One day, after classes ended, Xie Zheng walked out languidly, with Liu Xuan following behind him like an eager puppy, practically wagging his tail in circles.

“Brother Xie, last time when you showed your skills at the arrow-throwing competition and won the opening prize from the Jinxiu Tower, you impressed Commander Hu’s son. Are you going to join the hunting party this time?” Liu Xuan asked.

The spring sunlight filtered through the trees, dancing across the young man’s delicate features. His crow-feather-like eyelashes seemed to catch a layer of shimmer, and his dark pupils appeared lighter in the sunlight, though his expression remained characteristically languid.

“No,” he replied flatly.

These young masters’ hunting parties mostly stayed on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, catching pheasants and rabbits for show. What was the point of such child’s play?

Xie Zheng had no interest in joining such frivolity.

Liu Xuan scratched his head awkwardly. “But I’ve already made a bet with Hu’s son. Brother Xie, if you don’t go and I lose at the hunting grounds, I’ll lose all twenty taels of my private savings…”

Xie Zheng didn’t even spare him a glance. “That’s your problem.”

“Ah, Brother Xie, you…”

Before Liu Xuan could continue his pleading, he noticed Xie Zheng’s gaze fixed on something in the distance. Without a word, Xie Zheng strode off in that direction.

Following his gaze, Liu Xuan saw the young girl they’d met before, waiting under the shade of a tree at the upper courtyard entrance. She carried a small cloth bag full of books, her large dark eyes framed by long, curling lashes, and her slightly pouting cheeks were tinged with a rosy hue, making her look as soft and white as a rice cake doll.

However, this time her two-bun hairstyle had almost completely come undone, and there was a long scratch mark at the corner of her eye, as if someone had clawed her with their fingernails.

Liu Xuan’s heart skipped a beat, wondering if his good-for-nothing brother was responsible again.

He hesitated between running away and going over to inquire about the situation, ultimately deciding to steel himself and follow.

As they approached, they heard Xie Zheng ask, “What happened?”

His tone was notably cold.

Liu Xuan carefully observed Xie Zheng’s expression as he looked down at the girl, who was considerably shorter than him. His face was neither patient nor impatient, but his mood seemed poor.

While Liu Xuan felt increasingly nervous, the little girl showed no fear. “I got into a fight with a newcomer at school,” she replied.

Xie Zheng frowned. “Who?”

Chang Yu lowered her head slightly, drawing circles on the ground with her toe. “I think his surname is Qi. I heard his servant call him Young Prince.”

Xie Zheng’s frown deepened.

Surname Qi? Recently, only Prince Gong had visited the Northwest as an imperial envoy, bringing the imperial decree appointing Xie Linshan as Marquis of Guanshan.

He crouched down and asked, “Was it Prince Gong’s heir who fought with you?”

Chang Yu clutched her clothes, head still lowered. “I don’t know, maybe.”

Upon hearing it wasn’t his foolish brother’s doing, Liu Xuan immediately rolled up his sleeves. “Who cares if he’s royal nobility, bullying a young girl isn’t right! Come on, Brother Xie, let’s go demand justice for Sister Chang Yu!”

Chang Yu remained rooted to the spot.

Knowing her well, Xie Zheng’s eye twitched as he asked, “How badly did you hurt him?”

Only then did she whisper, “He bled… and lost a tooth.”

Xie Zheng pressed his fingers to his temple.

Liu Xuan hadn’t expected this soft-looking, seemingly defenseless young girl to be so fierce. He stammered, looking at Xie Zheng, “What do we do, Brother Xie? Prince Gong is His Majesty’s uncle, and your sister just knocked out His Majesty’s cousin’s tooth…”

As Xie Zheng pondered how to handle the situation, Liu Xuan’s constant chatter grated on his nerves until he finally snapped, “Be quiet!”

Liu Xuan immediately fell silent, even making a gesture of sealing his lips.

Ignoring him, Xie Zheng continued questioning Chang Yu, “How did the dispute with the Young Prince start?”

Chang Yu pressed her lips together without answering. Her long lashes cast fan-shaped shadows on her eyelids in the sunlight as she kept her head down.

Xie Zheng frowned. “Surely you didn’t strike first?”

She shook her head.

Restraining his temper, Xie Zheng said, “If you’ve caused trouble, you need to give me a reason why you hit him, so I can help resolve this. Otherwise, even if your parents take you to apologize to the Young Prince, it might not be enough.”

The little girl remained stubbornly silent, though her eyes were rimmed with red.

After a while, she said, “I’ll only tell you alone.”

Xie Zheng gave Liu Xuan a look, and he knowingly walked away.

Xie Zheng looked at the inexplicably upset child and said, “Go ahead.”

