In that year, Princess Ruizhen had just reached the age of maturity, blossoming like the most vibrant flower, basking in the lavish attention and affection. By her side most often was a maid named Hua Qianyue.
Hua Qianyue entered the palace at the age of ten, her age and appearance closely resembling the princess, thus earning the princess’s utmost favor. Whether in studying or playing, the princess always kept her close, and over time, their steps and gestures became somewhat similar.
But few knew that beneath this mistress-servant relationship, there lay a secret known only to themselves…
In the thirty-second year of Chuyuan, when he was still the seventh prince, Emperor Yundì Zhao Yue, relying on the support of the Xia family and the military power of the Marquis of Xia’s army, forced the crown prince, Zhao Qi, to be deposed, and later imprisoned him in the Jīngyuán Palace.
However, when the old emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the commander of the imperial guards, Gāo Yuǎn, conspired with the former crown prince’s loyalists and daringly stormed into the Jīngyuán Palace, intending to rescue the deposed crown prince and plot a rebellion. Fortunately, Emperor Yundì had anticipated this, and he had ordered the Marquis of Xia, General Xiao Yunjing, to ambush them on the palace grounds, quickly quelling this major rebellion. On that day, almost all of the crown prince’s supporters were either killed or captured, and countless lives stained the white marble steps outside the Qiānqīng Gate, while the deposed crown prince Zhao Qi was forced to hang himself in the Jǐngyáng Palace. However, the mastermind Gāo Yuǎn managed to slip into the palace amidst the chaos and kidnapped Princess Ruizhen as a hostage for his plans.
Little did he know that he had captured not the real Princess Ruizhen, but rather her maid, Hua Qianyue, by mistake.
As dusk descended, the sound of galloping hooves echoed along a secluded path. A man in a blood-stained black robe tightly gripped the reins, urging his horse forward, while cradling a delicate palace-dressed woman in his arms. This man was Gāo Yuǎn, desperately fleeing from the palace.
Hua Qianyue was jostled in Gāo Yuǎn’s arms all the way, feeling dizzy and nauseous, but afraid to vomit. At this moment, she still hadn’t fully comprehended what had happened. She had only been waiting in the palace as usual, pretending to be the princess until she returned. Unexpectedly, a fierce warrior burst in, killing the eunuchs and palace maids outside, and then abducted her.
The horse’s hooves continued, the vegetation flew past, and the setting sun slowly dyed the horizon red, reminiscent of the scene when the palace was splattered with blood. The scorching breath from above felt like burning, even in this breath there was a bloody smell, and the rough rope almost cut her wrists.
In her extreme fear, Hua Qianyue couldn’t even cry. Suddenly, the horse beneath her emitted a long neigh, abruptly halting its steps. Before she could even process what was happening, she heard a clear voice cutting through the air, “General Gāo, why the rush? It was quite a challenge catching up to you!”
Hua Qianyue’s heart jumped, and then she heard the man above gritting his teeth, “Marquis Xiao, your pace is not slow.”
The man chuckled softly, clear and refreshing like a mountain spring in summer. Hua Qianyue suddenly wondered what this person would look like when he laughed. Summoning all her courage, she stole a glance from his arms.
After a long and bumpy journey, her vision was still somewhat blurred. She could only see a blur, but in that chaos, there was a man in white robes and silver armor, holding a spear while mounted on a horse. The last glint of sunlight reflected off his crown, shining like a god reaching out from the heavens. Even the bloodstains on his white robe couldn’t tarnish him in the slightest.
Hua Qianyue stared at this scene, feeling as if her heart had suddenly been emptied. After him, there was no one else who could fill that void.
She watched as the man rested his silver spear across his horse, then played with the reins, calling out, “General Gāo, you’ve finally managed to escape. Why add another burden? Just hand over the person in your arms, and I’ll consider letting you live.”
The man’s smile turned sinister, his voice cold and piercing, “Marquis, you’ve come all this way alone, yet you think a few words can sway me? You underestimate me, Gāo Yuǎn.”
