An attendant emerged from the corner to help Zheng Jing up: “Third Young Master, are you hurt?”

Zheng Jing, face streaked with tears from coughing, shook his head with a bitter smile and stood up, gazing in the direction Li Yaoying had departed.

The heat slowly faded from his face, but his heart still raced wildly.

Every time he saw her, he ended up in an awkward mess.

She didn’t remember him.

For a moment, he felt relieved.

Meeting by chance in such a place of entertainment, not being recognized was fortunate.

The reason he had frantically jumped out the window to escape was that he feared being seen by her.

Yet he also felt disappointed.

When the servant had reported that the Seventh Princess was coming, he had been shocked and flustered, instinctively running away.

Yet deep down, there was a secret wild joy.

He had thought she had come for him.

But she hadn’t.

The Seventh Princess hadn’t come for him.

Yet it was because of her that he had let friends persuade him to come to Pingkang Ward to see this famous Tuozhi dance that had captivated the capital.

“With hanging ornaments at her hips and flowers at her waist,

Her hat turns with golden bells as her snow-white face turns back.”

The Tuo family’s beauty was indeed enchanting.

But no matter how well the Hu courtesans danced, compared to her, they still lacked that noble and brilliant charm that moved people’s hearts.

…

The Wei army was known for its strict discipline and had always been supported by the common people.

By the time Li Yaoying galloped to the city gate, both sides of the official road were packed with men, and women, old, and young who had spontaneously gathered to welcome the soldiers.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites, who had received the news first, had already prepared wine and sweet drinks.

The army’s triumphant return shouldn’t have been through the South Gate.

To demonstrate military might and stabilize public sentiment, Li De would always order Li Xuanzhen to lead the flying cavalry through the main gate after each victory.

The flying cavalry was the emperor’s guard, selected from among the three armies. Each one was chosen from among thousands—tall and imposing. Three hundred and eighty vigorous young men in their prime rode fine horses, carrying long spears and wearing curved bows at their waists, all in dark helmets and armor. They arrived in magnificent formation, their horses’ hooves thundering like rolling thunder.

Their bearing was magnificent, their momentum like a rainbow.

This was an almost invincible force.

The common people watched the mighty and heroic flying cavalry with tears in their eyes.

Young men out for spring couldn’t help cheering at the orderly military formation, while young women laughed and threw flowers, willow branches, and fragrant sachets.

The fresh breeze swept past as if showering flowers.

As the ranks passed before her eyes, Yaoying lifted her veiled hat, craning her neck expectantly. When she saw the familiar character “Qin” on the fluttering banner on the horizon, she smiled radiantly.

Second Brother had finally returned.

Amidst the noisy songs and laughter, a cold gaze swept over.

Yaoying sensed it and turned her eyes, meeting the other’s gaze directly.

A row of cavalry slowly rode past her. Among them was one wearing a prince’s golden crown, dressed in silver armor with a snow-white cape. He was strong and straight, with refined features—looking more like a scholarly strategist than a military commander.

The Ministry of Rites officials approached him with smiling faces to exchange greetings.

He reined in his horse and made polite conversation with the officials. His calm eyes seemed both intentionally and unintentionally fixed on Yaoying, his gaze indifferent, cold as a blade’s edge.

Yaoying lowered her eyelids slightly, catching sight of the man’s hand gripping the reins tightly, and her whole body went cold.

Those hands were thin, covered in sword scars back and front, with protruding knuckles. The fingers were strong, cold, and rough—when they had gripped her neck, the calluses had almost torn her throat.

She hadn’t even had the strength to struggle.

That time, Yaoying had truly believed Li Xuanzhen would kill her.

He was capable of it.

Now Li Xuanzhen was accomplished in both civil and military arts, intelligent and brave—the wise Crown Prince praised by all.

No one believed he would secretly harm Li Zhongqian and Consort Xie.

Even Yaoying hadn’t believed it at first, thinking her elder brother was just temporarily angry, that if she got along well with him, he would surely let go of his hatred.

Later she finally understood—Li Xuanzhen couldn’t let go.

He cared for the realm, had great ambitions, understood the common people’s hardships, protected the civilians, cared for his subordinates, readily accepted advice, and kept his promises to allies… Yet this Crown Prince, whom countless heroes were willing to follow, had somehow gotten stuck on this one point, unable to let go of avenging his mother.

Years later, he would lead troops to surround the Taiji Palace.

Li De, by then reduced to a figurehead, would lie on his sickbed and calmly ask: “What brings you here, my son?”

Li Xuanzhen would answer word by word: “I come to avenge my mother.”

He would force Li De to abdicate, execute the Li clan relatives, and dig up his own paternal clan’s ancestral graves, ignoring the world’s criticism.

He would make everyone accompany the Tang clan in death.

