When Xie Yuzhang returned, the maids in the outer section were still fast asleep. Only the maid on night watch was there, waiting anxiously. At the sight of her return, the maid exhaled a great sigh of relief. She came forward to remove Xie Yuzhang’s cloak, then added charcoal to the warming brazier to warm her hands.

Feeling how cold her hands were, the maid scolded gently: “Your Highness must never run off like that again. This place could freeze a person solid.”

She added wistfully: “If A’Fei knew Your Highness was this careless with yourself, I don’t know how angry she’d be.”

Xie Yuzhang only replied with a smile: “I know, I know. Stop fussing.”

The maid observed her expression and said curiously: “How is Your Highness in such a good mood?”

Xie Yuzhang smiled: “You don’t know how beautiful the snow is out there. Bright as daylight, and the moon is especially large — nothing like it in Yunjing.”

They had been traveling through endless snow all this way, and however beautiful it might once have been, the maid had long since grown tired of the sight. In her heart she thought: the princess truly has a cheerful temperament — perhaps because she hasn’t quite fully grown up yet. And yet there were times she seemed so mature and commanding, which was very strange.

But Xie Yuzhang’s smiling eyes and upturned rosy lips made one unwilling to break her good spirits.

So the maid said: “Yes, it’s lovely in daylight, too — though looking too long hurts the eyes. Better to sleep soon; there’s still traveling tomorrow.”

She attended Xie Yuzhang back to bed, then lay down herself beyond the bed-curtains, and being exhausted from the day, fell asleep quickly.

Xie Yuzhang gazed up at the canopy of the tent, listening to the maid’s even breathing, and the smile at the corners of her lips gradually faded.

After the spark that had passed between her and Li Gu today, she was no longer worried about her life after returning to Yunjing.

A man who has achieved great things and reached the height of power will, in the end, never treat too harshly the woman he had yearned for in his youth — the one he never obtained. And that particular sovereign… had already not been unkind to her, had he not?

Xie Yuzhang had understood by now: Li Gu, as Emperor, undoubtedly liked her. Had he not always been thinking of her, why would a man who was the Son of Heaven condescend to appear at the Xiaoyao Marquis’s residence, only to see her one last time?

In all the years she had lived in Yunjing, he had never once made things difficult for her, never once forced her.

Only that one time — when he stated his feelings plainly — only that one time when he caught her wrist. When she was unwilling, he let her go, and never forced the matter.

Xie Yuzhang even found, as she thought back on it, that the food and clothing at the Xiaoyao Marquis’s household were of course nothing compared to her days as a princess, but they had actually been very fine.

The things she liked to eat were always available. The bolts of cloth sent with the seasons were all the fashions of that year — not the kind of shoddy, perfunctory substitutions people made to handle the unwanted. And she had never let herself think deeply about it then, had refused from somewhere within herself to consider… even the most benevolent of new emperors — what could prompt him to attend so carefully to the fabric of a woman’s gown?

That was plainly a special kind of concern, a particular kind of attention.

Zhang Fen was already Empress — so why did her eyes always hold a trace of jealousy whenever she saw Xie Yuzhang?

Da Hu, his older sister, was a woman of his back palace — why, every time she saw Xie Yuzhang, did she always seem to be on the verge of saying something, then hold back?

Fuchun was the triumphant Chief Steward of the inner court — countless people tried to win his favor and could not. Why was he always so warm and affable every single time he saw her?

In her past life, she had been blind in heart and in eye, and refused to see it clearly.

But in this life, she could no longer hide from it. And not only would she not hide — she would walk straight toward it.

The identity of a fallen princess was truly such a burden. But this small handful of cards was hers to grip tightly, and she would.

…

The next day, the wedding procession traveled for the better part of the morning before distant signs of human life appeared — the connected tops of countless tents stretching out ahead.

The size of the tent encampment, like a cluster of palaces, left the members of the entourage stunned. Everyone buzzed and pointed.

Even the Fifth Prince could not help but click his tongue.

To the Fifth Prince, a tent was a temporary shelter used when making camp in the wilderness. But to the people of the steppe, a tent was a home that could be taken apart and assembled elsewhere — a moveable dwelling. The two were simply incomparable.

The Ashina Khan was past the age of fifty. His hair and beard were half-white. Unlike the people of the Central Plains, who wound their hair into topknots, his curly hair fell loose and thick, making him look like a lion with a dense mane.

By the time Xie Yuzhang’s procession arrived, the Mobei people had already arranged themselves into a formation of welcome. Every person who appeared before the people of the Central Plains was dressed in their finest. They wore their best fur garments, adorned themselves with the most beautiful feathered headdresses, and hung strings of long chains from their chests set with wolf fangs and gemstones.

Some had even mounted entire animal skulls inlaid with precious stones as helmets upon their heads. Many others wore hats fitted with strangely shaped horns.

