In the autumn of the fourth year of Yongping, at the hour of Mao on the ninth day of the tenth month, Princess Regent Zhao Yān gave birth to a daughter. The entire nation celebrated, and prisoners were granted amnesty.

This child’s parents were the two most noble people in the Great Xuan, so from the moment of her birth, she was the center of attention, like the moon surrounded by stars. The Ministry of Rites drafted more than a dozen titles for her as a princess, but after much deliberation, none seemed to match the supreme status of this infant.

Finally, the Minister of Rites came up with a compromise: The Princess Regent had managed state affairs for many years with outstanding achievements. Though not an emperor, her position was no different from one. Her daughter should therefore be raised with the status of an “Imperial Daughter.”

In the autumn of the fifth year of Yongping, the little Imperial Daughter was approaching her first birthday.

On a sunny, pleasant afternoon, after the wet nurse had fed and soothed the little Imperial Daughter for a while, Prince Su returned from outside, hung his outer robe on the wooden rack, and said: “Give her to me.”

The wet nurse quickly curtsied and said “Yes,” carefully handing the little Imperial Daughter into Prince Su’s arms.

After nearly a year, Prince Su had become skilled at holding the baby. His curved arm perfectly cradled the child, supporting her with one hand while using the other to pull out a chair beside the window desk. He reviewed military documents submitted from the army while holding his daughter to enjoy the sunshine.

The autumn afternoon sun wasn’t harsh, just a light layer of gold that felt very comfortable. The little Imperial Daughter, who had been fussing and crying earlier, immediately grew quiet and opened her eyes in her father’s arms.

Wenren Lin moistened his brush with ink, and just as he was about to write his reply, he saw a chubby little foot rise high and kick him under the chin.

Wenren Lin looked down. His daughter’s excessively long eyelashes were tinged with the golden light of the setting sun, and her large, obsidian-like eyes stared at him without blinking.

…

…

Seeing that her father didn’t speak, the white, lotus-seed-like chubby toes in silk socks wiggled slightly, and her two little hands kept grabbing at something in the air while her mouth made indistinct cooing sounds.

Just like her mother, she loved to grab and kick people.

A nurse at the side, fearing she might disturb Prince Su’s work, stammered: “My Lord, perhaps let this servant take the little Imperial Daughter.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Wenren Lin put down his brush, raised his daughter into the air with both hands, and then, as if teasing a cat, touched her nose with his.

The baby immediately burst into giggles.

After finishing his official business, Wenren Lin grabbed the outer robe from the clothes rack to wrap his daughter against the wind, carried her with one arm, and leisurely strolled to Hanming Hall to bring his wife home.

The sunset spilled its light, as if burning away all its gold and red before nightfall. The palace path was thick with autumn ambiance, and all clamor quietly subsided.

Zhao Yān stretched her waist, causing the graceful, full curves of her chest to stand out, adding a touch of lazy elegance.

Seeing Wenren Lin enter with their daughter, she smiled with curved eyes, rising to tease the baby in his arms with her finger: “Lening, did you go sunbathing with your father?”

The baby made a cooing sound and unexpectedly uttered a muddled “Mother,” delighting Zhao Yān so much that her heart nearly melted.

Wenren Lin scoffed in his deep voice: “I hold her every day, yet I haven’t heard her call me ‘Father’ even once.”

Zhao Yān raised her eyebrows proudly: “That’s because this child bears my surname.”

The matter of the child’s surname was also an amusing happenstance born of misunderstanding.

When Zhao Yān was pregnant with her first child, it was somewhat difficult, and with state affairs to handle as well, she would occasionally complain while lying in Wenren Lin’s arms, coming up with some strange ideas.

For instance, she insisted that her first child must bear her surname, and if they were fortunate enough to have more, they could bear the Wenren surname.

It was just a casual joke, but who would have thought Wenren Lin would ponder for only a moment before nodding in agreement?

Zhao Yān was greatly surprised and asked him why he agreed. When she pressed the question repeatedly, Wenren Lin simply said calmly: “Having a little Zhao Yān, this prince can watch her grow up.”

