Under the vast blue sky, a swift horse galloped toward the blazing sun, racing through tall grass, crossing hillocks and frozen rivers, heading toward the boundless desert, as if intent on reaching the edge of the world where sky meets sea.

The horse’s hooves kicked up yellow sand, and the long wind swept up the half-loosened black hair and crimson wedding dress of the young woman on horseback, intertwining with the black robes of the young man behind her.

Jiang Zhiyi, held tightly by Shen Yuance on the horse, felt the genuine coldness of the wind, the truly blinding sunlight, and the real warmth and strength of the arm wrapped around her waist. Convinced this was no dream, she blinked, shedding hot tears as she faced the dazzling sunlight.

In this moment of recovery after loss, Jiang Zhiyi’s tear-filled eyes reflected the blue sky and yellow sand, while her mind suddenly flashed back to the streets of Chang’an last winter.

On that long street lined with commoners, armored cavalry led the way. Amid a shower of flower petals, she had leaned out of the window to look down, and he had turned his head on horseback. They had exchanged a single distant glance—what she had thought was their first meeting was a reunion across lifetimes.

Jiang Zhiyi struggled to keep her eyes open in the howling wind, using her eyes—which had never been blind in this life—to take in all the vibrant colors of the world, and the living, breathing man behind her.

“Where are we going?” Jiang Zhiyi turned her head to ask against the fierce wind.

Shen Yuance cracked his whip, urging the horse forward. “Taking you back to Guzang.”

“Will no one stop us?”

“With my Hexi Xuance iron cavalry here, who would dare?”

Jiang Zhiyi recalled the military orders Shen Yuance had issued during her dazed sleep. “Did you kill the Second Prince of Xiluo? Will Xiluo go to war with us?”

Shen Yuance laughed heartily. “The two princes of Xiluo have been competing for succession for a long time. Now that I’ve handed the Xiluo throne to the First Prince, if he’s sensible, he should maintain good relations with our Great Ye. If he wants war, he’d better think twice. My three hundred cavalry slaughtered his entire Xiluo delegation and retreated without a single casualty. He should consider whether I’m someone he can afford to provoke.”

Not a single casualty, a complete withdrawal… Jiang Zhiyi closed her eyes in tearful gratitude.

“What about Chang’an?”

“Your betrothal entourage will be ‘looked after’ here by the Xuance Army. Zhou Siqing will take the Second Prince’s head to Chang’an to explain the ‘truth.'”

The dead cannot speak; only the living can tell the truth. Since only one version of the truth remained, what happened that night no longer mattered. What mattered was what people were willing to believe—

The First Prince of Xiluo and the Second Prince were at odds. To gain more support and ascend to the throne, the First Prince would naturally believe this was his brother’s fault.

Most of the court officials in Chang’an despised the ambitious Second Prince of Xiluo, so they would naturally believe he deserved his death and that Great Ye was acting in self-defense, upholding national honor.

So even if some suspected who was truly behind this incident, they couldn’t condemn Hexi or Shen Yuance. However…

“But His Majesty won’t believe it. When you go to the capital to pay your respects at the end of the year as usual, I’m afraid…”

Shen Yuance narrowed his eyes. “That will be a matter between His Majesty and me.”

So his plan, like hers, was to protect everyone except himself.

“Are you afraid to elope with a man who might be heading to his death at any moment?” Shen Yuance looked down at her.

Jiang Zhiyi stared at him firmly through her tears and shook her head. “I’m not afraid.”

Even if death lay ahead, even if tomorrow were the end of the world, she feared nothing as long as she was with him.

While Jiang Zhiyi and Shen Yuance journeyed back to Guzang, enjoying the mountains and waters along the way, Zhou Zheng’an was racing back to Chang’an at breakneck speed.

Although news of the marriage alliance’s mishap had already been sent to the capital by urgent dispatch immediately after the incident, when Zhou Zheng’an himself appeared before the golden throne hall covered in old bloodstains, holding the head of the Second Prince of Xiluo, the entire court was still thrown into shocked uproar.