The Fifth Prince naturally had no way of knowing that this attire was something the Mobei people only wore for grand celebrations and that in ordinary days these same people wore nothing more than plain, warm fur caps.

He swept his gaze across the scene — all he saw was something out of a nightmare, demons and monsters, and his heart quailed. He had been riding side by side with Prince Shou, but now he unconsciously pulled his reins and fell half a horse’s length behind.

Ashina Khan rode forward at the head of his men, and the two groups converged in the open expanse of the plain.

The great, powerful old man said something in a booming voice. The interpreter relayed it to Prince Shou and the Fifth Prince: “He asks: where is the beautiful princess — his wife?”

The Fifth Prince’s expression darkened immediately. Uncultured barbarian — such impudence.

Yet though the Fifth Prince and Prince Shou held high rank, diplomatic matters were not their responsibility. To put it plainly, the two of them were mere ornaments. The Da Zhao court had been plagued by bloody struggles between fathers and sons, brothers and brothers, ever since its founding. As a result, restrictions on the imperial family had grown extremely tight in later years. Aside from the reigning emperor himself, the others had essentially no access to real power or real affairs. The two of them had nothing to do but wait for the appointed officials to handle the negotiations.

After a moment, an official came to invite them, and the two rode forward composedly to meet the Ashina Khan.

From horseback one could already see that the old man was tall; it was only when the Fifth Prince dismounted that he truly felt just how imposing Ashina was. His voice rang out strong and resonant as a bell — nothing like that of an old man.

After the two parties had exchanged pleasantries in their respective languages, Ashina brought up once more his wish to see “the beautiful princess.”

The official in charge of the procession bowed to Prince Shou and said: “We ask that Princess Your Highness come forward to be presented.”

The Fifth Prince was young and spoke first: “What sort of protocol is this? There is no tradition of an unmarried couple meeting before the wedding rites are performed!”

The official showed a look of difficulty. Prince Shou was more seasoned and asked: “Is there no such custom here?”

“Indeed.” The official explained. “The Mobei people have no custom of keeping bride and groom apart before the wedding. This place is very different from the Central Plains — please bear with us, Your Highness.”

Prince Shou understood. The conduct of those handling foreign affairs followed the cues from the central court. When the court was assertive, foreign officials were assertive; when the court showed weakness…

“When in someone else’s home, follow their customs.” Prince Shou put his younger nephew to work. “Fifth Brother, go and summon Baohua to come and be presented.”

The Fifth Prince was displeased, but he could not openly refuse an elder uncle to his face. He could only answer a sullen “yes” and wheel his horse toward the rear of the procession.

Strictly speaking, Li Gu was not a member of the wedding procession. He was only responsible for guarding their safety while they traveled through the Hexi Corridor, ensuring they arrived safely at the Khan’s court.

On this final day of the journey, he had ridden beside Xie Yuzhang’s carriage the whole way.

All day long, he had not spoken a single word. Xie Yuzhang had not lifted the curtain once.

He accompanied her in silence through this final stretch of road.

Xie Yuzhang sat in the warmth of the carriage. She pushed the window open slightly and through the curtain’s shadow could make out the faint silhouette of the young general.

A firm jawline, cold and composed lips.

Yet whenever Xie Yuzhang looked out at him through that narrow gap, a faint smile found its way to the corners of her lips. She gently pushed the window shut again.

Li Gu seemed to hear the soft sound of the carriage window sliding, and turned to look.

Perfectly shut. Nothing to be seen.

Between him and her, only a thin carriage wall — yet it was as though two separate worlds lay on either side.

Li Gu turned back and gazed ahead. His horse beneath him moved neither fast nor slow, keeping pace with her.

Until the open land ahead began to show the pointed tops of tents, and the long procession began to slow. Li Gu suddenly heard Xie Yuzhang ask: “Are we here?”

He said: “We are here.”

The sound of the window sliding open came, and the curtain was lifted. Li Gu turned his head and saw half of Xie Yuzhang’s face.

As white and pure as the snow on the plain. Her jet-black, clear eyes narrowed slightly as they gazed into the distance.

Li Gu held his breath and looked at that half of her beautiful face steadily, without looking away.

After a moment, those eyes gazing into the distance turned toward him. Their gazes met — wordless and still.

“General.” Xie Yuzhang said in a low voice. “There are some things I wish to say to you… come closer.”

Li Gu pressed his lips together faintly. He pulled the reins and his horse drew up directly beneath the carriage window. The distance between their two faces was less than a foot.

Xie Yuzhang said softly: “Tell me truly — is the realm about to fall into chaos?”

Li Gu frowned: “What does Your Highness mean?”

Xie Yuzhang smiled faintly: “Everyone has been humoring me, making me feel the realm is at peace. But I — I am the Empress’s own-born princess. Look at where I am now, and what I am about to do.”

