“General Wenren Lin fought to the death against the enemy, sacrificing himself for the nation. His body isn’t even cold, yet the court turns around and sends a princess to North Wu for a marriage alliance. Had they known this would happen, why did those one hundred thousand soldiers have to die so tragically?”

“Alas, His Majesty made this decision with great difficulty. The war has dragged on for several years. His Majesty wishes to be a ruler who brings revival, but the treasury cannot withstand such expense.”

“Who doesn’t hope for peace under heaven and enjoy prosperity? But you’ve seen how arrogant and disrespectful the North Wu people are—is that the attitude for peace talks? If General Wenren had not died in battle, the Great Xuan’s backbone would still be intact. How would they dare to look down upon us?”

“Hush, lower your voice.”

A soft sigh, as voices in the courtyard faded away, “Such a grand nation with a court full of civil and military officials, yet none have the temper of a young princess! That mallet swing at the polo field—how satisfying it was!”

In the Wenren mansion, white silk was blinding in the memorial hall as Wenren Lin, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in silence.

His mother had followed his father and brother, adding another coffin to the hall.

He had once been the proudest youth in the capital, excelling in both literary and martial arts, clear-minded and handsome. Now he was thin. In his dark lacquer eyes danced a dim fire as he watched the spirit money in the basin burn to ashes, like black butterflies of the dead flying from the underworld.

The Emperor consoled him but also feared him. Finally, day after day of cold nightmares, he understood the true reasons behind his father’s and brother’s tragic deaths.

The conversation between the two former Ministry of War officials in the courtyard just now—Wenren Lin had heard it all.

…

…

He did not know which princess they spoke of, nor did he have the strength to guess.

Less than half a year later, the Second Princess, unable to bear the humiliation, died, shattering the Great Xuan’s vain dream of a marriage alliance for peace. When North Wu repeatedly provoked them, Wenren Lin seized the opportunity to volunteer to go north, sweeping forward like an unstoppable force. From then on, North Wu retreated north of Mi Mountain, not daring to invade an inch southward.

This battle was Wenren Lin’s first step in building his revenge. And it was he who brought back the Second Princess who had died in a foreign land to be buried in her homeland.

Many years passed. He had shed the blood of many criminal officials, yet had never truly harmed any of the Great Xuan’s princesses. Deep down, it was because of that past incident that he retained a touch of leniency.

He had never seen that princess, but fate wound around in circles, binding them together after all.

Wenren Lin kissed and bit Zhao Yān’s earlobe, his nose lightly brushing her cheek, expressing in the lowest, hoarse, and lingering tone his regret at not returning to the capital a few days earlier that year, sighing that he hadn’t met her years earlier.

Half of Zhao Yān’s face burned, and the brush in her hand nearly slipped and fell.

Beyond the tingling sensation was a mixture of sourness, pain, and tightness.

Wenren Lin had always been ruthless and strong, without regret or vain thoughts, living with a cold edge that cut off all emotions and righteousness. This was the first time Zhao Yān had heard him express regret. If she and Wenren Lin had met earlier, would anything have changed?

She wasn’t sure.

Zhao Yān lifted the corner of her lips, covering her heated cheek and saying lightly: “Although we cannot return to the past, we are fortunate to face the future together.”

After speaking, her heart skipped a beat.

She was not one to make promises lightly, and using the words “together” now carried some ambiguity.

The snow had not yet melted, but the atmosphere in the room grew heated.

Zhao Yān cleared her throat, hesitating to pick up her brush again, unsure whether to say something to change the subject. Wenren Lin, while still half-embracing her, reached for the “Military Methods of Sima” that she had spread out on the desk, took the brush she was holding, and slowly marked two sections before returning it to her.

“What is it?” Zhao Yān asked.

Wenren Lin pressed his slender, strong fingers on the military text. Due to their close position, he was almost whispering against her ear: “For the next few nights, this prince may not be able to assist Your Highness at the usual time. This section is today’s lesson, with annotations. Your Highness should study on your own first. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask this prince during tomorrow’s class.”

“Where are you going?”

Recalling the recent situation, Zhao Yān’s brow slightly furrowed. “Is it to handle the Luozhou and North Wu matters?”

“Not entirely.”

Wenren Lin didn’t conceal anything from her. He suspended his wrist to moisten the brush, methodically scraping off excess ink at the edge of the inkstone, then placed the brush back between her fingers. Lowering his long, thick eyelashes, he said, “This prince needs to take some time to strive for a longer future.”

“Strive… for a longer future?”

Wenren Lin spoke casually, but Zhao Yān suddenly looked up.

Was it what she thought he meant?

Wenren Lin stayed with Zhao Yān until nightfall, helping her handle the banquet memorials from the Imperial Catering Department and Ministry of Protocol before leaving.

Tonight, he didn’t stay at Crane Return Pavilion but returned directly to Prince Su’s residence.

The study door was open, with a pair of crane-headed bronze lamps in a singing posture, holding two clusters of candlelight.