Zhao Yān was momentarily stunned, then realized that Wenren Lin must have always had some regret: when he was still a young man, they had once passed each other outside the palace gates. They could have grown up together like childhood sweethearts, yet they missed six years.

Zhao Yān giggled: “Aren’t you afraid I might have a son?”

Wenren Lin embraced his wife, who was close to giving birth, and frowned slightly, making a disapproving “tsk” sound.

Fortunately, heaven had made Wenren Lin suffer for so many years, but granted him his wish in this one matter.

Zhao Yān gave birth to a healthy girl, and Wenren Lin personally named her “Zhao Lening,” meaning she would have a happy and peaceful life.

In Hanming Hall, Zhao Yān took her daughter into her arms and said to Wenren Lin: “You’ve come at just the right time. In a few days, it will be Lening’s Zhuazhou ceremony. The Ministry of Rites has submitted a list. Take a look.”

Wenren Lin took the red, gold-sprinkled list, sat in a chair, and carefully reviewed it. From the grand procedures of the palace banquet to the small items placed at the Zhuazhou ceremony, he examined and modified each item meticulously.

With the final procedures settled, the time for Zhao Lening’s Zhuazhou ceremony soon arrived.

Zhao Xun and Pei Sa also brought their three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter to attend the banquet. She said softly, “Qiyuan takes after me, with a quiet nature. At his Zhuazhou ceremony, he grabbed a book scroll and wouldn’t let go. Ying, on the other hand, takes after her father. She ignored all the rouge, powder, books, and calligraphy models, and insisted on grabbing a wooden knife and sword.”

Zhao Xun and Pei Sa shared a deep affection, blessed with children soon after marriage. When mentioning her husband and children, her face was full of tender feelings.

“Our child is precocious. It’s good if her temperament is like her father’s. If she’s like me, who knows what chaotic things she might grab.”

Zhao Yān was somewhat nervous yet couldn’t suppress her anticipation. She asked the palace attendants, “Is everything arranged properly?”

Liu Ying counted the dozens of items placed on the wide velvet blanket once more and curtsied, saying: “In reply to the Princess Regent, everything is arranged.”

“Put her down, be careful,” Zhao Yān gestured to Wenren Lin.

Wenren Lin carried his daughter forward and gently placed her at the end of the velvet blanket near the door. The onlookers—Zhao Xun, Huo Zhenzhen, and Shi Lan—all held various papers, pens, and rouge to entice the little Imperial Daughter forward, while on the other side, Pei Sa and Liu Baiwei held jewel-encrusted daggers, rattles, and other items, swaying them.

Zhao Lening, wearing a tiger-head hat, rolled her big eyes around, seemingly attracted by something lustrous ahead. She stuck out her bottom and began crawling on the velvet blanket.

She ignored the rouge and powder, didn’t look at the exquisite daggers and jade pens, but crawled straight to the end of the velvet blanket. As if tired, she sat down with an “oof” sound, clenched her little fists, and earnestly pounded her little legs.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation, and Zhao Yān unconsciously clutched Wenren Lin’s sleeve beside her.

Wenren Lin remained calm, his fingers, hidden by his sleeves, gripped Zhao Yān’s hand in return, squeezing reassuringly.

Zhao Lening, having rested enough, made her move.

She propped herself up on the carpet and wobbled to her feet, laboriously climbing along the edge of the table, standing on tiptoes with her head tilted back, reaching for the imperial seal placed on the table—

This was originally left there casually by Zhao Yān after reviewing memorials, and now it was being embraced by her daughter.

The imperial seal was heavy. Zhao Lening made an “oof” sound with effort, her entire small body tilting backward.

Everyone gasped collectively and was about to step forward when they saw Wenren Lin promptly extend his hand to support his daughter’s back, steadying her as she sat back on the velvet blanket.

Zhao Lening, having achieved her wish, hugged the imperial seal, smiling to reveal two small white milk teeth.

The entire hall was shocked: Incredible! The Great Xuan already had an unprecedented Princess Regent, and it seemed they might soon have a female ruler as well!

Even Zhao Yān was surprised and asked her daughter: “Lening, do you want this thing?”

“Want!” Zhao Lening hugged it without letting go, blowing a crystalline bubble of saliva with her smile.