Gāo Yuǎn’s eyes flashed, and he lazily curled his lips, “True, General Gāo, after leading the Imperial Guards for so many years, your martial arts are indeed exceptional, and no one dares to underestimate you.” He suddenly grinned, “But to deal with you, I alone am enough…”
Hua Qianyue felt Gāo Yuǎn’s hand holding her tight, seemingly preparing to act. From her vantage point, she could see the movement in the bushes nearby. Her heart skipped a beat, and despite her fear, she couldn’t help but shout, “Be careful, there’s an ambush!”
Gāo Yuǎn’s eyes flashed with malice as he raised his hand, seemingly to throttle her neck. But before he could, a long spear had already reached him, piercing him through the throat in an instant. Gāo Yuǎn looked up in disbelief, his eyes still wide open as life fled from him.
In the blink of an eye, Hua Qianyue found herself falling from his arms. The cold wind whipped her face, making it sting, but she couldn’t even cry. To her surprise, she didn’t land on the jagged rocks below but instead fell into a strong and warm embrace. As she lifted her head in astonishment, she saw a bloody dagger at the man’s ribcage.
Gāo Yuǎn’s hidden accomplices, who had been lying in wait in the bushes, witnessed their leader’s downfall and were about to rush forward to attack. However, they quickly realized that the man in the white robe had completely exposed his back in his attempt to save the woman from falling from the horse. In the chaotic moment, one of them dared to rush forward with a knife, but in his panic, he missed his target and only grazed Xiao Yunjing’s rib.
Seeing the attack succeed, the man was overjoyed and turned back to call for the others to join in the assault. However, he forgot that a tiger, even when cornered, is still a tiger, while ants can only be ants. Before he could finish his smile, Xiao Yunjing had already withdrawn his silver spear and thrust it through his chest.
But Xiao Yunjing was seriously injured after all and still held a person in his arms, so he dared not linger in battle. Relying solely on his strength, he continued to maneuver and roll, dragging Hua Qianyue back to his horse, urging it to gallop wildly, leaving the rest behind in the blink of an eye.
The two of them dashed until they reached a stream. Xiao Yunjing, finally unable to support himself any longer, saw that there were no pursuers behind them anymore. He gritted his teeth, pulled the reins, and carefully lowered the woman in his arms. Then, he knelt with difficulty, saying, “I apologize for being late in rescuing you, Your Highness!”
Hua Qianyue was so frightened that she took several steps back. Seeing him swaying unsteadily, she didn’t dare to step forward to help him. Instead, she bit her lip and knelt, tremblingly saying, “Marquis, forgive me. I am not the princess. I am just a maid serving the princess!”
Xiao Yunjing was greatly surprised. He quickly raised his head to carefully examine the woman in front of him and indeed found that although her appearance resembled the princess, her temperament was timid, indicating that she was indeed just a servant. In his eagerness to save someone earlier and only stealing a glance, he had failed to notice.
Feeling the intense gaze directed at her, Hua Qianyue dared not raise her head. She felt extremely uneasy: she was just a servant girl, yet she had caused him such severe injuries. Would he regret saving her? Would he blame her for this?
At this moment, she heard him say in a relaxed tone, “Whether princess or maid, I have ultimately saved a life today, which can somewhat offset the killings I have committed.” Hua Qianyue felt a sense of relief upon hearing this, inexplicably shedding tears. Perhaps she was just too afraid of being abandoned by him, too afraid of seeing him despise her.
Xiao Yunjing saw her kneeling there, tears streaming down her face, and couldn’t help but smile wryly, saying, “Miss, could you please help me up first? If you don’t pull out this dagger, I’m afraid I won’t be able to escort you back to the palace alive.”
Only then did Hua Qianyue react. She hurriedly helped him up and sat him down, seeing his strength nearly gone. She decisively tore open his shirt, revealing his muscular physique, which made her blush slightly. However, the sight of the horrifying wound made her forget her embarrassment. She anxiously said, “What should I do with this wound? I… I don’t know!”
Xiao Yunjing’s face was already very pale. He grabbed Hua Qianyue’s hand and guided it to press on his wound, then weakly said, “Press down with this hand, and don’t think about anything else, just press hard!”