What had happened back then?

Yaoying was lost in thought.

Li Xuanzhen had already turned his gaze away and entered the city with the Ministry of Rites officials.

Yaoying collected herself and looked at the approaching Qin Prince’s banner, her lips curving up.

Li Zhongqian’s guard wasn’t part of the flying cavalry—they wore golden armor, a dazzling flash of brilliance even from a distance.

Yaoying couldn’t help but smile, watching her blood brother approach on horseback surrounded by his guard, warmth rising in her heart that drove away the chill Li Xuanzhen had brought.

She quickly removed her veiled hat and spurred her horse forward to meet him.

Li Zhongqian was six years older than Yaoying, tall and broad-shouldered with a strong build. Under his heavy, magnificent armor, his muscles rippled. His features were proper, and at first glance, he somewhat resembled Li Xuanzhen.

The brothers both took after Li De, with distinct features and naturally narrow phoenix eyes.

Li Xuanzhen was calm and reserved, his phoenix eyes commanding respect without anger.

Li Zhongqian’s features were more pronounced, with an ineradicable fierce and vicious air always lingering between his brows. His moods were unpredictable, cold, and gloomy. He sat lazily on horseback, carelessly glancing back, his eye corners lifted, his gaze sharp as knives.

Young women preparing to throw flower petals at his armor retreated in fear.

As Yaoying drew closer, the personal guard made way.

She bent forward, smiling as she reached for Li Zhongqian’s mount.

“Brother!”

Hearing his sister’s voice, Li Zhongqian whirled around, both surprised and delighted. His bearing instantly brightened as he took on an expression of gentleness that others would never see on his face: “Why did you come?”

As he spoke, he slowed his pace and reached out to steady her arm as he had done when teaching her to ride as a child, preventing her from falling as he smiled and carefully looked her over.

Yaoying had been raised by him. He had taught her to read and write, to ride and shoot. The first book she read, the first calligraphy she wrote, the first small bow she drew—he had chosen them all personally.

If not for her poor health, he wouldn’t have left her in Chang’an.

The realm was not yet pacified, and he often campaigned abroad. Yaoying was at the age of growing up, and with each parting and reunion, the young lady showed greater changes.

The little Seventh Miss who used to follow him around all day had grown up in the blink of an eye.

In a few more years, she would be ready for marriage.

Before setting out on the campaign, he had just discussed this matter with Prime Minister Zheng.

The smile on Li Zhongqian’s brows dimmed slightly.

Yaoying was also looking at Li Zhongqian.

She had been sickly from childhood and hadn’t walked before the age of three. Consort Xie grew more confused with each passing year. That year when feeding her medicine, she had accidentally spilled a cup of scalding tea on her. Fearing to frighten Consort Xie, she hadn’t dared cry out, waiting for the maids to come help clean her up.

Later, she was left with a scar on her leg.

When Li Zhongqian found out, he took her to live with him and cared for her.

At that time, Li Zhongqian was still a child himself. Though naturally careless and unruly, he strictly supervised her taking medicine every day, carried her to the courtyard daily to practice the Five Animals Exercise, forced her to drink those strange-tasting tonics, and added clothes for her whenever the weather looked gloomy. He acted as both father and mother, like a little old man.

As Yaoying gradually grew up and her health improved somewhat, she could walk and became unrestrained before him, full of life and energy. Only then did he relax a bit and slowly begin to show his youthful side.

Then he went to war.

When the Xie family was destroyed and Consort Xie lost her mind, her nine-year-old brother shouldered all the pressure with his young shoulders, holding up a clear sky for her so she could grow up freely and without worries.

Two years later, for her sake, her eleven-year-old brother had unhesitatingly abandoned the civil path for the military, taking up the Warfare Drums and Golden Hammers he had once sworn never to touch.

Brother had been so good to her.

She couldn’t watch him be killed by Li Xuanzhen.

Brother had never harmed anyone.

Remembering what she had seen in her dream, Yaoying’s heart ached terribly as she gently held Li Zhongqian’s arm.

Li Zhongqian started, then smiled.

…

When Yaoying was little, she often clung to Li Zhongqian like this, acting spoiled.

When he first took her in, she was obedient and quiet, making no sound, only blinking and staring at him when hungry or thirsty.

Once he noticed her, she would carefully call out: “Brother.”

Her voice was sweet and soft, unconsciously carrying a hint of trying to please her, afraid of disturbing him or making him tired of her.

If he didn’t notice her, she would just quietly watch him, waiting for him to ask what she wanted.

She was only three years old, yet already so well-behaved.

Li Zhongqian knew that Yaoying understood everything.

Her father Li De had never looked at her, her mother Xie was sometimes mad and sometimes confused, and she was sickly. At such a young age, she already knew to restrain herself to avoid troubling others, content to spend whole days alone at the window watching the garden.