Wenren Lin, however, laughed softly, raising his eyes to tell Zhao Yān: “Truly worthy of being our daughter.”

At three years old, Zhao Lening could already sit in a chair with her feet dangling, learning to recognize characters and play chess with Wenren Lin.

Her skin was snow-white, her features beautiful and delicate, but her eyebrows and eyes were as pronounced as her father’s, with ink-dot-like pupils and extremely dense, long eyelashes. Her little chubby hands holding a brush or chess piece looked quite proper.

After finishing her duties, Zhao Yān would occasionally visit the side hall to check on this father-daughter pair, then quickly kiss Wenren Lin’s cheek: “My husband has worked hard.”

Zhao Lening was accustomed to her parents’ behavior and didn’t even bother to raise an eyebrow, focusing intently on contemplating her next move.

Wenren Lin put down the book in his hand, embraced Zhao Yān, and with his finger against his temple, said languidly: “After teaching this big Your Highness, now I have to teach this little one.”

Zhao Yān leaned in his embrace: “Anyway, you enjoy it. Who was it that said, ‘I want to have a little Zhao Yān and watch her grow up’?”

Wenren Lin emitted a pleased, shallow laugh from his nose, saying: “Yes, this prince enjoys it.”

“Hey, Lening, if you play there, you’ll lose!”

Zhao Yān warned her daughter, “Play here, strangle his black dragon here!”

Zhao Lening, holding a white piece, said formally: “Mother, a true gentleman does not speak while watching chess.”

With that, she still followed her thinking and placed the white piece where she had originally planned.

After a few moves, she indeed lost.

“See? Not listening to mother’s words leads to immediate regret,” Zhao Yān teased her daughter, resting her chin on her hand.

Zhao Lening’s face showed no sign of dejection. She blinked her eyes, collected the pieces to reset the board, then jumped down from the chair, patting her clothes with her small hands and saying: “A loss is a loss. Next time, Lening will win it back.”

Zhao Yān was momentarily stunned and poked Wenren Lin’s shoulder: “Did you hear that? Our daughter will surely achieve greatness.”

Wenren Lin leisurely repeated: “After all, she is our daughter.”

“Mother, Father, hug!”

Zhao Lening opened her short arms, finally revealing some childlike innocence.

Zhao Yān rose to embrace her, but Wenren Lin held her back.

“Your waist was uncomfortable last night. Don’t strain yourself.”

With that, he stooped down, placed his broad shoulder under Zhao Yān’s buttocks, and wrapped his other arm around his daughter, lifting them both.

Zhao Yān was carried on his shoulder, her toes leaving the ground, and she couldn’t help but exclaim: “So high! Wenren Shaoyuan, can you manage this?!”

Hearing the words “can you manage,” Wenren Lin’s eyes twitched slightly.

“Don’t move. If you fall, this prince won’t be responsible for picking you up.”

With his wife on his right shoulder and his daughter in his left arm, under the envious yet amused gazes of the palace attendants, he steadily walked toward the palace gate in the sunset.

Zhao Lening was quite happy, bouncing in her father’s arms: “Horsie! Horsie!”

Wenren Lin’s body was as steady as a mountain, without the slightest sway.

Zhao Yān simply couldn’t bear to look at the gazes of the palace attendants along the way and could only cover her forehead; she had almost forgotten how strong Wenren Lin’s waist and arms were.

When Zhao Lening was eight years old, she reached the age to formally study outside the home.

She had her ideas and wanted to study at Chongwen Hall with the two sons from the Prince of Yingchuan’s mansion, as well as her aunt Zhao Xun’s son and daughter.

However, this idea was opposed by two officials from the Hanlin Academy.

The Prince of Yingchuan himself had no intention of competing for the throne, but his two sons had inheritance rights. The Princess Regent specially allowing them to study at Chongwen Hall meant treating them as potential imperial heirs. Having the eldest son from the Pei family as a study companion in Chongwen Hall was also reasonable…

But if the Imperial Daughter, being a female, wanted to study, she could have a separate academy established for teaching, just like the women’s academies in the capital. If she entered Chongwen Hall, wouldn’t that acknowledge that she also qualified as a successor to the throne?