Chang Yu’s grip on her clothes tightened further before she finally spoke: “He tried to pull down my pants.”

Xie Zheng felt his scalp tingle with rage. “What?!”

His volume startled passing students and even Liu Xuan in the distance, who all turned to look.

Suppressing his anger, Xie Zheng examined the child’s Hu-style clothing and tried to speak more gently: “What happened exactly?”

The girl’s eyes grew redder, though she remained defiant without crying: “I practice martial arts with Father and wear Hu clothing. He mocked me for wearing men’s clothes, saying I must be a boy. When I went to the east washroom, he and his people cornered me, trying to pull down my pants to check if I was a boy…”

Her voice finally caught with emotion: “I was scared, so I couldn’t control my strength and hit him too hard.”

Xie Zheng wiped away the tears threatening to fall from her eyes with his thumb and said softly, “You did well.”

The little girl looked up at the young man in surprise.

The gentle breeze rustled his dark hair and robes as he asked, “How many people know about this?”

She answered, “I went to change during archery practice. Only he and his two lackeys were there.”

Xie Zheng’s voice remained gentle but took on a chilling edge: “Did he succeed in pulling them down?”

The little girl shook her head: “When they tried to push me into a corner, I made them cry with my fists.”

Xie Zheng tucked her loose hair behind her ear and said, “That’s good. If he had succeeded, I would have gouged out his eyes.”

He patted her shoulder lightly and added, “Don’t be afraid. Everything’s fine now.”

Perhaps because she had been holding back her fear until now, being comforted finally allowed her to cry: “But… his father is a Prince. Did I cause big trouble?”

Xie Zheng continued wiping her tears, saying coldly, “Even if his father were the Emperor himself, he still wouldn’t have the right to do such a despicable thing.”

Still angry, he cautioned her: “You can’t tell anyone else about this. If others learn he tried to pull down your pants, whether he succeeded or not, you would only be able to marry that scoundrel in the future.”

The little girl seemed frightened by this, pressing her lips together more tightly as tears welled up again.

Xie Zheng’s heart softened, and he gentled his tone: “Don’t be afraid. Leave this to me to handle.”

He called over to Liu Xuan, “Watch my sister for me and take her to the Xu Family Restaurant. I have something to attend to.”

Liu Xuan scratched his head, “Brother Xie, at this hour, what are you going to do?”

Xie Zheng simply replied, “Don’t ask.”

Eventually, Liu Xuan took Chang Yu to the Xu Family Restaurant, where his twenty taels of silver, not yet lost in the hunt, were spent instead on braised pork knuckles.

Despite ordering many of the restaurant’s specialties, the child didn’t eat a bite, instead pressing against the window, anxiously watching in the direction of the academy.

Liu Xuan tried to comfort her: “Don’t worry about Brother Xie. Even if the other party is the Young Prince of Prince Gong, right now General Xie and Minister Wei are His Majesty’s trusted ministers. General Xie has just been appointed as Marquis of Guanshan. As long as Brother Xie says you’re his sister, Prince Gong won’t make a big deal of this if he knows what’s good for him.”

The little girl remained silent, still peering out the window.

Liu Xuan couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Did you just push the Young Prince and make him lose a tooth?”

The little girl shook her head.

Liu Xuan asked, confused, “Then did he bump into something?”

The little girl raised her small fist and answered honestly, “I punched him.”

Liu Xuan: “…??”

After a while, he suddenly said, “Well… Sister Chang Yu, try punching your brother once.”

Chang Yu shook her head.

Liu Xuan insisted, refusing to believe it: “It’s fine, I can take it. Go ahead and hit me!”-

When Xie Zheng arrived at the Xu Family Restaurant, he found Chang Yu sitting obediently on a chair while Liu Xuan, with half his face swollen like a pig’s head, was pressing a cold, wet handkerchief to it.

Seeing Xie Zheng, Liu Xuan spoke with a swollen tongue: “Ah, Brother Xie, you’re here…”

Xie Zheng frowned at Liu Xuan’s badly swollen face and asked, “Did you get into another fight on the way?”

Liu Xuan smiled sheepishly: “No, I heard Sister Chang Yu say she knocked out the Young Prince’s tooth with one punch, so I asked her to try it on my face.”

Xie Zheng immediately gave Liu Xuan a look that suggested he was looking at an idiot.

Liu Xuan winced in pain, covering half his face with the wet handkerchief, quietly sucking in the air: “I didn’t expect Sister Chang Yu’s strength to be so great, almost matching yours, Brother Xie…”

As Xie Zheng sat down next to Chang Yu, she fidgeted with her fingers anxiously and said, “I didn’t mean to…”

She only hit him because he kept insisting.

Xie Zheng snorted and said to Liu Xuan, “Don’t feel guilty, he deserved it.”

