A layer of silvery white had dyed the corridors, and the singing and dancing in the hall had just subsided.

Princess Danyang walked out from among the seats, moving toward the Wei officials and foreign envoys who had stood up, as well as Meng Zaishi who had turned to watch her with focused eyes.

She walked slowly toward them, her gaze falling on each of their faces in turn. Perhaps overwhelmed by the princess’s presence, they parted one by one, allowing Mu Wanyao to stand in the center where she could directly face the Emperor seated above. Mu Wanyao clasped her hands and lowered her sleeves, addressing the throne: “Father Emperor, please hear me – it’s not that your daughter is unwilling to marry.”

Looking up toward the throne.

At that moment, Mu Wanyao thought back to her first diplomatic marriage when she was not yet fifteen.

Back then, she couldn’t stand here and advocate for herself like this – when the imperial edict came down, she could only accept it in a daze. At that time, she had sought help everywhere but found none, feeling lost and uncertain about what fate awaited her.

At fourteen or fifteen, she went to the imperial archives to read through historical records, finding only brief mentions of diplomatic marriage princesses, never able to return to court. Back then, Mu Wanyao only thought she would never see her father emperor and mother empress again. She cried over this, and later when marrying into the Wuman tribe, she still clung to her status as a Wei envoy…

Thinking back now, Mu Wanyao couldn’t help but laugh at how naive and foolish she had been.

What the Wuman needed was never a Wei envoy.

What they needed was the noble bloodline of Wei, what they needed was to merge with Wei blood. What they needed was for Mu Wanyao and her maids and servants to combine Wei bloodlines with Wuman, to bear children of superior lineage.

They needed Wei’s culture, technology, and knowledge…

Women were merely tools for bearing children.

Back in the present, Mu Wanyao faced the Emperor, faced the officials, faced Meng Zaishi, and spoke loudly—

“I am, after all, a princess of Great Wei. It shouldn’t be that whoever wants to marry me, I must be willing. Although you all speak of ‘diplomatic marriage,’ for me this would be a second marriage. As a princess, shouldn’t I have some freedom? Shouldn’t it be that only after winning my heart can we discuss whether marriage is possible?

“Father Emperor and the ministers discuss my fate here, yet my destiny cannot be decided in a single evening. I imagine the ministers and foreign envoys will need many more days of discussion before concluding.

“I hear that in Wuman, even for a man to marry a woman, he must win her over. Why should it be different for a Wei princess? Whatever your Wuman traditions may be, a Wei princess cannot simply be married off at will. Regarding matters of alliance between our nations, I think it’s better to be cautious. One cannot simply force people.

“While Wuman rules from horseback and your military might is naturally strong, our Great Wei has countless troops and superior equipment – we are no cowards, are we?

“King of Wuman, what do you say?”

Meng Zaishi gazed at Mu Wanyao.

With her chin slightly raised and a hint of laughter in her casual tone, she met his eyes with a parts smile and a parts blade.

Meng Zaishi replied: “Of course. An alliance between nations cannot be settled in a day. Today I merely saw Your Highness and felt admiration; I have no intention of forcing anything.

“I wish to request from His Majesty the rites of marrying the princess. But naturally, it must be with Your Highness’s willing heart.”

Seeing Meng Zaishi speak thus, Mu Wanyao’s rigid spine remained tense as she looked upward, knowing the final say lay with the Emperor.

Her Father Emperor had always hoped she would go to Wuman, to avoid interfering with Great Wei.

Though Mu Wanyao knew it might be useless, she couldn’t help but plead in her heart to the spirits and her deceased Mother Empress—

Mother, I don’t blame you for wanting me to marry into Wuman. But I am your only remaining daughter. Could you help me from the yellow springs below, speak to Father Emperor on my behalf?

I don’t want to go to Wuman again.

I would rather never marry in this life than go to Wuman!

Please! I beg you!

Whether it was her prayers taking effect or the Emperor’s resolve on this matter not being deep, after observing for a long while and hearing Mu Wanyao and Meng Zaishi’s words, the Emperor laughed.

The Emperor said casually: “The envoys are still in Great Wei. For the matters ahead, let the Department of State Affairs handle it.”