At the front, Emperor Xingwu stared intently at the severed head, his hand gripping the dragon throne so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.

Zhou Zheng’an faced the emperor and all the court officials, recounting the story he had prepared throughout his journey with heart-wrenching emotion: “…Our Great Ye was willing to marry off our princess, already showing great face to Xiluo. How could we have expected such disrespect in return? The Second Prince of Xiluo went too far. He had no respect for our Great Ye princess, no respect for our Great Ye emperor!”

Someone nearby noticed the emperor’s suspicion about the matter and immediately spoke up in challenge: “Zhou Siqing, how dare you! Even in war between nations, envoys are not executed. The Second Prince of Xiluo was merely disrespectful—how could that justify killing him?”

Zhou Zheng’an snorted coldly. “Minister Ge speaks from a position of comfort. What do you mean by ‘merely disrespectful’? Were you there that night, Minister Ge? Did you witness how dangerous the situation was? In the dead of night, guards saw someone drunk attempting to enter the princess’s tent. Intent on protecting the princess, how could they have seen who it was? The intruder ignored warnings and still tried to lift the princess’s tent flap despite repeated orders to stop. The guards drew their swords in response—what wrong did they commit? If that sword had not been drawn, do you know what humiliation the princess might have suffered? What humiliation our Great Ye might have suffered?”

“If the Second Prince of Xiluo came for the betrothal, how could he make such a drunken mistake at such a crucial moment?”

“The Second Prince’s head is right here, and his body has already been sent back to Xiluo. The coroner confirmed he had indeed consumed excessive alcohol before death. Minister Ge, are you suggesting I’m making this up?” Zhou Zheng’an pointed westward, thankful that Shen Yuance had planned everything perfectly, even forcing alcohol down the prince’s throat before killing him. “If Minister Ge is so curious about the reason, why not personally ask the Second Prince of Xiluo what his intentions were that night?”

“You…!”

Minister Ge was left speechless.

Another official glanced at the emperor’s expression and continued questioning Zhou Zheng’an: “Even so, why did you slaughter the entire Xiluo delegation, Zhou Siqing?”

“Director Qu, how can you distort facts this way? The Second Prince of Xiluo was disrespectful first, and we merely defended ourselves. It was the Xiluo envoys who were unreasonable, insisting on resorting to violence to seek justice for their prince. Were we supposed to sit there waiting to be slaughtered? With the enemy’s blade at our throats, it was either their death or ours. Just because our delegation emerged victorious, we must bear the accusation of ‘slaughter’? Xiluo overestimated themselves—who can they blame but themselves!”

“Then I must ask, the Xiluo delegation numbered over a thousand. How did Zhou Siqing manage to win with so few against so many?”

Zhou Zheng’an laughed coldly. “Our delegation’s several hundred guards fought to the death to protect Great Ye’s dignity. They are now severely wounded, recovering in the bitter cold of the northwest. Yet you still question how we won against the odds? We won with our lives! Or is Director Qu suggesting I brought additional troops into Xiluo? When entering Xiluo territory, all our delegation’s papers were in order. The number of people who left Chang’an was exactly the number who arrived. Even Xiluo didn’t question this. Why is Director Qu so distrustful of his people?”

“Even so, how did you manage to leave Xiluo’s borders?”

“That night, we hastily retreated with the princess. At the border checkpoint, we received protection from the Xuance Army. The Xuance Army faced off against Xiluo’s border troops in the dead of night, and the Xiluo border troops didn’t dare to blindly start a war with our Great Ye, so they had no choice but to let us pass—this is clear in Xiluo as well! Forgive my directness, but if Director Qu continues this unreasonable questioning, it’s simply a case of trying to frame the innocent!”

Director Qu also retreated with an unpleasant expression.

Zhou Zheng’an defeated all challengers with his eloquence, and finally, no one dared ask another question.

