The wind and snow battered Xiao Qiao’s face as she struggled to keep her eyes open on horseback, disoriented and desperately fighting for self-preservation. Suddenly, a familiar voice reached her ears: “Manman! It’s me!”

Xiao Qiao stopped struggling, and the man behind her adjusted her to a normal sitting position on the horse. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see a handsome face beneath a conical hat.

Liu Yan, the Crown Prince of Langya!

This was an enormous shock. Xiao Qiao never dreamed that the person who suddenly appeared to abduct her would be Liu Yan!

“Don’t be afraid, Manman! A carriage is waiting ahead. Once we’re safe, I’ll explain everything!” Liu Yan’s expression was tense as he frequently glanced behind them. After reassuring Xiao Qiao, he squeezed the horse’s flanks and cracked his whip, urging the horse into a gallop.

Xiao Qiao came to her senses. “Crown Prince Liu! I won’t go with you! Let me go back!”

But Liu Yan ignored her, whipping the horse even harder to increase their speed.

A gust of cold wind rushed into her mouth, swallowing her voice. Xiao Qiao choked and began coughing violently.

A double-horse carriage was already waiting by the roadside ahead. As the white horse carrying the two of them galloped up, two people quickly descended from the carriage to assist. Liu Yan leaped off the horse, forcibly carrying the still-coughing Xiao Qiao into the carriage. He followed her inside, the door closed, and the carriage immediately turned east and sped away.

Inside the carriage, Liu Yan’s expression finally relaxed slightly. Seeing Xiao Qiao still hunched over coughing, he looked at her with pity. One arm gently encircled her shoulders while his other hand patted her back. He softly comforted her, “Manman, did I scare you? Don’t be afraid. I’ve taken you away, and from now on, we’ll never be apart!”

Xiao Qiao finally stopped coughing and straightened up, avoiding his encircling arm.

“Crown Prince Liu! You can’t take me away like this! I must go back!”

Liu Yan seemed stunned, staring at Xiao Qiao for a moment before giving a bitter laugh, his gaze filled with sorrow.

“Manman, after two years apart, have you become so distant from me? You never used to address me so formally.”

…

Memories of the past surfaced in Xiao Qiao’s mind.

Liu Yan had come to the Qiao family at thirteen and returned to Langya at eighteen. The following year, he and Xiao Qiao were betrothed. Now he was twenty-one.

During the five years he lived with the Qiao family, though nominally in exile, he was still treated with great respect. Qiao Ping hired the best riding and archery instructors for him, collected military texts for his study, and treated him as an honored guest. Xiao Qiao and Liu Yan had indeed been in love, and their engagement had seemed a natural progression, a match made in heaven.

If she were still the Xiao Qiao of the past, she wasn’t sure how she would face her former lover Liu Yan now.

But she was no longer Xiao Qiao.

The deepest impression Liu Yan had left on her was not his talent or his deep affection for her, but the nightmare of the final moment in her previous life that had tormented her for so long.

In her previous life, Xiao Qiao and Liu Yan, as the last imperial couple, had died together in a way that could be praised as steadfast loyalty.

She could even understand Liu Yan’s harem in that life.

But the gaze of the thirteen-year-old Imperial Consort Liu before her death still made Xiao Qiao shudder every time she woke from dreams about it.

She could perhaps understand Liu Yan’s way of dealing with his harem, which was considered normal in this era. But she truly couldn’t agree with it.

She also sympathized with the tragic last emperor Liu Yan of her previous life, but she really couldn’t give him the same equal feelings as the former Xiao Qiao had.

Now, she couldn’t just let Liu Yan take her away. This was the only thought in her mind.

…

“Crown Prince, my uncle broke our engagement and married me to another. Our Qiao family has wronged you. But times have changed, and I am no longer the Xiao Qiao of the past. I am now a married woman. I can only keep your deep affection and kindness in my heart and wish you well from afar. Please send me back, or let me go nearby. General Wei should be here to find me soon.”

Liu Yan continued to stare at Xiao Qiao, suddenly reaching out to grasp her hand tightly.

“What are you saying? I know you were forced to marry Wei Shao. It wasn’t your true wish! Now that I’ve come to take you away, isn’t this for the best?”

Xiao Qiao shook her head. “Crown Prince, I’ll say it again: I’m grateful for your kindness, but I truly cannot accept it now. Moreover, how could Wei Shao let this go if you take me away like this? Where could you take me afterward?”