Li Gu’s gaze was fixed on her face: “These matters, men will take care of them. The court and His Majesty will…”

“That Majesty of yours is my father.” Xie Yuzhang cut him off, and sighed. “I know him better than you do. He has sent even me here. The Xie Family… it would seem their time is running out.”

Being able to say that the Xie Family’s time was running out showed that this young girl had already seen the shape of the realm clearly. Li Gu’s lips moved, yet he did not know how to comfort her.

A girl with such bright eyes and a clear-headed mind — he did not have the heart to deceive her with more lies.

Nor could he.

“Come a little closer.” Xie Yuzhang lifted the curtain wider and exposed more than half her cheek — as tender and rosy as a crabapple blossom.

Li Gu’s gaze fell upon those soft lips, and a brief flash of memory passed through his heart — the short, warm, soft moment in the moonlight and snow the night before. He reached out and gripped the frame of the carriage window, drawing his body closer.

“I am afraid that if I don’t say it now, I may never have another chance.” Xie Yuzhang’s voice dropped to where only the two of them could hear.

“You don’t need to spare my feelings — I know. The Xie Family’s time is running out.” Xie Yuzhang looked steadily at him. “I want to say this to you: in the days to come… do not hold back on my account.”

Li Gu’s heart gave a violent start: “Your Highness?”

“The realm belongs to whoever has the ability to take it. If you have the strength, then take it.” Xie Yuzhang’s eyes were still and untroubled. “If one day you sit in that seat — Baohua will bow three times and kowtow nine times, and will have not a word of complaint.”

These treasonous words, spoken from Xie Yuzhang’s lips, were enough to shake Li Gu to his core.

His eyes, cold as a still, deep pool, fixed on her face. He said in a low, firm voice: “Your Highness should not speak such reckless things.”

“Reckless?” Xie Yuzhang gave a self-mocking smile. “Where is the recklessness?”

Li Gu pressed his lips together.

What kind of expectation did she hold for him? How could she dare say such a thing?

“No matter what the future holds, no matter what becomes of the realm.” Li Gu did not attempt to refute her, but said in a low, steady voice: “To this subject, a princess will always be a princess.”

It felt as though… she had shot an arrow, and it had struck the target precisely.

Xie Yuzhang’s shot at Li Gu — steady, and true.

She looked into his eyes and said: “Yet I no longer wish to be a princess of Da Zhao.”

The sound of approaching hooves — both turned at the sound. The Fifth Prince, wrapped in his fur robe, rode over with an air of dignified assurance: “Baohua, Prince Shou Uncle asks you to come and be presented to the Khan.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Gu. He found it somewhat odd that Li Gu was riding so close to Xie Yuzhang — what were they saying?

Xie Yuzhang said “oh” in response, and said to Li Gu: “Then, I’ll be off.”

Li Gu released his hold. Xie Yuzhang lowered the curtain.

The driver cracked the whip, and the magnificent jade-canopied carriage rolled away from the procession.

Li Gu watched, unblinking, as Xie Yuzhang… moved toward the Khan’s court.

In the dim interior of the carriage, the corner of Xie Yuzhang’s lips curved slightly upward, then gradually settled flat.

At last, she held in her hands the card that was Li Gu. She could keep him pressed in her palm for now, to be played at the right time later. At present, what she had to face was the Ashina Khan waiting for her ahead.

In her past life, from the moment she set foot on the steppe, Ashina had been her nightmare.

What would it take to survive peacefully until the day this old and fierce lion of a king finally died?

That would require enduring — a full four years.

The carriage rolled to a stop. The carriage door opened, and the maids who had been traveling in the carriage behind came forward to help Princess Baohua step down.

The princess was wrapped in a thick fur cloak, the hood pulled up to cover her face.

Ashina found her intriguing. His nineteenth son, Xia’erdan, had been among the first to return with word. He had described this Da Zhao princess’s beauty as unparalleled anywhere under heaven or on earth, and many of the Mobei people had become curious about this Da Zhao princess.

How beautiful could she possibly be? More beautiful than Gurlin Princess of the Dang-Yue clan? She was the consort Ashina Khan had loved most in recent years, and was celebrated as the first beauty of the steppe.

Xie Yuzhang walked up to Ashina, removed her hood, lifted her face, and smiled at him.

What use was hiding? What use was concealing?

Prey that fled bleeding into the underbrush, that even burrowed into caves — in the end they were always caught by the hunter and the hound.

Princess Baohua, Xie Yuzhang, appeared before the eyes of the Mobei people in her most beautiful bearing.

From that point on, the first beauty of the steppe was no longer Consort Gurlin — it was Consort Baohua.

Li Gu sat upon his horse in the distance and watched it all.

Before the great and mighty old Khan, she was a slender figure — yet she appeared to hold no fear.

…

…

Yuzhang.