Liu Xuan, not wanting Chang Yu to feel bad, said through his pain, “Right, it’s not that painful. It’ll be fine by tomorrow morning…”

Probably because it hurt too much, his mouth was slightly crooked as he said to Xie Zheng, “Brother Xie, since you’re here, I’ll head back now…”

He needed to get some medicine quickly; it was killing him.

Xie Zheng looked at the table full of dishes, untied his money pouch from his waist, and tossed it to Liu Xuan, saying, “Go see a physician.”

Liu Xuan caught it, feeling its substantial weight, and immediately brightened up, though with half his face swollen and one eye nearly shut, his expression looked rather comical: “Thank you, Brother.”

After Liu Xuan left, Xie Zheng asked Chang Yu, “Why haven’t you eaten any of this food? Don’t you want to eat?”

Chang Yu nodded slightly.

Xie Zheng stood up, “Then let me take you to the West Market for a walk.”

Chang Yu clutched her book bag’s strap, remaining seated.

Xie Zheng leaned down and pinched her cheek: “Are you sulking?”

Chang Yu shook her head, biting her lip before saying, “The Young Prince…”

Xie Zheng’s hand moved from her cheek to her head, thoroughly messing up her already loosened hair buns: “Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of everything.”

Chang Yu looked at him half-doubtfully.

Xie Zheng smiled, “Don’t you trust me?”

Chang Yu shook her head again, and the loose hair from her undone buns brushed softly against Xie Zheng’s hand as she moved.

Xie Zhengwei was momentarily taken aback and simply said, “I forgot to tie your hair back…”

After he tied two messy buns on her head, the young man extended his hand toward her. “Let’s go.”

Zhang Yu took his hand and jumped down from the stool. The messy buns on her head bobbed as she walked, giving her a touch of endearing clumsiness.

The West Market was primarily a bustling place for the sale of livestock, including horses, saddles, whips, swords, and slingshots. Zhang Yu had often visited the East Market, which was filled with flower and bird shops, but this was her first time at the West Market.

Xie Zheng took her to try archery and throwing pots, and they played through everything.

At first, Zhang Yu was lost in her thoughts and felt downcast, but soon she was swept up in the fun, winning kites, porcelain figurines, and small drums, and even got to ride on Xie Zheng’s horse, racing a few laps around the riding grounds.

By the time they headed back, the sun was setting.

She was so tired from playing that drowsiness hit her, and her feet ached. After walking a short distance, she sat down on a stone stool by the street, refusing to move. “I’ll rest a bit before I go.”

Xie Zheng looked at her sleepy head, which bobbed like a chick pecking at rice, and sighed, “I don’t have a single copper coin left; I can’t hire a carriage to take you home.”

Zhang Yu, too sleepy to keep her eyes open, insisted, “I can walk back by myself.”

Xie Zheng felt both amused and pained. Thinking of what she had experienced that day, he gently patted her head and squatted down in front of her. “Get on my back; I’ll carry you home.”

Zhang Yu looked at the broad back of the young man, which seemed ample enough for her, and after a moment of hesitation, she finally chose to climb on.

Xie Zheng carried her back, walking through the fading light of the sunset. Listening to her steady breathing behind him, he let out a soft sigh. “What will happen to you, my little troublemaker, when I go to the military camp in the future?”

Zhang Yu slept soundly until the next morning. At breakfast, her mother spoke to her in the same gentle tone as always, and her father only mentioned a few things about the military camp, not once bringing up the matter of the Crown Prince of the Gong family.

Zhang Yu let out a small sigh of relief.

It seemed her parents were unaware that she had knocked out a tooth from the Crown Prince, nor did they know how Xie Zheng had managed to keep it a secret.

When she arrived at the academy, she was distracted during the morning class, only thinking about going to the upper courtyard to find Xie Zheng and ask him what he had done yesterday.

As soon as the morning class ended, she was about to head to the upper courtyard when a girl from her desk called out, “Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu! Did you hear? That arrogant Crown Prince of the Gong family was beaten up by the Young Marquis! He stripped him and his two lackeys of their clothes and threw them out onto the street! What a disgrace! I bet the Crown Prince won’t dare to come to the academy again!”

Zhang Yu was stunned, unable to respond, and clenched her small fists as she ran straight to the upper courtyard.

The windows of the upper courtyard were high, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to see inside.

The older students inside noticed a shadow moving outside and, upon realizing it wasn’t a patrolling teacher, they relaxed and called out, “Whose little sister is outside?”

The academy built by the Xie family was where the children of military leaders came to study. Many of the students in both the upper and lower courtyards were siblings.

Xie Zheng’s seat was empty. Liu Xuan saw Zhang Yu and came out to ask, “Looking for Xie Ge?”