“Since I’ve made this decision, I don’t plan to return to Langya. That position of Crown Prince isn’t something I must have. Those who came with me are loyal men willing to die for me. The world is vast; I’ll take you somewhere no one can find us, and we’ll never be apart!”

As he spoke, his expression became excited.

Xiao Qiao slowly withdrew her hand from his.

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I must disappoint you. I won’t leave with you like this. Please let me go back.”

The flush of excitement on Liu Yan’s handsome face slowly faded.

He just stared at Xiao Qiao, motionless and silent, as if in a trance.

The carriage continued to speed along the road, the body jolting violently as the wheels rolled over uneven ground.

Liu Yan’s current gaze suddenly made Xiao Qiao feel uneasy.

“Crown Prince…” she called out tentatively.

Liu Yan seemed to suddenly come back to his senses. He made a sound of acknowledgment and smiled again, saying, “Manman, you must be speaking nonsense because you’re frightened. Don’t be afraid. Everything will be as I say. I’ve arranged it all. We’ll have a good life together from now on.”

“Crown Prince Liu! Giving up everything you have now for me is truly not worth it! I won’t go with you. What’s past is past. Please let me go!”

Liu Yan stared at her, the smile slowly disappearing from his face again.

“Manman, I really don’t understand you, and you’ve truly disappointed me,” he said suddenly, enunciating each word, his tone hollow.

“You know my heart, as constant as the sun and moon, unchanging through three lifetimes! I haven’t seen you for two years, and in Langya, I thought of you almost every moment. Last year, I finally had a chance to visit Dongjun for your uncle’s birthday, hoping to see you, but you avoided me. When the wedding date was approaching, your family suddenly sent a message to break off the engagement. How was I supposed to handle that? Though I may be incapable, I couldn’t bear the resentment of having my wife stolen! I set out two months ago but never had the opportunity until now. Today, even Heaven has helped me reclaim you. I just don’t understand what’s happened to you. Do you have some difficulty you can’t speak of, or have you changed your heart and abandoned our past vows?”

“Manman, I know you have many concerns now. But just come with me, and don’t think too much. After some time, you’ll understand. Have you forgotten what you used to say to me?”

His tone became gentle again at the end.

Xiao Qiao closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Crown Prince, I—” she began with difficulty, but before she could finish, the carriage seemed to encounter some unexpected obstacle and suddenly slowed down. Due to inertia, Xiao Qiao was thrown forward, and Liu Yan quickly steadied her.

“What’s going on?” Liu Yan leaned out the window and demanded harshly.

Suddenly, he froze.

Several yards ahead in the snow, a line of mounted archers blocked the road, their bows drawn and ready to fire.

Liu Yan’s expression changed slightly, and he ordered the driver to turn around. But behind them, seven or eight similar mounted archers had already caught up. Then, from the side, a horse appeared carrying a young commander in armor, wielding a decorated halberd. With a wild demeanor, he pointed his weapon at the carriage and laughed loudly: “I am Chen Rui of Bingzhou! Crown Prince Liu, leave Wei Shao’s wife behind, and I’ll respect you as a member of the Han imperial family and not make things difficult for you!”

…

Chen Rui, courtesy name Yunji, was the third son of Chen Xiang, the Governor of Bingzhou. Known for his cruelty, he once carved out a living person’s heart and fried it as a drinking snack, causing the people of Bingzhou to fear him. Due to his naturally effeminate appearance, he was nicknamed the “Jade-faced Rakshasa.” A month ago, in the battle of Boling, Wei Shao had badly defeated Zhang Jian, the general holding Chen Xiang’s seal of command. Zhang Jian lost many troops and was forced to retreat westward. Chen Rui had escaped the defeat, becoming separated from Zhang Jian’s main force. Thanks to the sacrifice of his guards, he broke through the encirclement with less than twenty men remaining. Young and ambitious, always seeking to prove himself and favored by his father, Chen Rui had long been dissatisfied with Wei Shao. In this Boling campaign, he had volunteered to lead the vanguard as colonel, boasting that he would capture Wei Shao alive. Unexpectedly defeated and fleeing Boling, he ended up in this sorry state and was too ashamed to return home. Still unwilling to give up, he had lingered in the area. Upon learning of Wei Shao’s recent marriage to the Qiao daughter from Yanzhou, and seeing the weather growing increasingly cold, he realized he couldn’t gain any advantage by staying longer and was about to return to Bingzhou. To his surprise, the very next day, Wei Shao sent his wife to Youzhou. Upon receiving this news, Chen Rui followed them. However, fearing Wei Liang’s formidable reputation as an unbeatable warrior, he hadn’t dared to get too close or act rashly. He never expected that today, even Wei Liang would have a moment of oversight, allowing Liu Yan to get to her first. How could he pass up such an opportunity? He immediately gave chase, and now that he had stumbled upon this great fortune, how could he not laugh with joy?