This was a significant matter, and the scholars of the Hanlin Academy dared not nod in agreement easily.

Zhao Yān thought there would be at least half a month of verbal battles, but unexpectedly, just two days later, the leading opponent, Hanlin Scholar Xu Huan, personally stood up and vigorously praised Imperial Daughter Zhao Lening for her respectful and virtuous nature, capable of great responsibilities. The wind suddenly changed direction.

Thus, Imperial Daughter Zhao Lening smoothly entered Chongwen Hall to study, becoming a member of the “heir training program.”

In a few days, it would be New Year’s Eve, and Chongwen Hall had its customary holiday break, with classes ending earlier than usual.

Before the sun had set, the Crown Prince of Yingchuan, Zhao Ziheng, was the first to approach, his delicate face resembling a girl’s, showing some fox-like intelligence.

“Lening, want to come play at the Prince’s mansion? I just got an ancient chess manual; shall we study it together?”

After saying this, he looked at the Pei family’s eldest son beside him, “Pei Qiyuan, you come too.”

“I need to return home for the festival, so I won’t go.”

Pei Qiyuan, who was two years older than they, smiled gently.

“I won’t go either,”

Zhao Lening smiled as she gathered her brushes and ink, thinking to herself that although Zhao Ziheng was intelligent, his chess style was somewhat outdated—she had outgrown it when she was five. There was no point in always beating him.

“What’s so fun about playing chess? Let’s go to the field and ride horses instead!”

Pei Ying, the second daughter of the Pei family, still had marks on her face from falling asleep at her desk. As soon as class was dismissed, her entire being seemed to come alive. She enthusiastically invited: “Lening, my family just bought two little colts and some small bows for beginners. Would you like my father to teach you horseback riding and archery?”

“No need. My father has already taught me,”

Zhao Lening smiled politely, waving her small hand at her companions, “Happy New Year! See you next year!”

With palace attendants accompanying her, she hopped and skipped away like a little deer.

After leaving Chongwen Hall, she passed by Taiji Hall and saw a frail young boy sitting in the corridor in the distance.

She stopped, peered closely, and called out: “Emperor Uncle!”

The youth paused his handiwork and raised his head somewhat sluggishly. By then, Zhao Lening had already walked up to him and bent down to look at the wood shavings all over his hands and pockets.

“Uncle is building little houses again?”

Beside the young man, a model palace assembled with mortise and tenon joints had already taken shape, faintly resembling Taiji Hall. The ridges and main beams were exquisitely detailed, with some structural elements even surpassing the standards of Taiji Hall itself.

Zhao Ping had suffered from several nights of high fever before he was even a year old, damaging his mental faculties, making him slower than children his age. On his finger, there was also a shallow white old scar, as if it had once been cut by some sharp blade.

He dazedly brushed away the wood shavings from his lower garment, slowly nodded, and shyly made an “mm” sound: “It’s not good. There’s a problem with the main beam.”

“It’s already very good!”

Zhao Lening waved for the palace attendants to move further away, gathered her skirt, and sat down beside Zhao Ping. “In a few days, it will be Uncle’s birthday. Do you have any wishes?”

Zhao Ping thought very seriously and said, “I hope next year, I can abdicate the throne.”

Zhao Lening showed an “as expected” expression and asked, resting her chin on her hand: “Uncle doesn’t like being emperor? Why do you make this wish every year?”

Zhao Ping took a long time to organize his words, his fingers anxiously fidgeting with the carving knife.

“I know… I’m not the Late Emperor’s child. I heard the palace attendants talking about it. Besides, I’m too stupid.”

He looked somewhat downcast, “Things that Lening learned at three years old, I still can’t remember even now. Sister treats me very well, but I just want to build houses.”

“Who says you’re stupid? Mother said that everyone is good at different things. We can’t be arrogant or mock others just because I’m good at something they’re not.”

Zhao Lening pointed at the pile of wood materials and said formally: “Look at all this woodwork you’ve done—we couldn’t match it even with ten years of practice! Mother also said that when it comes to construction methods, you’re a rare genius!”

“Really?” Zhao Ping’s eyes lit up.

“Really! I’m not lying to you!”

Zhao Lening then asked, “So after you’re no longer emperor, do you want to become a craftsman?”