Zhang Yu nodded.

Liu Xuan’s swelling had gone down a bit today, but there was still a bruise on his face. He said, “Xie Ge didn’t come to the academy today. I heard about the Crown Prince’s incident too.”

He looked at Zhang Yu with confusion. “How did he bully you? You knocked out a tooth, and Xie Ge beat him up so badly that he was left bruised and stripped, thrown out onto the street. I heard that the Crown Prince’s wife cried and went to the Xie family to demand an explanation. I guess Xie Ge will get punished.”

After hearing this, Zhang Yu turned and ran back.

Liu Xuan called after her, “Where are you going?”

Zhang Yu replied, “Back!”

By the time she returned to the lower courtyard, the teacher was already inside the classroom, holding a copy of the Analects. “Today, we will study the chapter on ‘Learning.’”

When he turned and saw Zhang Yu standing at the door, he kindly said, “Hurry and take your seat.”

Zhang Yu was usually obedient in the academy. Although her handwriting wasn’t very good, she had never fallen behind in her studies or skipped class, and the teachers all liked this sweet and earnest little girl.

Zhang Yu held her stomach with both hands, trying to make her expression look pained. “Teacher, my stomach hurts.”

She rarely lied, but the teacher, seeing her lovely and delicate face, had no reason to doubt her. He immediately said, “Then I’ll have someone take you home.”

Zhang Yu nodded, picked up her small bag, and followed the teacher out of the academy.

When she got into the carriage heading home and passed by the Xie residence, she asked the driver to let her off there.

The driver hesitated, saying, “But… I have to take you home.”

Zhang Yu replied firmly, “My mother is visiting Uncle Xie; I need to find her.”

Only then did the driver feel relieved, watching her enter the Xie family’s gate before leaving.

Zhang Yu and her mother were frequent visitors to the Xie residence, and the doorman recognized her. Seeing Zhang Yu with her small bag, he smiled and asked, “Miss Meng, what brings you here?”

Zhang Yu tightened the strap of her bag and said, “I’m here to find my big brother.”

The doorman smiled and said, “The Young Marquis got into trouble and was punished by the Marquis. He’s currently kneeling in the ancestral hall. How about you come back another day?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu pressed her lips tightly together and said, “I want to see him.”

The doorman looked troubled. “The Marquis has ordered that no one is allowed to go to the ancestral hall. Miss Meng, please don’t make it difficult for me.”

Zhang Yu quickly changed her mind. “Then I want to see Aunt Xie.”

This time, the doorman didn’t stop her and eagerly said, “Shall I have someone show you the way?”

Zhang Yu had already started walking forward with her small bag. “No need; I remember the way.”

After passing through the flower-draped gate, there were two paths: one leading to the inner courtyard and the other to the west wing. However, by taking a detour, she could reach the Xie family’s ancestral hall.

Zhang Yu had visited the Xie residence many times and remembered these paths well.

She took a shortcut to the ancestral hall. Outside the hall, there were guards stationed. She sneaked around to the back wall, took off her small bag, and pushed it through a dog hole before squeezing herself in.

In the chilly spring air, Xie Zheng had returned home the previous night and was punished with ten lashes by Xie Linshan. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything and had knelt in the ancestral hall all night in just a thin shirt, causing him to develop a high fever.

His head felt heavy, and after kneeling for so long, his knees throbbed with pain.

In a daze, he thought he heard the door creak slightly behind him.

Xie Linshan had issued an order forbidding anyone from visiting or bringing him food or water. His mother, feeling that he had behaved too poorly by hitting the Crown Prince, didn’t plead for him, so who would come to the ancestral hall to see him?

In his stupor, Xie Zheng self-deprecatingly tugged at the corner of his lips, not even lifting his eyelids.

But footsteps approached from behind and stopped in front of him.

A small hand pressed against his forehead, unexpectedly cool and tender.

Xie Zheng opened his eyes to see the little girl who should have been in the academy frowning at him. “You have a fever! I’ll go get someone!”

Zhang Yu lifted her foot to go outside, but he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go.”

His voice was hoarse from the fever, and his handsome features showed signs of fatigue.

Zhang Yu exclaimed, “You’re sick!”

She pulled at his hand, which was burning like a hot iron, still gripping her wrist. “Is it because Uncle Xie punished you for hitting the Crown Prince? I’ll tell Uncle Xie that he bullied me first!”

The young man didn’t loosen his grip on her wrist at all, enduring the headache and fatigue as he scolded her. “Little fool, didn’t I tell you that this matter cannot be told to anyone?”

Zhang Yu looked confused. “Not even Uncle Xie and Aunt Xie?”

The young man didn’t respond, only said, “I’ve already taught that ugly fat guy and his two companions a lesson. They won’t dare to spread this matter. I beat him up, stripped him, and threw him onto the street. That’s already avenging you. This punishment isn’t anything.”

