked up the confession document from the desk and was about to answer—

Shen Yuance: “He hasn’t?”

“Huh?” The soldier hesitated, looking at Jiang Zhiyi, then at Shen Yuance, suddenly understanding, “Oh, no, he hasn’t. Would the General like to interrogate personally?”

The soldier put down the document and stepped forward to pull open the surrounding cloth with a swoosh.

The blood-stained torture rack and the overwhelming stench of blood rushed forward. Jiang Zhiyi turned her head away, covered her face with a handkerchief, and retched.

Shen Yuance calmly watched her: “With such a reaction, what can the Princess do here?”

Jiang Zhiyi forcibly suppressed the nausea rising in her throat and glanced at the prisoner hanging his head on the rack, his clothes in tatters.

Knowing she couldn’t stand the sight of blood and hated filth, wasn’t he just testing how far she would go for him? Since she had broken her promise first, today she would do whatever it took to make him happy…

Jiang Zhiyi struggled to suppress her nausea, straightened her back, and walked forward: “As long as A-Ce Brother is no longer angry with me, I can do anything! If you set a fire, I’ll pour the oil; if you kill someone, I’ll hand you the knife!”

The large man on the torture rack suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes.

Jiang Zhiyi jumped back behind Shen Yuance with a start, peering out with half her head: “Wasn’t he—wasn’t he unconscious?”

Shen Yuance glanced back at her, reaching back with an open hand: “In that case, may I trouble the Princess to hand me a cowhide whip?”

Jiang Zhiyi looked at Shen Yuance, then at the prisoner, making sure the chains were secured, and carefully walked to the torture rack. Looking at the dazzling array of instruments, she pondered: “Hmm… what does cowhide look like?”

A nearby soldier pointed out the direction for Jiang Zhiyi, quietly reminding Shen Yuance, “General, isn’t this too light?”

Shen Yuance watched Jiang Zhiyi’s back as she fetched the whip, the corner of his mouth twitching: “Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken?”

Jiang Zhiyi returned with the whip, suspiciously eyeing the tall, robust prisoner: “This man looks quite formidable. Was he just a useless little chicken?”

Shen Yuance took the whip and smiled faintly: “Indeed.”

The prisoner widened his eyes in terror: “I—I’ve already confessed everything! General, please—please show mercy! Young General, don’t you remember? Before I became a bandit, I was your father’s sworn brother. When you were little, you called me Uncle. I even held you in my arms…”

“Crack!” A lash of the whip brought forth a heart-wrenching scream.

Jiang Zhiyi stared at the fragments of flesh clinging to the whip and shuddered, turning her head to retch again.

Shen Yuance turned his gaze toward her.

“I’m fine, A-Ce Brother. Your important business takes priority; no need to constantly worry about me…” Jiang Zhiyi covered her mouth with a handkerchief, blinking hard to stay conscious, “That prisoner just now seemed to say he was an old acquaintance of yours, A-Ce Brother.”

Shen Yuance raised his eyelids slightly as he looked at her: “Aren’t there many people in this world who randomly claim connections?”

A nearby soldier immediately threw a bucket of salt water onto the torture rack. Howls of agony filled the torture chamber.

“This is the fate of those who dare to pester our General with false familiarity!”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded, seeing that Shen Yuance stared at her unblinkingly, as if waiting for her reaction. Remembering she was trying to placate him, she immediately raised her hand and coldly looked at the prisoner: “Indeed, how could someone like you claim kinship with my A-Ce Brother? He deserves to be beaten!”

—Either she didn’t understand the implicit criticism, or her mental fortitude was so strong that she genuinely showed no fear.

Shen Yuance turned back, massaged his neck to loosen his muscles, and raised his hand for another lash.

The whip’s wind stirred up dust, blowing toward people’s eyes.

With such a fierce lash, there was no scream. Jiang Zhiyi, standing behind Shen Yuance, peered out to look and saw that the prisoner had dropped his head.

The soldier nearby lifted another bucket of salt water: “No one in this world has ever remained conscious after two lashes from our General!”

Shen Yuance tilted his head to look at Jiang Zhiyi.

Was he asking for applause?

Jiang Zhiyi enthusiastically clapped her hands: “A-Ce Brother is so formidable! Truly, the War God of Great Ye and the great hero in my heart!”

“…”

Even the wind outside the tent fell silent.

It was unclear whether this torture chamber was meant to frighten chickens or to play music to cows.

Shen Yuance, with a stern face, slowly wrapped the whip around his palm twice, then raised his hand for another lash.

“Wow! This lash is extraordinary!”

“This lash has a brilliant angle!”

“This lash is truly ‘like a waterfall dropping three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven! ‘”

“This lash is truly, truly ‘the jumbled and intricate plucking of strings, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate’!”

…

As Shen Yuance’s whipping became faster and faster, Jiang Zhiyi’s praise grew exhausted. Her wit failed her as she gasped for breath, her sentences disjointed.

After an unknown number of lashes, Shen Yuance finally stopped and turned around.

Jiang Zhiyi looked at him, panting, and licked her dry lips: “A-Ce Brother, are you tired after whipping for so long?”

Shen Yuance’s lips pressed into a flat line, the anger in his eyes as he looked at her growing even stronger.

Jiang Zhiyi hesitated, glanced at the unconscious prisoner, and stepped forward to pat the back of Shen Yuance’s hand comfortingly: “A-Ce Brother needn’t be angry about such a person. Let’s have some tea and rest!”

Shen Yuance slowly looked down at his hand, then tossed the whip away and walked toward the tent entrance.

Jiang Zhiyi looked at the dumbfounded soldier nearby and hurried after Shen Yuance: “A-Ce Brother, did I say something wrong?”

Shen Yuance flung open the tent flap and strode out: “You did nothing wrong. I was wrong.”