He directly removed the Crown Prince from the center of political power, not letting him manage this matter. The Crown Prince, sitting behind his table holding a wine cup, stiffened slightly, knowing the Emperor was aware he didn’t want Mu Wanyao to marry diplomatically and had simply removed his right to speak.

The Crown Prince remained silent for a moment, his heart chilling for an instant at how ruthlessly his father treated his children. But in the end, he said nothing.

The Prince of Qin showed some interest, but his uncle, the Minister of Justice, coughed once from his seat behind him, holding him back, knowing this wasn’t the time to step forward.

Finally having a chance to seize power from the Crown Prince, yet unable to step forward due to the Emperor’s unpredictable mind… the Prince of Qin’s face turned blue with frustration, able only to drink more wine.

Below, having observed the dispute between both sides for long, when the Emperor ordered the Department of State Affairs to handle it, Minister Liu and several other grand councilors stood up from their seats, helplessly accepting the imperial edict. The four grand councilors exchanged glances, all inwardly sighing, knowing this task would not be easy.

Above on the dragon throne, facing Mu Wanyao again, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed faintly: “Your young people’s affairs, resolve them yourselves, no need to ask me. I am not that kind of close-minded father. When the Wuman King and others win the princess’s heart, then we’ll discuss the next step. I find it quite interesting to watch.

“Just work it out among yourselves.”

Everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This Emperor’s thoughts ran deep, his imperial mind difficult to fathom. Before imperial power, everything could be measured, everything could be traded. Whether it was any feeling, any benefit, or any person he liked or valued.

This Emperor was so cold and detached, his only virtue perhaps being that he liked to delegate power, liked to push many governmental affairs to princes and ministers for practice.

The Emperor did not covet power.

This created opportunities for those below to maneuver.

Yet precisely because he did not covet power, ministers, and princes would fight bloodily amongst themselves, their interests achieving a strange balance.

And so, the singing and dancing continued, cups crossing in toast. The earlier discussion about diplomatic marriage became as brief as a collective hallucination—

In the alley where Princess Danyang’s mansion stood, thin snow covered the ground, with more snow still drifting from the night sky.

Lanterns were placed in the corner by the wall’s bushes, half of them already hung up. Yan Shang and Wei Shu sat shoulder to shoulder against the wall corner, watching the falling snow.

Wei Shu’s eyes were black as ink dots, clear as ice and snow: “I also really like Her Highness.”

Yan Shang turned to look at him, his gaze gentle. He reached out to brush the snow from Wei Shu’s shoulder, his movement slow and gentle.

Wei Shu hugged his knees, slowly reminiscing: “My teacher was the princess’s uncle. Before my teacher was demoted to Lingnan, he passed through Luoyang. At that time, I had run away from home and was sulking alone outside when I met my teacher. The teacher treated me very well. I wanted to go to Lingnan with him, but he strictly refused. The teacher said he had no prospects anymore, and I shouldn’t ruin my future.

“So my first time coming to Chang’an was with the travel money teacher left me before leaving, secretly running away from home. My mother was a concubine of the Wei family, and at first, I couldn’t even get the status of a bastard son. When I studied with the Wei family, they all disliked me and ostracized me. When I first arrived in Chang’an to seek out the princess, I was very nervous and scared.”

Wei Shu’s face reddened slightly as he lowered his eyelashes.

He said softly: “Because the teacher told me to find the princess for marriage. Although the teacher said to wait a couple of years, all along the road to Chang’an, I was afraid… afraid the princess would bully me, oppress me. If it weren’t for wanting to repay the teacher… I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the princess’s mansion.

“Then I met Her Highness. She was… as the teacher said, she wouldn’t disgrace me. But at first, I was still very afraid, always worried about when Her Highness would approach me, afraid she would suddenly bring up when to get married.”

Yan Shang sighed, placing his hand on Wei Shu’s shoulder.

When he first arrived in Chang’an, Wei Shu was probably only fourteen. A fourteen-year-old youth, moreover one who didn’t like to talk or interact with people, meeting Princess Her Highness who was a full four years older than him, and Her Highness might even become his future wife… Wei Shu truly had it difficult.

Yan Shang asked: “Then why did you still often go to see Her Highness?”

Wei Shu said: “After she learned my age, her expression was very strange too. But she didn’t dislike me, she still took care of me. Helped me find lodging in Chang’an, and helped arrange servants. She went to check, worried servants would take advantage of my youth, worried I wouldn’t live well in Chang’an.