Hua Qianyue trembled with fear, but she understood that if she hesitated any longer, this man might die from loss of blood. So she gritted her teeth, tremblingly pressed down on the bloody wound with one hand, while gripping the dagger handle with the other, pulling it out and dropping it on the ground. Xiao Yunjing’s face contorted in pain, causing her to burst into tears. She quickly supported him, saying, “Marquis, are you alright?”
Xiao Yunjing was sweating profusely, but he weakly reassured her, “Very good, you’re doing great! Help me bandage the wound. Can you do it?”
Hua Qianyue nodded tearfully, saying, “I can. I used to bandage my father’s wounds when I was young.” Xiao Yunjing smiled and, leaning against a tree trunk, let her tend to his wound. The prolonged loss of blood had made him somewhat disoriented, but he knew he couldn’t just fall asleep like this. So he forced himself to stay alert and engage in conversation with the person in front of him, “Where is your hometown? What does your father do?”
“My hometown is Tongxi Town in Diancheng. My father sometimes goes to the mountains to pick herbs for money. If he’s unlucky, he might encounter wild beasts and get injured, so I learned how to bandage wounds for him.” As Hua Qianyue spoke, she tore off a strip of cloth and moistened it with stream water to clean his wound. Xiao Yunjing was listening to her soft voice, feeling very comfortable, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, furrowing his brows with a hoarse grunt.
Startled, Hua Qianyue’s hands stopped moving. Xiao Yunjing quickly recovered his smile and said, “It’s nothing. I can bear this little pain. Keep going. What’s your name? Why did you pretend to be the princess?”
Understanding that he was trying to focus his mind by chatting with her, Hua Qianyue quickly replied, “I’m called Hua Qianyue, the princess’s maid. Because I resemble the princess, sometimes she and I would exchange identities. She would pretend to be me and stay in the palace, while I would pretend to be her and go out to play. Each time lasted for at most an hour. Who knew that today we would encounter that villain rushing in and kidnapping me.” This had been their secret for the past two years.
Xiao Yunjing shook his head with a smile, “This Princess Ruizhen is still as restless as she was when she was a child.” Hua Qianyue heard that he seemed to know the princess and was about to ask a few more questions when she realized that with the blood soaking all the cloth, his body was getting colder and his face paler.
It was already pitch black at this point, with nowhere to go and likely to encounter pursuers at any moment. Hua Qianyue tightly wrapped the last strip of cloth around his wound, looking around and seeing only darkness. She felt panic and helplessness. Xiao Yunjing heard her sobbing and gently held her hand to comfort her, “Don’t cry. Trust me, I will take you back.”
For some reason, in his gentle voice, Hua Qianyue’s heart settled down. At this critical moment, she no longer thought about the barriers between men and women. She simply laid his body on her lap to warm him, then said, “Why don’t I sing a folk song from my hometown for you? It might help relieve the tension.”
Xiao Yunjing chuckled, coughing a few times, “Alright, but don’t sing too badly, or I’m afraid I’ll be scared away.”
Blushing, Hua Qianyue smiled too. Then, she gently sang a folk song from her hometown. Although her speaking voice was soft and timid, her singing voice was clear and melodious, as if it carried him past the darkness before him, showing him the streams, green grass, and blooming flowers. That night, she sang and chatted with him like this until the sky began to lighten. Xiao Yunjing had survived the most dangerous moment, falling asleep deeply in her arms.
The next day, Xiao Yunjing slowly opened his eyes, only to see a sixteen-year-old beautiful girl standing barefoot in the stream under the rising morning sun. The fragmented golden light sprinkled on her black hair, and the gurgling stream flowed past her fair ankles. Her delicate figure swayed gently in the shimmering waves like a gentle and eternal dream, lingering in his heart from then on.
Leaning against the tree trunk, Xiao Yunjing slowly sat up. For some reason, he suddenly didn’t want to disturb this scene. As she rinsed her feet in the water, she seemed to hum a tune: “Many stars in the sky, the moon is unclear; Many mountains on the ground, the roads are uneven; Brother wants to be single-minded with sister, sister just wants brother to come, till now…”
The melody was lingering, the lyrics bold, like a gentle hook gently tugging at the heartstrings. Xiao Yunjing’s lips curved upwards, realizing that his strength had recovered. He walked behind her and asked, “What are you singing? Can you teach me a few lines?”