Zhang Yu saw the bloodstains on his back where the whip had torn his clothes and felt a pang in her heart. “You should tell Uncle Xie the truth.”

Xie Zheng was too weak, his eyelids slowly closing. He muttered, “Little fool, I said not to tell anyone.”

“If the Crown Prince and his wife find out, they might shamelessly want you to betroth yourself to that pig-headed fool, which would ruin your reputation. It’s not worth it, you know? This punishment is meant to appease the Crown Prince’s side. If I tell them, it will only make my mother and father feel bad.”

Zhang Yu looked at the cruel whip marks on his back, holding back tears as she asked, “Does it hurt? I brought some medicine; I can apply it for you.”

Since she started practicing with a sword, she had accumulated her fair share of bruises and scrapes. Her small bag contained not only books but also healing ointment.

Zhang Yu took out the ointment and, as she cleaned the wounds on Xie Zheng’s back, she found that the blood had already congealed, and the torn fabric was stuck to the skin. Pulling it off felt like tearing away a layer of flesh.

She carefully dampened the fabric stuck to the wound with water from her flask before gently tearing it away.

Even so, she still heard Xie Zheng let out a muffled groan.

Feeling a bit flustered, she said, “It hurts, doesn’t it? I’ll be gentler…”

Xie Zheng’s face was flushed from the fever, and a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead. He opened his eyes and said, “Are you peeling a snail’s shell slowly?”

After saying this, he yanked down the fabric that was stuck to his skin with blood and flesh, causing more blood to ooze out. He nonchalantly said, “Apply the medicine.”

As Zhang Yu sprinkled the ointment on his wounds, her lips were tightly pressed together. “You’re bleeding…”

Xie Zheng closed his eyes, enduring the pain and sweating profusely, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth: “Not painful.”

After applying the medicine, whether it was from sweating or the cold air, Xie Zheng’s fever worsened.

He still wouldn’t let Zhang Yu go get help, even though he was on the verge of burning up like a piece of charcoal, he still incoherently complained of being cold.

Zhang Yu draped her small cloak over him, but it seemed to have no effect.

The eight-year-old girl didn’t know how to bring down a fever. Hearing him say he was cold, she squatted beside him, took one of his hands, and blew on it, rubbing it to warm him up.

When Madam Xie came to check on her son, she found the two children cuddled up together, fast asleep.

Later, Madam Xie teased her son about the incident, saying that although he had been punished, it was worth it since his future wife had skipped class to see him.

For the first time, Xie Zheng spoke seriously to Madam Xie. “Mother, Zhang Yu is growing up now. Please don’t joke about this anymore. I only see Zhang Yu as my sister.”

As a child, he hadn’t understood what it meant to marry. Listening to his mother’s teasing back then, he thought it simply meant having another little sister to take care of in the future.

Now that he was gradually understanding things, he realized he had indeed watched that girl grow up, so he couldn’t take his mother’s playful words seriously.

Madam Xie was taken aback by her son’s formal response to her teasing. After a moment, she said, “Alright, alright, I’ll remember.”

When Madam Xie left with the medicine bowl, she saw Zhang Yu standing at the door with a small box. Madam Xie didn’t know how much of her and her son’s conversation Zhang Yu had overheard, but thinking she was still young and likely didn’t understand, she smiled and greeted her. “Zhang Yu, have you come to see your brother Xie Zheng?”

The little girl nodded obediently.

Madam Xie said, “He just took his medicine and is inside. You can go talk to him.”

Zhang Yu replied with a soft “Mm,” placed the box on the low table beside his bed, and then stepped back a few paces. “I heard you haven’t had much of an appetite and can’t eat anything, so I bought you a box of candied orange peel.”

Xie Zheng coughed lightly and smiled at her. “How rare! You bought me something?”

Zhang Yu didn’t respond. She sat on the embroidered stool for a while and then, without any context, said to him, “Thank you.”

Xie Zheng’s smile faded. “Have you caught a fever too? Is your brain burning up?”

Zhang Yu muttered, “If you scold me again, I’ll tell Aunt Xie.”

Xie Zheng shot her a sideways glance. “If you don’t want to be scolded, then keep your mouth shut.”

Zhang Yu grumbled, “Is it wrong to thank you?”

Xie Zheng sneered, “I’ve cleaned up so many messes for you. When have you ever thanked me? Meng Zhang Yu, who are you trying to impress?”

The little girl sat quietly on the embroidered stool, her head down, and after a long while, she said in a muffled voice, “Xie Zheng, you’ll be my brother for life, right?”

Xie Zheng felt that the child was acting strangely today. “Unless my parents give me another sister, besides you, who else could I have as a sister?”