“I don’t much like talking, and after she understood this, she rarely let people speak to me. And every time she saw me she would smile, every time she saw me she was very happy… She was always so happy, so I became happy too.

“At first she was very careful with me, just like an older sister. She has quite a temper, but at first, she didn’t let me know. The first time I happened upon her angry, I was startled, but she turned around and comforted me instead, worried I would be traumatized, promising me she wouldn’t get angry at me without reason. That’s when I felt… this big sister was nice.

Wei Shu’s eyelashes were dusted with snow, the snow melting into water, making his lashes cling together.

He turned his head to look at Yan Shang.

Wei Shu said: “Actually, I’ve long been willing to listen to my teacher and become Her Highness’s consort. I increasingly learned how difficult things were for Her Highness, and if Her Highness needed me, of course, I would stand on her side. But probably because of my young age, and also because I’m from the Wei family of Luoyang, while Her Highness and Second Brother Yan grew close, she rarely let me help her.

“Second Brother Yan can be Her Highness’s household official. But I cannot.”

Wei Shu leaned his head against the wall, looking up quietly said: “Even though my relationship with my family isn’t good, as long as I bear the Wei name, I can never escape the benefits the Wei family provides me. Having received these benefits, even if I don’t help the Wei family myself, others will take sides on their own.

“So the Li family wants to ally with the Wei family, wants to use me and Princess Her Highness.

“I think Her Highness does like me… because she smiles when she sees me, always gives me this and that, whatever I ask her for she gives me. It’s just that her liking for me isn’t the kind between a man and a woman, right?”

Yan Shang said softly: “Juyuan, you are a very good… younger brother. Whether to me or Her Highness. We both like you.”

Wei Shu was somewhat confused, wondering what was there to like about him. He hardly even talked.

Wei Shu pressed his lips together, saying: “Because you’re all good people.”

He showed rare displeasure: “If anyone else told me they liked Her Highness, I would get angry, and would feel that person wasn’t worthy of Her Highness, didn’t understand her. But if it’s Second Brother Yan… I feel that Second Brother Yan would do better than me. Someone like Second Brother Yan can truly unlock Her Highness’s heart knots, and make her live more happily. If I were a woman, I would like Second Brother Yan too.

“I’ve seen that look in Her Highness’s eyes when she looks at Second Brother Yan. I don’t quite understand… but that look, it’s very different.

“Her Highness smiles when she sees me, but when she sees Second Brother Yan, she blushes.

“It’s just that if Second Brother Yan wants to be with Her Highness, would Second Brother Yan object to me often coming to see Her Highness?”

Yan Shang turned his head to look at him, shook his head, and said softly: “Juyuan, don’t say that. No matter what happens between Her Highness and me, whether we can be together or not… neither Her Highness nor I will dislike you. You can come find Her Highness anytime, and you can come find me anytime.”

He apologetically said: “It was wrong of me to be privately close with Her Highness without telling you. I truly didn’t know how to tell you. Because our situation is too complicated… Her Highness isn’t very willing… and I feel guilty toward you… I…”

He paused for a very long time, brows furrowed, unable to continue speaking several times.

He didn’t want to say that Mu Wanyao had some psychological issues, nor did he want to say that he couldn’t find the right balance. He increasingly didn’t know how to handle matters with Mu Wanyao, growing more and more anxious. If he were to tell Wei Shu… perhaps the day after telling him, Mu Wanyao would want to part ways.

What a joke it would be.

Wei Shu couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s rare to see Second Brother Yan so troubled, I feel a bit vindicated. Only Her Highness could make you so conflicted.”

He flicked off the snow that had fallen on him, stood up, and turned back to look at Yan Shang, who had stood up with him and was somewhat taller. Yan Shang also shook his head and smiled at his helplessness.

Yan Shang said: “Alright, let’s not speak of such things between brothers. Let’s finish hanging these lanterns.”

Wei Shu: “Mm.”

—

The palace banquet ended, and Mu Wanyao had shown no mistakes all evening, except for that small interlude during the banquet.

Her abilities had gained recognition, and according to plan, she could have expanded her influence among Great Wei’s court officials… but if she were to return to Wuman, it would all be meaningless.