Zhou Zheng’an caught his breath and composed himself before bowing to the dragon throne. “Your Majesty, Xiluo has not uttered a word for days, surely because they know they are in the wrong. In my humble opinion, Great Ye should immediately terminate the marriage alliance and negotiate the aftermath with Xiluo!”

Minister Pei stepped forward and bowed: “Your Majesty, every word of Zhou Siqing’s is reasonable. This is the moment for Great Ye to seize the initiative. Please issue the order to terminate the marriage alliance!”

Qi Yan narrowed his eyes and gently rubbed his fingers.

Someone noticed Qi Yan’s gesture and immediately stood up: “I support the motion. Please, Your Majesty, issue the order to terminate the marriage alliance!”

“I support the motion!”

“I also support the motion!”

“We all support the motion!”

Emperor Xingwu’s cold eyes stared silently at Zhou Zheng’an’s official cap for a long time without speaking.

Zhou Zheng’an endured the immense pressure, his heart trembling, feeling utterly miserable.

While he was here engaging in verbal combat, charging into the fray, Shen Yuance was probably enjoying himself with his beauty in his arms!

Seven days later, in the Shen residence in Guzang, Hexi. It was near the end of the year, a clear day in the twelfth lunar month. Warm sunlight streamed through the latticed windows into the warm chamber.

Jiang Zhiyi lay on a lounging couch, her head resting on Shen Yuance’s leg, holding a storybook in her hand. As she turned a page, she opened her mouth: “Ah—”

Shen Yuance leaned against her armrest, holding a peeled orange in his palm. He freed one finger to close her mouth: “Not so fast, wait.”

Jiang Zhiyi shifted her gaze from the book to look up at him: “Why are you so slow at peeling an orange…”

“Jiang Zhiyi, be reasonable. Who said there couldn’t be a single white fiber left on these orange segments?” Shen Yuance held out his other hand, palm full of the white fibers he had removed for her.

Jiang Zhiyi laughed and turned to lie on her side, looking at him: “Didn’t you say it yourself? A princess only needs to worry about whether her skirt hem is dirty, why should she be reasonable?”

Shen Yuance looked at her sidelong and snorted: “So my hands, which normally hold spears and swords, are now put to such trivial use for you every day?”

“Didn’t you use these hands to slice lamb and fish with a knife during last night’s hot pot dinner?”

“If I’m going to slice something, it should be human flesh.”

“Oh, you’re so annoying!” Jiang Zhiyi frowned. “I don’t want to eat the orange anymore!”

“Then let it eat it,” Shen Yuance nodded toward the side. “It’s been eyeing it for a long time.”

Jiang Zhiyi turned her head and saw Yuan Tuan crouching on the ground, drooling, staring eagerly at the orange in Shen Yuance’s hand.

In the more than half a year since she had left Guzang, Yuan Tuan had grown considerably.

A few days ago, when she returned to Guzang with Shen Yuance, her first reaction upon seeing Yuan Tuan was surprise that she could no longer carry it. Shen Yuance had said, yes, unlike her, who had become lighter, which was why he had been feeding her from morning to night every day, trying to restore her to her original weight.

“Then let’s split it between me and Yuan Tuan.”

Shen Yuance broke the carefully prepared orange in half and placed a segment in Jiang Zhiyi’s mouth.

Jiang Zhiyi chewed the orange, put down her book, and wiped her hands. She asked Shen Yuance for the other half of the orange, took out a segment, and tossed it to Yuan Tuan in a high arc.

Yuan Tuan leapt up and caught the orange segment perfectly in its mouth.

Jiang Zhiyi ate one segment herself, then tossed one to Yuan Tuan. After several segments, little remained of the whole orange.

Shen Yuance finally questioned: “I spent all that time peeling, and there’s none for me?”

“Yes, yes, here…” Jiang Zhiyi picked a segment to feed Shen Yuance, but her hand moved too swiftly and smoothly, tossing it in another high arc.

Quick-eyed and quick-mouthed, Shen Yuance caught it with a backward tilt of his head, then slowly lowered his head with the orange segment between his teeth. “?”