Zhang Yu fiddled with the tassels on her clothes, fell silent for a moment, and then looked up with a smile. “Then it’s settled! You’ll be my brother for life!”

Xie Zheng initially thought the child was frightened by the incident with the Crown Prince of the Gong family. After coughing a couple of times, he chuckled, “Of course.”

The child, who had previously not paid much attention to others, turned back at the entrance and smiled at him, waving her hand. “Goodbye, Brother Xie Zheng!”

Madam Xie came over with a freshly brewed medicine and, noticing Zhang Yu leaving, smiled at Xie Zheng. “I see that Zhang Yu has become quite close to you. I’ve never seen her so affectionate toward you before.”

Xie Zheng watched the little girl’s retreating figure in silence.

There was something… off about this child.

However, Xie Zheng didn’t have time to ponder it for long, as news of war broke out again beyond the borders. Xie Linshan and Wei Qilin packed up their camp overnight.

The Northern Jue had a new king, and in a bid to quickly achieve military merit and subdue the rebellious tribal leaders, the new king launched a surprise attack on Jinzhou.

The situation was dire. Before leaving, Xie Linshan even ordered the evacuation of the citizens in the city and instructed the family guards to escort Madam Xie back to the capital first.

Unfortunately, it rained that day, making it difficult for the carriages to move along the official road. One of the cargo carts got stuck in the mud, and the guards, wearing bamboo hats and raincoats, shouted and pushed the wheels.

Madam Xie and Meng Lihua both got out of the carriage to check on the situation.

Zhang Yu, listening to the sound of thunder and rain, was dozing off in the carriage.

Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning struck the carriage, and she saw a figure lifting the curtain and looking at her.

Zhang Yu rubbed her eyes, thinking she was imagining things. Once she realized it wasn’t an illusion, she hurriedly said, “You have a cold; you can’t get wet. Come inside the carriage…”

“Tell my mother I’m going to Jinzhou.”

The young man interrupted her.

Zhang Yu was stunned. “But Jinzhou is at war…”

The young man smiled at her and raised the silver spear in his hand. “Exactly because there’s a war, I must go.”

He tilted his head slightly, using the dim light from a glass lamp in the carriage to look at her seriously and said, “I’m leaving.”

With that, he flicked the reins and disappeared into the night rain.

When Zhang Yu returned to the capital, she didn’t receive a letter from Xie Zheng until three months later.

In the letter, he mentioned that the battle in Jinzhou was going well, but the Northern Jue’s offensive was fierce. After nearly a decade of peace, this war would likely drag on for a long time.

He also mentioned that he had met a skilled bowman in the army who made a small bow for her, which he estimated would be sent to her in the capital by autumn.

As the seasons changed, Zhang Yu unconsciously accumulated a thick stack of letters in the wooden box designated for correspondence from the North.

She received the exquisite redwood small bow, but starting from the following year, the letters she received became fewer and fewer. Much of what she learned about Xie Zheng came from Madam Xie.

For instance, he had achieved military honors, slain a Northern Jue general, and nearly captured a certain prince…

Time flowed like water, and the distance between the two young people grew ever wider.

In the year Zhang Yu turned ten, the current emperor, being wise and enlightened, emphasized the importance of both civil and military education and promoted women’s education by establishing a girls’ school at the Guozijian.

To set an example, the emperor sent many princes and princesses to study at the Guozijian, and naturally, the civil and military officials couldn’t let the emperor lose face, so they sent their eligible daughters there as well.

When Madam Xie learned that Zhang Yu would be attending the Guozijian, she was very pleased. Having no daughters of her own, she treated Zhang Yu as if she were her child.

When she mentioned this to Meng Lihua, she couldn’t stop praising it. “The current head of the Guozijian is a remarkable figure, Master Gongsun. I’ve heard that His Majesty has sent several high-ranking officials to invite him out of retirement, but he has declined every time. It was only when His Majesty visited the Gongsun family in Hejian that he finally persuaded Master Gongsun to come out.”

“The Gongsun family in Hejian has such a rich heritage! They have rare books that are nearly extinct in the world, and you can find copies in their library. His Majesty’s recognition of such a talented person is a great blessing for our dynasty!”

Zhang Yu studied at the Guozijian for several years. Since she always received top marks in archery and horsemanship, the other noble girls, including Qi Shu, who struggled to even draw a bow, often came to her for help.

Over the years, all the noble girls in the capital regarded her as a close friend. Whenever there were poetry gatherings, they would not forget to send her invitations.

Zhang Yu had studied for several years, yet she still found herself with a headache whenever she attempted to write poetry, often trying to avoid it.

One day, she was about to decline an invitation to a flower-viewing event at the Jinwen Marquis’s residence when Qi Shu insisted on going, saying she had no familiar noble girls to accompany her at the banquet.