“I… want to go to the Ministry of Works.”

“Then, who do you want to be emperor?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Mm, don’t know…”

Zhao Lening seemed to encounter a difficult problem and pondered deeply for a long time before saying, “Well, how about I be emperor for you?”

Zhao Ping turned his head to look at her and immediately nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken: “Good! Good! I’ll go tell Sister right now!”

“Wait, don’t rush!”

Zhao Lening held him back, “Mother has said that being an emperor is very, very difficult. Even she doesn’t dare to easily take up this burden. I think I still need many years to prepare.”

Seeing Zhao Ping’s gaze dim again, Zhao Lening quickly added: “But I’ll work hard and try to grow up and learn quickly!”

“Good.”

Zhao Ping was encouraged, as if the days ahead weren’t so unbearable anymore, and he immediately promised: “Then in the future, I’ll build the biggest and most beautiful palace in the world for Lening when she ascends the throne.”

“It’s a deal!”

Zhao Lening hooked pinkies with him to seal the promise, then wiggled her toes and said: “But Mother has said that as an emperor, one must prioritize the welfare of all people in the realm. Do you know what ‘welfare’ means?”

Zhao Ping blankly shook his head.

Zhao Lening picked up the half-finished palace framework beside him and said with a smile: “It means that in the future, if there are floods or windstorms, I’ll have Uncle use construction techniques to reinforce river embankments and improve house structures, so the people have fields to farm and homes to live in, no longer suffering from displacement, hunger, and cold… We can work together for the people’s welfare.”

“Can… can I do that?” Zhao Ping asked quietly.

“Of course you can!”

Zhao Lening had a sincere and firm expression on her face. “You don’t know how precious this skill is when you’re standing in the right place!”

In the distance, Zhao Yān, who was out for a stroll, stopped and gently nudged Wenren Lin’s arm with her shoulder, gesturing for him to look toward Taiji Hall.

“She disappeared after class, and here she is. What are they talking about?”

Remembering something, Zhao Yān added: “Do you know? I heard that a few days ago, water froze on the jade steps in front of Hanming Hall. After Xu Huan from the Hanlin Academy presented a memorial, he wasn’t paying attention and slipped. Fortunately, Lening was passing by and, disregarding her status as Imperial Daughter, personally crouched down to bandage Xu Huan’s ankle, asking after his comfort, even inviting Zhang Xu to come for a diagnosis, prescribing medicine, before respectfully sending Xu Huan out of the palace to return home… Xu Huan was so moved that he wept profusely, and when he next attended court, he publicly changed his stance, no longer obstructing Lening from studying at Chongwen Hall.”

Wenren Lin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he said calmly: “That’s quite good.”

Zhao Yān gave him a meaningful look and said in a complex tone: “I just learned that the water that froze on the jade steps was secretly poured by Lening herself.”

Although Wenren Lin had already seen through the situation, hearing his wife’s vivid description still made him laugh out loud.

He narrowed his unfathomable eyes, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook.

“And you still laugh!”

Zhao Yān poked his solid arm with her finger. “I see this girl has inherited your temperament—appearing gentle and harmless on the outside, but who knows how much mischief she’s hiding inside.”

Wenren Lin raised his hand to cover her finger, leaned closer, and said: “Has Your Highness forgotten how many tricks you used to conceal the false Crown Prince’s identity from this prince?”

“…”

Well, both parents share the responsibility.

“Mother! Father!”

Zhao Lening came over, asking curiously: “What are you whispering about?”

“Nothing.”

Zhao Yān stooped down to look at this little girl who resembled her but had eyes exactly like her father, smiling and asking: “What about you? What were you whispering about with your little uncle?”

“Nothing special,”

Zhao Lening mimicked her mother’s tone, her eyes darting around. “I can’t say right now.”

“Little girl, keeping secrets now.”

Zhao Yān ruffled her daughter’s hair, took her hand, and stood up, saying: “Let’s go home.”

Wenren Lin looked at his daughter, his obsidian eyes seeming to see through everything. His lips curved upward as he took his wife’s hand.

The family of three walked along the long palace path, their shadows stretched side by side in the sunset, peaceful and beautiful.