Jiang Zhiyi was also stunned.

“You treat me like—” Shen Yuance mumbled through the orange segment.

Jiang Zhiyi burst into laughter: “You caught it pretty well, didn’t you?”

Shen Yuance lowered his head and pried open Jiang Zhiyi’s mouth, feeding her the other half of the orange segment from his mouth.

As the sweet and sour juice burst forth, his lips and tongue followed in a passionate entanglement. Jiang Zhiyi struggled with muffled protests. Nearby, Yuan Tuan stared blankly at the two, then suddenly leapt onto the couch, shoving a paw against Shen Yuance’s chest.

“…” Shen Yuance was forced to release Jiang Zhiyi and looked at the dog now positioned between them.

Seeing Yuan Tuan’s sincere protective expression, Jiang Zhiyi sat up with a flushed face: “Yuan Tuan is still young. How can you do such things in front of him!”

Shen Yuance raised an eyebrow: “You call this ‘such things,’ then what do you call what we do at night?”

Jiang Zhiyi hugged Yuan Tuan, hiding her reddened face behind his fur: “It’s broad daylight, stop saying these things!”

“Fine, the sun will set eventually.”

Jiang Zhiyi lifted Yuan Tuan’s paw to gently push against his leg.

Just as the two people and dog were playfully bantering, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, and Jing Zhe arrived: “Princess…”

In those days when Jiang Zhiyi and Shen Yuance were together, no one had ever come to disturb them.

Hearing Jing Zhe’s hesitant tone, Jiang Zhiyi vaguely sensed something, remained silent for a moment, and then called for her to enter.

Jing Zhe pushed open the door, looked at the two, and lowered her head as she approached: “Princess, Young General Shen, General Mu has sent news that the betrothal entourage stranded at the border has received an imperial decree. His Majesty has ordered the termination of the marriage alliance. Princess, you are now free.”

Jiang Zhiyi should have stayed with the betrothal entourage at the border awaiting orders, but the climate there was harsh. Since Shen Yuance was confident the marriage alliance would be terminated, he had brought her back to Guzang early.

Jiang Zhiyi showed little joy at this expected news. Like Jing Zhe, who despite delivering good news was anxious and couldn’t raise her eyes even slightly.

“Besides this decree, what else?” Jiang Zhiyi’s eyelashes trembled as she asked.

“His Majesty’s other decree states… states that as the year-end approaches, Young General Shen should also go to the capital as usual. He requests that you quickly go to the capital for an audience to discuss the strategy toward the west together.”

Jiang Zhiyi bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Forced by pressure from court officials and the situation between the two states, the emperor had no choice but to terminate the marriage alliance. Yet he knew the true Great Ye betrothal delegation could never have accomplished something so earth-shaking.

And the person capable of doing so had now touched the emperor’s reverse scale.

The emperor had likely harbored killing intent toward Shen Yuance from the moment he received the news, horrified by his audacity to act so high-handedly and openly. Only because Chang’an and Hexi were separated by a thousand miles, with messages taking days to travel back and forth, had they been given this stolen time together.

Fate linked everything in an unbreakable chain, never leaving room for struggle.

The day of her freedom was the day he would go to his death.

Shen Yuance smiled faintly and told Jing Zhe that he understood, dismissing her.

Jiang Zhiyi trembled as she opened her eyes to look at Shen Yuance.

Shen Yuance raised his hand and pulled her into his embrace: “Haven’t I told you these past days, I won’t let you become a widow before you’re even married?”

Jiang Zhiyi hugged his waist: “If you want me to believe you, marry me before you leave.”

Shen Yuance lowered his head and blinked: “Do you think getting married is like eating a meal? The elders are all in Chang’an, and so are the wedding items. Where would we find anyone to officiate our marriage now?”

“We don’t need any of that,” Jiang Zhiyi shook her head seriously and looked up at him. “We don’t need elders to witness it, nor do we need an eight-bearer bridal sedan. I want you to marry me today, will you?”