Mu Wanyao’s face was black as ink. Fang Tong, Xia Rong, and others caught up with her at the palace garden gate, all heading together toward the mansion’s carriage.

Someone followed from behind: “Princess!”

That casual voice, carrying both smile and inquiry, rustled against Mu Wanyao’s ears.

Mu Wanyao suddenly turned back, meeting Meng Zaishi who had put his mask back on. Facing that fanged mask, Mu Wanyao’s expression grew even worse. She flung her hand to strike, but Meng Zaishi caught her wrist.

Meng Zaishi said with an ambiguous smile: “Such a temper?”

Mu Wanyao’s voice was ice-cold: “You’ve disrupted my life, yet expect me to be pleasant with you?”

The hatred in her voice was almost impossible to conceal.

Meng Zaishi paused for a moment, releasing her wrist. He stepped back and said: “When you tried to kill me through my brother and my father king back then, I didn’t see such an expression from you. I barely survived, and I need an explanation from you.”

Mu Wanyao’s eyes suddenly reddened.

She stepped forward, struggling to keep her voice low. Because she had to keep it low, her whole body trembled uncontrollably, forcing her voice to become hoarse, choking with sobs:

“What kind of explanation? For two to three years in Wuman, your father king used me as a prostitute, used me to reward others – isn’t that explanation enough? You used my body, I gave you intelligence – isn’t that explanation enough?

“Yes, you taught me many things, but haven’t I repaid you! The thrill you got from me, the hidden pleasure – dare you say you never felt it?

“And the sacrifices I made for you… aren’t these all explanations?

“Am I not allowed to want to kill you? Do I have no reason? First, it was your father king, then your brother after your brother was killed by you, it was you… I’m just that unchanging Wuman queen consort, am I not allowed to resist, not allowed to want to leave? I want to break free from you all, am I wrong for that?”

Each word dripped blood, each word like a blade, pressing inch by inch toward Meng Zaishi’s heart.

For a moment, he suddenly felt such pain he couldn’t breathe. As if seeing those days from before, seeing how she cried in his arms…

Now she wasn’t crying, but her reddened eyes looking at him pained his heart even more.

Behind his mask, Meng Zaishi no longer spoke with his previous mockery, saying softly: “My father king wronged you, but I am not like him. You plotted against me, wanted to kill me, I can let that go. Our past grudges, let’s write them off.

“Just as you said in the hall… let me court you anew. Let’s start over, alright?

“Little princess… come back to Wuman with me.”

Mu Wanyao’s lips trembled, many words she wanted to curse out, but she knew she couldn’t.

At least for now, she couldn’t completely burn her bridges with Meng Zaishi. If she burned this bridge now… if Meng Zaishi turned ruthless and conspired with her father emperor, she would still have to go to Wuman. She couldn’t push this person to ruthlessness all at once.

Now Meng Zaishi was willing to negotiate, only because… only because… he thought she would turn back, would remember their past feelings.

Mu Wanyao lowered her eyes, not answering Meng Zaishi, turning to leave. This time, Meng Zaishi stood quietly in place watching Mu Wanyao’s retreating figure, not chasing after her.

He knew Mu Wanyao hadn’t lived well in Wuman… but everything was different now.

Now he was king.

As long as she returned, as long as she turned back, they would still have a future. After all… they were good together before, he didn’t believe she had never loved him at all—

Following behind Mu Wanyao, Fang Tong kept his head down the whole time, not letting himself look up at Meng Zaishi, afraid his hatred would show and give them away.

Still remembering how many of his brothers Wuman had killed… in the end, how few had survived returning from Wuman.

Fang Tong feared that if he looked up, he wouldn’t be able to resist wanting to kill the princess. This wasn’t Meng Zaishi’s fault, of course, but… Meng Zaishi was the Wuman king.

On the other side, the maid Xia Rong following the princess remained confused throughout, yet didn’t dare to ask more.

From the few words between the princess and that Wuman king, she heard there seemed to be some hidden story, that Wuman king seemed to like her princess… but why was the princess angry?

Xia Rong didn’t dare ask more, and could only follow Mu Wanyao in confusion.

They reached the carriage, and Mu Wanyao stood on the ground watching them drive. As Xia Rong was about to mount, she suddenly pulled Xia Rong down, and amid the maid’s cry of surprise, Mu Wanyao stepped on the stirrup and leaped onto horseback.