Wenren Lin entered, took off his cape and draped it over the chair back, then bowed slightly to a white-haired old man sitting in the light, drinking tea: “Thank you for coming out of retirement, Physician Sun. Let’s begin.”

Physician Sun looked at the agile and unpredictable young man before him and sighed deeply.

He and General Wenren had been close friends despite their age difference. He had once devoted all his efforts to trying to break the strange poison in this young man’s body, but in vain.

Perhaps this young man understood that some people didn’t want his poison removed, or perhaps plotting revenge had become his only remaining hope… In any case, since he entered court politics at seventeen, he had no longer accepted the old man’s treatment.

Though Physician Sun didn’t say it, in his heart, he still honored his friendship with the deceased and wanted to save this child. For seven years, he had searched through ancient medical texts, never abandoning the idea of detoxifying himself.

But this young man’s poison wasn’t just in his body but more in his heart, making it extremely difficult to treat.

“The antidote produced by the Shen Guang Cult can only suppress the toxicity, not eliminate it. Once you stop taking it, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Physician Sun stroked his long beard that reached his chest, bringing out a physician’s rigor. “The new medicine I’ve developed contains Western fire insects, which might counteract the cold bone poison in your body. But the fire insects are potent and fierce, and without clinical precedent, I dare not assert their effectiveness. We would need to gradually adjust based on observation…”

“So, you’re using our prince as a test subject, with him bearing the risk of life and death, right?”

Before Wenren Lin could speak, Zhang Cang couldn’t hold back. “Not to be rude, Physician Sun, but this is too much! After years of research, this is all you’ve got?”

“Ahem.” Cai Tian coughed into his fist, secretly signaling with his eyes.

“Zhang Cang,” Wenren Lin said with a smile, his voice very gentle.

Zhang Cang immediately straightened up: “This humble servant is here.”

“Get out.”

“Yes!”

Zhang Cang stiffly turned and “got out.” Cai Tian shook his head and covered his face.

Wenren Lin, dressed in crimson, chuckled lightly: “Please don’t mind him, Physician. Though this vice general of mine may seem a bit foolish, he has a good heart.”

“If not for seeing his loyal devotion, this old man would use medicinal powder to shut him up.”

Physician Sun opened his medicine box and instructed Cai Tian, “Go prepare a tub of hot water for bathing.”

Then he looked at Wenren Lin, who stood with his hands behind his back, his voice softening somewhat: “This medicine will be very painful to use. When you can’t bear it, you might lose control, so it’s best to prepare some coarse ropes or iron chains…”

Before he could finish, a low sneer interrupted him.

“This prince does not need these.”

The naturally fine voice carried a cold, murderous intent.

“I almost forgot, the prince has endured nearly a hundred poison attacks and has a hundred times the mental fortitude of ordinary people. It’s my shortsightedness that insults the prince.”

Physician Sun took out silver needles and medicine bottles, his aged face showing some gratification. “This old man’s heart is greatly comforted. After seven years, the prince is finally willing to take this step.”

“This prince promised someone and doesn’t want to break that promise. If I cannot live longer, I always worry she will be bullied in the future.”

Wenren Lin walked casually toward the washroom, saying calmly, “This prince will just give it a try, and you, old sir, can just do your best.”

When Physician Sun heard the words “this prince promised someone,” his gaze unconsciously brightened.

How could this be done casually?

He must do his utmost to protect this young man until he marries and has children. When meeting his old friend in the underworld someday, he could share the good news without regret.

But what kind of girl had melted this young man’s icy heart?

He had to find a moment to probe that big fool for information and understand the situation.

Physician Sun secretly made up his mind.

…

During these days, Wenren Lin’s whereabouts were quite mysterious.

Apart from the hours spent in Chongwen Hall for lessons, Wenren Lin would find time to visit every night. But he either came when Zhao Yān was already sound asleep or left before dawn, always carrying a faint medicinal smell.

Zhao Yān had visited Crane Return Pavilion, but Wenren Lin hadn’t been living there for some time. Only the round lion-cat and a few cleaning servants remained in the pavilion.

If not at Crane Return Pavilion, he must be residing at Prince Su’s mansion.

Zhao Yān rarely left the palace and couldn’t visit him, so she had to let it be.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, the North Wu envoys arrived in the capital with a group of camels and stayed at the Ministry of Protocol’s guesthouse.

“Add two more shifts of imperial guards, taking turns to guard the guesthouse. If they ask, say it’s the Great Xuan’s hospitality to ensure the safety of guests from afar.”

Zhao Yān opened the list presented by the Ministry of Protocol, memorizing it carefully, her gaze stopping at the name at the top. “Wu Que… which prince is this?”

The Vice Minister of Protocol stepped forward and bowed: “In response to Your Highness, he is the thirteenth prince of North Wu. He was originally a slave born to a North Wu prince and a female captive from the Western Regions. Later, he helped his father kill his uncle to seize power, suddenly becoming a prince. He is leading this diplomatic mission to the Great Xuan. We speculate that since he has just seized power and his foundation isn’t stable, he comes to seek goodwill from the Great Xuan.”