Startled by his sudden voice, Hua Qianyue took a few steps back when she saw him so close. Blushing, she became flustered and suddenly remembered something. Hastily, she asked, “Marquis, are… are you feeling better from your injury?”
Although Xiao Yunjing’s face was still a little pale, his strength had recovered quite a bit. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, the battlefield of Asura didn’t take my life, let alone these few scoundrels.” Then, he looked around and said, “But we’d better find a place to settle down first. This place is not safe enough. I will leave a signal for my men to find us as soon as possible.”
Hua Qianyue nodded. Seeing that he was still unsteady on his feet, she helped him walk out of the woods. Fortunately, not long after, they found a small village. They approached a farmer’s house, pretending to be a wealthy merchant couple who had been robbed by bandits and begged to stay there temporarily.
The farmer’s wife, seeing these two people dressed so elegantly and looking so beautiful, immediately felt sympathetic. She tidied up a room for them to stay in and quickly prepared a table full of food, inviting them to eat.
After starving for a night, both of them were famished and didn’t care about manners. They devoured everything on the table. Since Xiao Yunjing’s body had not fully recovered yet, Hua Qianyue supported him back to the room to rest. He fell asleep again until dusk. Pushing open the door, he found Hua Qianyue sitting in the courtyard, carefully sewing a garment in the remaining sunlight.
He quickly recognized it as his garment. She was sitting in the backlight, with a smile on her lips. Xiao Yunjing leaned against the door frame, quietly watching her, and suddenly realized that she didn’t look like a princess at all. She was not the delicate flower in the palace; she was like a tough osmanthus, exuding a unique fragrance no matter how harsh the environment.
So he walked over and sat down beside her, asking, “Why bother repairing it when it’s in such a state?”
Seeing that he had discovered it, Hua Qianyue felt a little embarrassed and said, “Anyway, I have nothing else to do. It’s a pity to throw away such good fabric.” Then she smiled reassuringly and said, “Don’t worry, I’m good at needlework. I’m sure I can repair it well.”
Xiao Yunjing smiled without saying anything. Then he stood up and stretched, saying, “I’m hungry. Let’s see if Zhang Da-niang has anything to eat.”
Hua Qianyue also stood up hastily, putting down the needle and thread, and said, “They’ve all eaten already. I didn’t want to disturb you while you were sleeping. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
Xiao Yunjing turned his head, suddenly looking mischievous, and winked at her, saying, “When I was in the army, I always dreamed of marrying a woman who could wash and cook for me. This way, no matter how hard and tired I was outside, I could come back to see her smiling face drink the hot soup she made by herself, and feel that I still had a home. I didn’t expect to meet such a woman today.”
Hua Qianyue’s face turned red. She lowered her head and said, “Marquis’s status is noble, and he can naturally marry any woman he wants. Please don’t tease me.”
Xiao Yunjing’s smile suddenly faded, and his gaze became somewhat profound. He said, “No, the nobler the status, the less likely it is to marry the woman you want, and the less likely you are to live the life you want.”
Hua Qianyue heard the sadness in his words, and her heart inexplicably became sour and bitter, almost shedding tears. Just then, the farmer’s wife who had gone out came running back with a suspicious look, scrutinizing Xiao Yunjing, and said, “A few military officers came to the village just now, asking if any injured people were staying here. They wouldn’t be looking for you, would they? Did you guys do something wrong and run over here?”
Hua Qianyue’s face changed, and she exchanged a glance with Xiao Yunjing. Who could be looking for him? But who could it be? Seeing the farmer’s wife’s suspicion growing, she quickly searched her body and took out all the valuable jewelry, handing them to the farmer’s wife, pleading with a tearful voice, “Big sister, my husband hasn’t done anything wrong, we’re just afraid that those bandits disguised as military officers will come looking for us. Please, please don’t tell them where we are! I beg you!”
