Xin’an quietly stepped back and said tremblingly, “Thank… thank you, great hero, for drawing your sword to save me. I will definitely… find a way to repay this kindness someday.” With that, she hurriedly turned to leave, but her foot had barely taken a step when a hand was already placed on her shoulder. “Where are you going?”
Xin’an forced out a smile, “Since there’s nothing more to worry about, naturally I’ll take my leave now.” Then, remembering something, she quickly said, “Great hero, rest assured, I won’t say a word about what happened just now.”
Xue Wanche said coldly, “My young master wants to see you.”
Xin’an asked cautiously, “Who is your young master? Do I know him?”
“You’ll know when you get there.” At this point, Xue Wanche suddenly placed his scabbard across Xin’an’s neck and said menacingly, “You’d better behave yourself on the way. If you dare play any tricks, next year today will be your death anniversary!”
Xin’an nodded repeatedly, fearing that being even slightly slow might bring deadly disaster. She then followed Xue Wanche back to Chang’an City with anxiety. Along the way, she thought of escaping more than once but ultimately didn’t dare act on it.
After Xin’an’s legs grew sore from walking, they arrived at a mansion in the city. Xue Wanche led her through a side door. The residence looked quite large, but it was cluttered with various kinds of wood and tile materials everywhere, making it appear rather messy. On the other side, people were making repairs—it should be a new residence.
Xue Wanche led her further until they reached a quiet dwelling. He knocked on the door and said, “Eldest Young Master, I’ve brought the person.”
After a moment, a deep voice came from inside, “Let her in.”
“Yes.” Xue Wanche responded, then said to Xin’an beside him, “Go in.”
Xin’an really didn’t want to enter, but she didn’t dare disobey. She could only push open the door tremblingly. Once inside, she discovered this was a study. A man dressed in a dark azure brocade robe with circular patterns was holding a brush and bending over a desk. On the red paper, three characters had already been written: “Wind, Rain, Adjust,” and presumably the last character would be “Smooth.”
Sure enough, the character “Smooth” appeared on the paper. The man set down his brush, looked up, and smiled, “Can these four characters still please the Princess’s eyes?”
Only then did Xin’an clearly see this man’s appearance. His temples were sharp as if cut by a blade, his eyebrows dark as if painted with ink. Though his gaze was somewhat gloomy, he was still a handsome man. She, Xin’an, had seen countless people, but in her memory, only Du Ruhui and Li Shimin could compare to the man before her. Speaking of which, this person’s face seemed somewhat similar to Li Shimin’s.
“Princess?” The man’s voice startled Xin’an back to awareness. She quickly said, “Your lordship’s calligraphy is startling as a swimming dragon, combining form and spirit—it’s naturally excellent.” At this point, she seemed to remember something and frowned, “Your lordship knows me?”
This man was naturally Li Jiancheng. He smiled slightly, stood up, and said, “Princess, your distinguished bearing is outstanding and your beauty incomparable. It would be difficult for me not to recognize you.”
Such praise was naturally very pleasing to Xin’an’s ears, and when Li Jiancheng smiled, he looked quite attractive, making her unconsciously reveal a smile as well. She smoothed the stray hair by her ear and said, “Your lordship is too kind. Speaking of which, I still don’t know your honorable name.”
Li Jiancheng walked before her and bowed with cupped hands, “I am Li Jiancheng. I’ve met the Princess.”
Xin’an’s eyelids twitched as she blurted out, “You’re Li Yuan’s eldest son?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself, “I mean, you’re the Tang Prince’s son?” Whether she was willing to acknowledge it or not, Li Yuan was now the uncrowned emperor of Chang’an. Addressing him by name directly was simply courting death.
Li Jiancheng said without taking offense, “Correct, the Tang Prince is my father.”
Seeing him acknowledge his identity, Princess Xin’an said nervously, “What does Eldest Young Master want by bringing me here?”
Li Jiancheng poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying slowly, “What I think doesn’t matter. What matters is what the Princess thinks.”
“Me?” Xin’an looked at Li Jiancheng with confusion, “What do you mean?”
“I already know what Princess Jinyang and Shimin did to you. They humiliated you so and even wanted to send you to distant Taiyuan, making you lose the honor of being a nation’s princess. Are you willing to accept this?”
Upon hearing this, Xin’an’s face immediately became twisted with anger as she gritted her teeth, “Of course I’m not willing!”
“Exactly.” Li Jiancheng removed a piece of dead grass from her hair and said, “I can give the Princess an opportunity to get everything you deserve and take revenge for today’s humiliation!”
Hearing this, Xin’an’s eyes immediately lit up as she said urgently, “Are you serious?”
“Of course.” Faced with Li Jiancheng’s assurance, Xin’an became hesitant again, “Aren’t you and Li Shimin brothers? Why would you help me?”
Li Jiancheng said calmly, “Brothers aren’t necessarily on good terms. Princess, having been born into an imperial family, you should understand this best.”
Xin’an said knowingly, “I get what I want, and Eldest Young Master also removes someone you don’t want to see—is that it?”
Li Jiancheng smiled slightly, “The Princess is ice-smart and understands immediately. I just don’t know what the Princess’s choice will be?”
Xin’an smiled charmingly, “Naturally, I choose what’s good for both of us.”
“Good.” Li Jiancheng poured another cup of tea and said, “I toast the Princess with tea in place of wine. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation!”
With a crisp sound, Xin’an drained the tea in her cup and said with a smile, “It will definitely be pleasant!”
On the tenth day of the twelfth month in the first year of Yining, Yang You looked at the departing officials with a weary expression. Since ascending to the throne, he had to rise early every day to attend court, but he had no power to decide matters—he was merely a decoration, sitting dumbly on the seemingly prestigious dragon throne watching those officials report to Li Yuan.
Every day was like this, not knowing when it would end. Just as he stood up to return to his sleeping quarters, a eunuch came in and said, “Your Majesty, Princess Xin’an is outside the palace requesting an audience!”
Yang You was startled and asked, “Who did you say?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it’s Princess Xin’an.” After the eunuch repeated it once more, Yang You finally confirmed he hadn’t misheard and said joyfully, “Summon her, immediately summon Princess Xin’an to the palace.”
For Yang You, in this situation where he was virtually friendless, the arrival of any member of the Yang family was enough to make him jump with joy. In anxious waiting, he finally saw the eunuch leading in a woman dressed in a gold-embroidered butterfly and flower cloud brocade jacket—it was Xin’an.
Xin’an stepped across the gleaming golden bricks one by one until she reached the center of the great hall, where she knelt and said, “Xin’an greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!”
“Fourth Aunt, please rise quickly.” Yang You came down and personally helped Xin’an up, saying excitedly, “Fourth Aunt, you… how did you come here? Weren’t you all trapped in Jiangdu?” At this point, he remembered something and said, “That’s right, Yuwen Huaji has already come to Luoyang. Did you escape using this opportunity? What about the others? Did Fifth Aunt and Ninth Aunt escape too?”