Zhao Yān understood. This explanation made sense.

But she still felt uneasy, thinking it too coincidental that the North Wu people chose to come to the capital during the Luozhou disturbance.

On the sixteenth day, the North Wu envoys entered the palace to meet the Emperor.

Zhao Yān waited until the group of cursing North Wu envoys at the palace gate had surrendered their weapons and been thoroughly checked before appearing with officials from the Ministry of Protocol and the Ministry of Rites to welcome the envoys on behalf of the Emperor.

Zhao Yān immediately spotted the thirteenth prince of North Wu.

Not because of anything else, but because his appearance was… extremely strange and eye-catching.

He was young, probably only twenty years old.

His skin was a healthy yet barbaric wheat color. He wore a close-fitting, turn-down collar shirt, dark red loose-fitting boots and Hu-style pants, covered with a silver sable fur coat. His hair was a rare pure white, secured with a soft leather headband, disheveled and half-draped, with only a small braid woven behind his ear that fell to his shoulder.

He stepped forward proactively. A shiny silver ring hung from his left ear as he pressed his hand to his chest and bowed, muttering something in the North Wu language to Zhao Yān.

Zhao Yān had crammed North Wu language for a few days, but foreign languages were truly difficult to learn. How could she compare to Zhao Yǎn, who had studied it since childhood?

She barely understood a few common words, guessing it was probably a self-introduction, so she composed herself and said: “The North Wu envoys have come from afar. The Great Xuan Emperor has specially arranged a modest banquet at Yonglin Hall to welcome you all and fulfill our duties as hosts.”

The thirteenth prince of North Wu mumbled another foreign phrase, raised his eyes, and smiled, revealing a pointed tiger tooth.

Zhao Yān only now noticed that his pupils were extremely light, appearing almost gold in the sunlight.

Zhao Yān was inexplicably reminded of the eyes of certain birds of prey—sharp and brilliant, making one’s heart cold.

She maintained a warm smile on her face and said unhurriedly: “We have an old saying in the Great Xuan called ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ I treat distant guests as close relatives, so I also ask everyone to speak our Great Xuan language as a sign of respect.”

Upon hearing this, several envoys changed their expressions, seemingly dissatisfied.

Zhao Yān half-lowered her eyelashes, not yielding an inch.

To try to manipulate the subjects of the Great Xuan on the soil of the Great Xuan—dream on!

“My apologies! I am Wu Que, the thirteenth prince of North Wu. My Chinese isn’t very good, and I feared I couldn’t express my admiration for you, Crown Prince, so I instinctively spoke my mother’s language. Please forgive me!”

The thirteenth prince spoke fluent Chinese, causing the two interpreters prepared by the Ministry of Protocol to look surprised: This is what he calls “Chinese isn’t very good”?

If not for his barbarian appearance, judging by his accent alone, many would believe he was Chinese!

“However,”

Wu Que changed his tone, narrowing his golden eyes, “I remember that the Crown Prince of the Great Xuan is proficient in the North Wu language.”

Zhao Yān’s heart skipped slightly.

Did Wu Que know Zhao Yǎn?

Was he one of the envoys who entered the capital in the tenth year of Tianyou?

But among the envoys who came to the Great Xuan back then, Zhao Yān only remembered that prince who looked like a pig…

“Is the Crown Prince thinking of that prince who looked like a pig? That was my cousin, but he’s dead now.”

Wu Que seemed to see through Zhao Yān’s thoughts, raising his palm to make a slashing gesture across his neck, indicating “killed.”

“Eight years ago, when I visited the Xuan Dynasty, I was just a small slave following my cousin. The Crown Prince doesn’t remember me. Speaking of which, the Crown Prince’s North Wu language was so standard back then. Why not speak a word today?”

Zhao Yān indeed did not remember.

She remained composed, countering smoothly: “Please don’t blame the thirteenth prince. The Chinese language of the Great Xuan is profound in meaning. Naturally, I won’t abandon the essence to pick up the crude.”

This mockery was clear—how could the crude language of barbarians compare to the exquisiteness of Chinese?

Immediately, several civil officials behind her perked up, straightening their backs: Expecting the Great Xuan Crown Prince to speak your bird language? Dream on!

Wu Que’s expression instantly became fascinating.

The cold wind made the silver ring on his ear jingle, and his white hair fluttered. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, looking around: “Why don’t I see any princesses of your Great Xuan?”

Zhao Yān replied calmly: “The princesses of the Great Xuan hold noble status and naturally cannot be seen just because one wishes.”

“Is that so? They must appear this time.”

Wu Que folded his arms, squinting his golden eagle eyes and smiling: “After all, my main purpose in coming here is to represent North Wu in seeking a marriage alliance with a princess of your esteemed country.”