When Meng Lihua learned that her daughter was willing to go, she was very pleased and teased her little daughter, saying, “That’s good! Once the new year starts, you’ll be of age; it’s time to start looking for a match.”

Zhang Yu poked her younger sister’s chubby cheek and said, “It’s still early, Mother!”

Meng Lihua looked at her two daughters, one big and one small, and smiled. “Not too early! You were about Ning Niang’s age when you were causing trouble, with the Young Marquis following you around to help clean up. In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown into a young lady.”

With Zhang Yu entertaining her younger sister, Meng Lihua began to tidy up the clothes in the cage. “Your father wrote recently, saying that this battle was another great victory, and the situation in the Northern border is stable. The Young Marquis’s name has resounded throughout the court these years, and he is about to go to the capital to receive his title on behalf of your Uncle Xie.”

Zhang Yu paused her game with her younger sister, her heart not in it as she replied, “Mm.”

Ning Niang pouted in dissatisfaction. “Sister, you made a mistake!”

Meng Lihua laughed at this. “In a moment, Mother will help Ning Niang with her game. Your sister is going to the flower-viewing event at the Jinwen Marquis’s residence, so let her change into her outing clothes first.”

Ning Niang immediately blinked her eyes. “Can I go too?”

Meng Lihua shook her head.

Ning Niang’s little face fell. “Why not?”

Meng Lihua half-squatted and tapped her nose. “When our Ning Niang is a bit older, you can go…”

The flower-viewing event at the Jinwen Marquis’s residence was predictably lively.

The talented scholars and beautiful women engaged in drinking games and recited poetry, creating a delightful atmosphere.

Qi Shu seemed to be looking for someone at the banquet but couldn’t find them. She lost interest and decided to hide in a corner with Zhang Yu to watch the noble girls perform their talents.

Though she was still young, she was of the same generation as the current emperor, and even the empress had to address her as “Princess.”

No guest in the residence dared to show her any disrespect.

However, the Jinwen Marquis’s wife had fully intended to play matchmaker today. She proposed that the noble girls write half a couplet of poetry on wooden plaques without revealing their names, which would then be passed to the male guests for the talented scholars to complete the couplets.

This plan was well-received by the noble girls, as it was merely passing a wooden plaque. Even if no one completed their poetry, it wouldn’t be embarrassing. They could also assess the scholars’ talents and calligraphy through the poetry written on the plaques.

Since it was proposed by the Jinwen Marquis’s wife, Qi Shu felt she couldn’t refuse.

She wasn’t particularly good at poetry either, and after a long time of scratching their heads together, they managed to come up with a couple of lines.

After finishing, when she handed it to the Jinwen Marquis’s maid, she deliberately put on an arrogant expression and said, “When these plaques are returned, let this princess find her own first.”

The maid responded repeatedly.

Once the maid had walked away, Qi Shu shrugged her shoulders and said to Zhang Yu, “Let’s take ours first. Even if no one fills in the poetry, we won’t be embarrassed.”

When the plaques were returned, Qi Shu got hers back and, sweeping away her previous gloom, her eyes sparkled with joy.

Zhang Yu looked at her own two lines of poetry, which were barely legible, and frowned.

Qi Shu leaned over to take a look and teased, “I see that the handwriting is elegant and proper, and the lines aren’t empty. The person who filled in the poetry must be quite talented. I think you should meet him.”

Zhang Yu frowned. “I’d rather not. I don’t have the talent for writing poetry…”

Qi Shu stared at the couplet for a moment, her expression suddenly turning strange. “Why do I feel like this handwriting looks a bit like that guy Li Huai’an’s?”

Zhang Yu gasped.

After Qi Shu took the plaque to examine it closely, she said, “It can’t be wrong. I often borrow his homework to copy; it’s his!”

When Qi Shu looked back at Zhang Yu, her smile carried a hint of teasing. “Ah Yu, your handwriting is quite recognizable among the noble girls! Do you think Li Huai’an, that dullard, deliberately picked your plaque to fill in the poetry?”

Zhang Yu replied helplessly, “He’s probably just like us, forced to do it. He’s well-known among the talented scholars in the capital. If he doesn’t fill in the poetry, he’ll be urged to do so. If he fills in someone else’s, he might worry about misunderstandings. Since he’s familiar with you and me, and yours was taken, he probably picked mine.”

This statement startled Qi Shu, and she nodded. “That’s possible.”

After completing the second half of the poetry, the noble girls could send someone to inquire about the identity of the scholar who filled in their poetry. Once the female guests learned the male guests’ identities, they could assess their talents, and family background, and decide whether to pursue a connection. The servants would then inform the male guests of the female guests’ identities.