The farmer’s wife took over a large pile of valuable jewelry, showing a hesitant expression on her face. At this moment, there was already a commotion outside the door. Flower Qianyue knew that those people were probably already here and didn’t have time to think. She quickly pulled Xiao Yunjing into the house and, without refusal, let him hide in the cabinet, while she guarded at the door.
Just as she finished all this, the door was pushed open with a “bang”, and someone shouted, “I heard there’s an injured person here, call him out!”
Flower Qianyue bit her lip, trying to maintain a calm expression, and said, “There’s only me here!”
The leader sneered a few times and waved his hand, shouting, “Search!”
The people behind him immediately began searching the house. The house was not big, and in no time, it was all searched. Flower Qianyue became increasingly panicked. When one person was about to open the cabinet door, she rushed forward to block the door, tremblingly shouting, “Inside is my husband, he’s injured, but he’s not the one you’re looking for. You’re not allowed to harm him!”
Xiao Yunjing, who was hiding in the cabinet, recognized the voice of the leader. He was about to come out on his own when he suddenly heard her shout. His hand reaching for the cabinet door froze in mid-air.
He was famous from a young age, having fought many battles, and many people respected and feared him. But never had anyone protected him like this, saying, “He is my husband, you’re not allowed to harm him!”
Her voice was trembling with fear, but her tone was so firm, completely disregarding her own life to protect him. Xiao Yunjing’s eyes suddenly became a little moist. Something unexpectedly struck the core of his heart like this, leaving a mark for a lifetime.
The noise outside the door became even louder. The leader seemed to be getting impatient and was about to order the woman to be tied up when the door of the cabinet suddenly opened. When he saw the person coming out of the door, he immediately knelt with a joyful expression and said, “Marquis, we finally found you. We’re late, please don’t be angry!”
Flower Qianyue was stunned, only then did she realize that the person who had come was Xiao Yunjing’s subordinate. She was both surprised and delighted but then came a deep sense of reluctance and hidden pain.
Just as she was in a mix of joy and sorrow, Xiao Yunjing had already walked in front of her, smiling and reaching out to her, saying, “I promised to safely send you back. Let’s go, the princess must be anxious.”
The word “princess” brought her back to reality. Yes, she was about to return to the deep palace, back to the princess’s side as a humble maid. Perhaps she would never see him again, and he would marry and have children, never to be seen again. They would be separated forever.
After returning to the palace, Flower Qianyue was always melancholic. When the princess asked, she just said she had been frightened when she was abducted. She often remembered his eyes: smiling, cunning, resolute, and the meaningful look he gave her when he escorted her back to the palace… But such memories could ignite a small flame, casting a faint light on her hopeless life.
She thought she would cherish the memories of him for a lifetime, but fate played tricks on her. In less than a month, she received news that the Yun Emperor had bestowed her marriage to Marquis Xuan Yuanjing for her bravery in saving the princess. It turned out the Yun Emperor feared the rumors of the princess being abducted spreading, so he decided to marry her to Marquis Xuan Yuanjing, also achieving a good story.
When the princess shyly and timidly asked her about Marquis Xuan Yuanjing’s current appearance, she suddenly felt ridiculous. The life and death-ordeal between her and him had paved the way for another person’s marriage story. And she would have to return to the palace as a bride, witnessing him and the princess being lovingly together every day. For her, this was like being thrown into an eternal purgatory of flesh and bone.
Under the torment of jealousy and hatred, Flower Qianyue eventually did the first cruel thing in her life: she killed the princess. Using the secret technique of the Miao territory provided by her close sister Yuyu, she disguised herself as the princess and married Xuan Yuanjing in her place.
In the many days that followed, she touched her face that didn’t belong to her, wondering if her choice at that time was right or wrong. Perhaps the heavens did have arrangements. As long as she did something wrong, all the steps in the future would be destined to fall into a deep pit, until she was numb and could no longer distinguish right from wrong.
But she soon stopped thinking about it, because no matter how many chances she was given, she would make the same choice. Because she loved him to the bone.
Love unfulfilled turned into resentment and hatred, obscuring the heart, and a single thought turned into obsession.