She knew she couldn’t walk, yet neither cried nor made a fuss. Whatever medicine she was given to drink, she obediently drank it, never once complaining of bitterness.

Li Zhongqian didn’t want his sister to spend her whole life lonely in her room nursing illness, so he sought out famous doctors from across the realm to treat her.

Since Yaoying couldn’t go out, he taught her to read and write so she could pass the time when alone.

Since she couldn’t walk, he had servants lay felt mats throughout the corridors and courtyard, carry her outside to bask in the sun, and accompany her rolling on the mats, from one end of the corridor to the other, getting covered in apricot flowers petals.

The smile on Yaoying’s face grew more frequent, her eyes brighter.

Gradually she dared to act spoiled with him, deliberately dragging out her voice: “Bro-ther—”

Making him do this and that.

When she wanted to go out, she would stare at him with wide eyes, stretching out her arms: “Brother, carry me.”

When she could walk on her own without support, her temper grew even bigger. He would sit cross-legged at his desk reading, and she would pounce on him and shake him: “Brother, I want to ride a horse! A beautiful and obedient Wusun horse!”

When he ignored her words, she would keep shaking his arm.

Tired of shaking, she would flop onto his lap, using his thigh as a pillow, legs raised, righteously negotiating with him: “A pony would be fine too, I’ll just ride once around the courtyard.”

“Halfway around?”

“Alright, I won’t ride, I’ll just raise a beautiful horse first… and ride when I’m grown up…”

Soon she would fall asleep on his leg, turn over, and drool all over his sleeve.

Li Zhongqian would finish reading his scroll, look down, and see Yaoying tightly clutching his sleeve, sound asleep.

He would laugh softly.

The next day he took her to the stables to choose a horse, and she was very sensible, indeed picking a pony.

A few years ago, when Li Zhongqian attacked Jincheng, he had captured a batch of fine horses from the Western Regions.

He had chosen the most beautiful Wusun horse as Yaoying’s mount.

Everything she wanted, he remembered.

…

Yaoying wouldn’t let go of Li Zhongqian.

“I happened to be out of the palace today, heard the drums, and came over.”

Li Zhongqian helped her hold the reins, saying softly: “Little Seven has gotten thinner.”

His voice carried a warm smile.

He wasn’t a patient person, but he always had patience for her.

Yaoying put away her melancholy look and let go, straightening up: “I’ve grown taller too!”

The Li siblings were all tall and straight, but she had been taking medicine since birth and walked late, only starting to shoot up in height at the end of the year before last.

Li Zhongqian chuckled: “This brother can’t tell—we’ll measure when we get back.”

Yaoying gave him a playful glare.

After entering the imperial city, they separated from Li Xuanzhen’s flying cavalry and went straight back to the prince’s mansion.

Yaoying asked: “Brother, don’t you need to go to the Ministry of War first?”

By custom, he should first go with Li Xuanzhen to the Ministry of War.

Li Zhongqian said carelessly: “Never mind them, let’s go back first so I can show you some nice treasures.”

Yaoying understood and peered at the leather bag hanging from his saddle, lowering her voice: “Brother, what good things did you plunder this time?”

When Li Zhongqian fought, he didn’t care about military achievements or reputation, only practical gains: gold and silver, rare jewels, famous paintings, and calligraphy… in short, anything valuable and easy to carry.

The siblings knew well that their position was precarious and they needed to prepare early, so they had long been accumulating gold, silver, and valuables for their eventual escape.

From south to north, they had already hidden many valuable things.

Li Zhongqian smiled and ruffled Yaoying’s hair: “We’ll talk when we get back.”

Yaoying raised an eyebrow.

Perfect—she wanted to ask him about Li De marrying Consort Xie. He had been raised by their uncle Xie Wuliang when young and should have heard about those years from him.

…

Dusk was falling.

When Li Xuanzhen left the Ministry of War, it was already dark.

An attendant held a lantern to light his way as he climbed the stone steps and took the documents sent by Wei Ming, the Eastern Palace’s Chief Secretary. He quickly flipped through them in the dim light.

The eunuch who had remained in Chang’an followed step by step behind him, reporting one by one all the major and minor matters that had occurred recently in the imperial city.

Finally, after a pause, he said: “Your Highness… there have been some unusual movements at Princess Fukang’s residence.”

Everyone in the Eastern Palace, from Crown Princess Zheng to the lowest errand boys, preferred not to mention Princess Fukang.

But there was no helping it—the Crown Prince was tender-hearted toward women, most fond of rescuing noble ladies in distress. If they concealed it now and didn’t tell the Crown Prince, when Princess Fukang caused a major incident, they would still need the Crown Prince’s help to clean up the mess!

Li Xuanzhen’s brows furrowed slightly.