With a pull of the reins, the white horse turned its head, instantly charging toward the palace gate—

In that chaos, they only hurriedly heard Fang Tong, who had quickly mounted and was pursuing the princess, shouting: “Make way! Open the gate! It’s Princess Danyang, don’t offend the princess!”

Fang Tong shouted again: “Your Highness! Your Highness!”

Mu Wanyao’s horsemanship was excellent; she didn’t wait for Fang Tong at all. She lay low on horseback, her clothes flying like snow, the horse’s speed getting faster and faster—

As a princess, she had learned horsemanship from childhood. Later in Wuman, because the Wuman people were strong cavalry, she also learned excellent horsemanship from Meng Zaishi.

Indeed, as Meng Zaishi said, many things she knew were taught by him.

Yet the more this was true, the more she hated!

Hated more!—

Snow filled the sky.

Mu Wanyao galloped her horse, the treasured steed beneath her swift as lightning.

She left Fang Tong and the others far behind, as if not caring for her life, constantly urging the horse to go faster.

She wanted to kill Meng Zaishi! She must kill Meng Zaishi!

The wind howled in her ears, and the snow froze on her lashes, only like this could Mu Wanyao’s mind go blank.

Yet in the blankness, she couldn’t help but think—

Repeating and repeating, with the slightest carelessness all would be wasted.

The shame of staying in Wuman, the abandoned past.

Father Emperor’s coldness, Mother Empress’s power plays, and the calculations between brothers.

What had she done wrong, to end up with such a life?

Did she have some unforgivable sin, to live so bitterly?—

The palace, imperial city, and princess mansion were not far apart to begin with.

Back then Mu Wanyao had used this as an excuse to let Yan Shang live next door as her neighbor.

Moreover, tonight Mu Wanyao rode so fast that before her inner fire could even settle, she had already ridden into the ward where her princess mansion was, charging straight for the alley.

At the alley entrance stood a person with his back to her, holding a lantern in his hand. A bamboo ladder leaned against the wall, with servants on the ladder arranging lanterns.

Mu Wanyao hadn’t even processed what they were doing, her horse’s speed not slowing at all as she charged straight toward the alley.

Hearing the fierce hoofbeats, the servant on the bamboo ladder looked back first, seeing in terror an extremely fast horse charging this way. Then the young man standing on the ground holding the lantern lightly spread his sleeves, turning his head to look back—

Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao’s eyes met.

Mu Wanyao froze, dazedly wondering if it was an illusion, how had he appeared in her nightmare.

Yan Shang had always been clear and bright, smiling at her gently, but now, as she rode on horseback, charging forward quickly while meeting his gaze, she saw panic in his eyes.

She rarely heard Yan Shang forget his gentlemanly manner as he shouted: “Yaoyao, the reins—”

Mu Wanyao came to her senses, only then realizing that while staring at Yan Shang in a daze, the reins had slipped from her hands. The horse charged into the alley, hooves rising recklessly as it ran – how dangerous!

Fortunately, Mu Wanyao’s horsemanship was originally superb. She had only been distracted for a moment; after coming to her senses, she clenched her thighs around the horse’s belly, lowering her body even more, pressing against the horse’s back to breathe at the same speed. She lay on the horse reaching for the reins, then firmly grabbed them.

The horse’s hooves slipped in the snow and then were suddenly pulled tight by the reins.

The horse tumbled down, falling to its knees, and the lady riding it, because she was holding the reins tightly, only lost strength at the last moment and was thrown into a snowdrift.

Mu Wanyao was buried in the snow, coughing from choking. She struggled to breathe, everything before her eyes was white, and then the whole white world was parted as a hand that looked slender and beautiful before her eyes reached in from outside.

Yan Shang knelt on the ground, digging through the snow on the ground, pulling out the person buried underneath. His whole body was trembling slightly, for a moment so shocked he couldn’t speak, his ice-cold hands holding her face, snow water hanging from his eyelashes as he looked down at her.

Mu Wanyao guessed she had worried him.

She said: “I’m sor—”

She was suddenly held tightly in Yan Shang’s embrace.

Mu Wanyao dazedly let him hold her, listening to his breathing, thinking: What did I do right, to meet such a person, to have such a good life?