If everything went smoothly, a match could be made.

Qi Shu seemed to know who had filled in her poetry and didn’t send anyone to ask. After a while, a maid came to whisper something to her. Qi Shu’s eyes sparkled with delight as she lightly coughed and said to Zhang Yu, “Ah Yu, I’m going to meet someone. You can play by yourself for a while.”

Zhang Yu nodded.

However, as soon as Qi Shu left, other noble girls came over to engage with her, and in the end, Zhang Yu was pulled along to peek at several famous scholars in the capital behind a screen.

The noble girls chattered excitedly, “I’ve heard that there are not only talented scholars attending this banquet but also several young lords from prominent families!”

Zhang Yu paid little attention to this, letting it go in one ear and out the other. She found a moment to slip away to the begonia grove in the Jinwen Marquis’s residence for some peace.

The Jinwen Marquis was an elegant man who loved to brew tea and discuss philosophy. The gardens in his residence were uniquely designed, with winding streams and rockeries. The begonia petals, blown off by the wind, floated into the water, creating a picturesque scene of falling flowers and flowing water.

Not far away was a waterside pavilion. Zhang Yu crossed over to a beautiful reclining chair, took a large lotus leaf, covered her face with it, and lay down on the chair, preparing to take a nap.

At that moment, the sun was just right, and the warmth of the sunlight made her feel drowsy.

However, just as she lay down, something hit the lotus leaf covering her face.

The sound was very light as if it were just a flower bud or some seeds blown down by the wind.

Zhang Yu ignored it, scratching her face and planning to continue sleeping, but the lotus leaf was hit again.

She frowned and sat up, looking around the pavilion but seeing no one.

Just as she was puzzled, another begonia bud was thrown at her head.

Zhang Yu looked up and finally saw the person.

The waterside pavilion was next to a high stone platform, but the area around the platform was planted with many precious flowers and trees, making it difficult to see what was happening on the platform from the pavilion.

The young man throwing begonia buds at her was dressed in black, leaning against the begonia tree with his arms crossed. The exquisite dark patterns on his clothing shimmered in the sunlight, and the ornaments hanging from his waist sparkled, reflecting the light so brightly that it was hard to open one’s eyes.

Zhang Yu raised her hand to shield her eyes.

The young man seemed to chuckle, his features exceptionally handsome, but she could still vaguely recognize the shadow of the past. His expression was as lazy as she remembered. Not hearing her call out, he lazily raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s been years; you don’t recognize me anymore?”

Zhang Yu stared at him for a moment before blurting out, “Brother.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, they both fell silent, staring at each other for a moment. It seemed they both felt it was an awkward way to address each other, yet nothing felt more appropriate.

Xie Zheng pushed aside the flower branches and jumped down from the high platform.

Zhang Yu asked dryly, “What are you doing here?”

Xie Zheng glanced at the wooden plaque she had placed beside the reclining chair, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I heard you came to this banquet to choose a husband for yourself, so I came to keep an eye on you.”

He had hurried back from the North, and upon seeing Madam Xie, he mentioned that he had brought her a gift. He intended to give it to her but learned from Madam Xie that she had gone to the Jinwen Marquis’s flower-viewing event, so he came along with his friend Shen Shen’s invitation.

Zhang Yu felt that there was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but she couldn’t figure out why he was being sarcastic. She replied honestly, “I didn’t see much…”

Seeing him staring at the wooden plaque beside the reclining chair, she worried he would see her ugly handwriting and the unappealing poetry, and she felt guilty, so she instinctively hid the plaque behind her.

Xie Zheng continued to smile, but there seemed to be a hidden edge to his smile.

It was hard to describe the feeling in his heart. He had traveled a long way back from the North, bringing her a bunch of delicious treats and fun things. From a distance at the banquet, he noticed she seemed to have grown quite a bit, and he felt a strange sense of comfort.

But now that he was face to face with her, she showed no signs of the closeness she once had with him, and this realization suddenly made Xie Zheng feel restless.

Seeing her hide the poetry they had written together at the flower-viewing event, he even felt a bit irritated.

Yet, after years of hardship in the military, he had learned to restrain his emotions. He casually said to the now-grown girl, “If you didn’t find anyone suitable, let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

The two of them left the waterside pavilion side by side, remaining silent as they walked, having not found a suitable topic to discuss.

As they turned a corner, they encountered a refined young man in a snow-blue scholar’s robe. Upon seeing Zhang Yu, he first smiled and bowed. When his gaze turned to Xie Zheng, there was a hint of hesitation. “This is…”

Zhang Yu replied, “My brother.”

The young man seemed to relax slightly, then nervously and shyly bowed to Xie Zheng. “Greetings, Brother.”

Xie Zheng: “…”