…

Seeing no response from the carriage, Chen Rui’s expression darkened. He made a gesture, and the mounted archers immediately released their arrows. Amidst the whistling sounds, cries of pain erupted from outside the carriage as Liu Yan’s followers were struck down, wounded, and falling to the ground.

When the carriage first stopped, Xiao Qiao had thought Wei Liang had caught up with them, but she doubted he could have reached them so quickly. Now, hearing the continuous sounds of arrows outside the carriage and seeing Liu Yan’s extremely grim expression as he shielded her behind him, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword until the veins on the back of his hand stood out, she began to feel truly alarmed.

She knew, of course, that the Chen family of Bingzhou had long been enemies with Wei Shao, having clashed in Boling at the end of last year.

If she were to fall into the hands of the Chen family of Bingzhou, she would rather have gone with Liu Yan.

…

Footsteps approached, and the carriage door was yanked open. A fair, jade-like face peered in, belonging to a man in his mid-twenties wearing a golden crown and a precious belt. His eyes fixed on Xiao Qiao behind Liu Yan and remained motionless.

Liu Yan flew into a rage, drawing his sword and pointing it at Chen Rui’s face. “General Chen, Langya has always maintained a policy of non-interference with your Bingzhou. What reason do you have for forcibly obstructing us today?”

Chen Rui had heard of the Qiao daughter’s beauty from Yanzhou, but he never imagined it would be to this extent. At first sight, he was almost entranced. Seeing Liu Yan draw his sword in anger, he finally came to his senses. Unperturbed, he pushed the sword aside with his finger and jerked his chin backward, saying, “Crown Prince Liu, my men outnumber yours several times over. If it weren’t for your status as a member of the Han imperial family, how could I spare your life today?”

Chen Rui’s mounted archers surrounded them, with over a dozen fully drawn bows aimed at Liu Yan.

“I advise you to be sensible. This beauty wasn’t yours to begin with, so my taking her away isn’t wronging you. You’d better come down and leave the carriage for Lady Yan. It’s cold; I can’t bear to let her suffer in this weather.”

Chen Rui snatched the sword from Liu Yan’s hand, and several mounted archers climbed onto the carriage, forcibly dragging Liu Yan down. Chen Rui glanced at Xiao Qiao once more, laughed heartily, and slammed the carriage door shut. He mounted his horse and shouted, “We can’t stay here long! Let’s go!”

“Chen Rui! If you dare touch her, I, Liu Yan, will be your mortal enemy—” Liu Yan cried out in fury, chasing after them. But how could he catch up? In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the group of horses and the carriage sped away across the snowy landscape.

He ran forward frantically, chasing for dozens of steps before stumbling and falling to the ground.

After a long while, he slowly got up, kneeling in the snow and staring in the direction the carriage had disappeared. His whole body trembled, his eyes bloodshot, his expression caught between crying and laughing.

…

When Wei Liang caught up to this spot, the blood stains and carriage tracks on the ground had already been covered by fresh snowfall. Only a few arrows still sticking out of the snow gave any indication of what had transpired moments before.

A passerby had just delivered a message to him, saying someone had asked him to relay that Lady Wei had fallen into the hands of Chen Rui from Bingzhou. Wei Liang wanted to ask for more details, but the passerby claimed to know nothing else.

He had already sent people racing back at top speed, day and night, to report to Wei Shao. He should receive the news within a day or two.

Wei Liang berated himself endlessly while anxiously gazing into the distance.

The men he had sent out to gather information about Chen Rui’s group gradually returned, with some reporting having seen them heading southwest.

Based on his experience, he deduced that Chen Rui had likely taken the lady toward Shi Yi, a city several hundred li away. It was the closest point where Wei Shao’s territory bordered Chen Xiang’s, and Chen Xiang had a large contingent of troops stationed there.