After venting to her heart’s content, Shaoshang forced herself to appear calm as she washed and changed, then suppressed her violently twitching eyelids and resolved to sleep.

But she was ultimately not a seasoned schemer with a calculating heart. Earlier, relying on a burst of fearless courage, she had vented all the pent-up frustration that had accumulated in her heart for many days, and then apprehension quietly crept in. Touching the faint, slightly painful bruises on both arms beneath the thin blanket, her heart was full of irritation, tangled with several parts fear.

Ling Buyi appeared refined and fair-skinned, but had possessed extraordinary strength since childhood. Sometimes when he saw Shaoshang struggling to handle large pieces of wood, he would reach out and help her split wood and break stumps. Therefore, he had always been very careful when interacting with Shaoshang daily. However, when Ling Buyi embraced her earlier, he clearly hadn’t controlled his strength well, nearly squeezing all the air out of her chest cavity, not to mention the bruises left on both arms.

So Shaoshang had nightmares all night long. Like replaying segments of an old film, she repeatedly dreamed of Ling Buyi raising high that divine weapon resembling a golden crow and crimson phoenix, splitting that fierce bandit in half; then suddenly she dreamed of his beautiful pale red lips curving slightly upward, smiling as he accepted the clear wine she offered—and then casually snapped her wrist.

The next day, Ling Buyi didn’t come.

As a responsible troublemaker, Shaoshang that very night gathered herself and went to her parents’ residence to ‘confess her crimes.’ After respectfully raising her arms and kowtowing, she recounted everything she had said to Ling Buyi the previous night, word for word.

Actually, the Cheng Shi couple had already heard from Old Steward Cheng Shun the previous night about the abnormality between their daughter and Ling Buyi, but the couple hadn’t taken it to heart, thinking it was merely playful sparring between young lovers. After all, it had ended with an embrace, so it couldn’t be anything serious.

Only now, hearing the full story, did they realize the gravity of the situation. The couple exchanged glances, both their eyes filled with unease.

“…Your daughter took matters into her own hands and proposed breaking the engagement to Lord Ling on her own initiative. I beg my parents’ punishment.” Shaoshang prostrated herself on the ground, her voice without inflection.

The anger that Madam Xiao hadn’t displayed in a long time surged up again, and she scolded loudly: “What audacity! Do you even know the severity of this matter? Is this marriage arrangement some casual village agreement where you can accept or reject it at will? You ignorant wretch who knows not the heights of heaven or the depths of earth—do you know what great disaster you might bring upon the family?!”

Shaoshang stubbornly straightened her spine: “Mother can rest assured, it won’t implicate the family. Lord Ling and I agreed that our Cheng family cannot be the ones to speak up about this—we can only ask him to resolve it himself.”

“Thinking yourself clever!” Madam Xiao flew into a rage, striking the table forcefully. “Why don’t you think about what good match you could possibly find after breaking this engagement! You’ve also made many enemies because of this. Once you lose Ling Buyi’s protection, just think how many people will come seeking trouble with you in the future. Won’t you leave yourself any way out? You disobedient, unfilial wretch—I wasn’t wrong at all back then. You’ll eventually bring great disaster upon this family.”

“At worst, I’ll never marry and leave the capital for the countryside. I never thought marriage was anything good to begin with!” Shaoshang shouted with her neck stiffened. “If Mother fears being implicated, I can simply…”

“Enough!” Cheng Shi said in a stern voice, his large palm pressing on his wife’s shoulder, signaling with his eyes. “Usually, the child is under your discipline. Today, in this matter, let me speak.”

Madam Xiao turned her head away indignantly.

Cheng Shi looked at his daughter kneeling in the center, her face full of cynical rebellion and indifference, and sighed: “Niaoniao, are you willing to hear your father’s words?”

Shaoshang lowered her pouting mouth and sat properly with respect.

“In this matter, Ling Buyi has done nothing wrong.” Cheng Shi interrupted. “Your father has also witnessed several meetings between you two. You conversed happily and pleasantly, chatting merrily. You’ve expressed your admiration for him more than once—don’t interrupt. No one is blind. Even if it’s not romantic love, there was certainly admiration. You spoke in such a way that made his heart burn with passion, and then he proposed marriage to your father, and I agreed. The engagement was thus established. What wrong has Ling Buyi committed?!”

Shaoshang couldn’t sit still anymore and said anxiously: “I, I never said he did anything wrong. It’s just, it’s just that he and I truly aren’t compatible! The life I want to live isn’t like this! I want… want…”

Cheng Shi waved his hand, stopping his daughter from continuing.

“When your father was young, I once heard a story. Three hunters entered the mountains and encountered a mountain spirit. The spirit said that meeting was fate itself and allowed the three to each make a wish. The first hunter said he wanted lots and lots of gold, silver, and jewels to become the richest person under heaven. The spirit said ‘easily done, easily done.’ The second hunter said he wanted supreme power to become the emperor of the mortal realm. The spirit said ‘not difficult, not difficult.’ The third hunter thought for a long time before saying he hoped to spend his life doing what he wanted to do, not bound by constraints, not forced or restricted. The spirit fell silent, and only after a long while said ‘this matter is nearly impossible to accomplish.'” Cheng Shi finished the story in one breath.

Shaoshang slowly relaxed her shoulders, looking thoughtful.

Seeing his daughter’s changing expression, Cheng Shi continued: “In this world, everyone hopes to act according to their own wishes, but how many can actually achieve this? Your father dares to say that even His Majesty, honored as the sovereign, has moments of powerlessness. Niaoniao, do you think you can be different from everyone else? Even if you don’t marry Ling Buyi, can you definitely live the life you want?”

These words were truly thunderous and enlightening. Shaoshang felt as if she had been struck heavily in the chest. She opened her mouth and closed it again, truly unable to refute, only managing with difficulty: “I understand Father’s meaning. But things may not be so serious! Lord Ling has exceptional talent and appearance—he’ll surely be able to find a better match…”

Madam Xiao gave a cold snort. Cheng Shi patted his wife soothingly and continued to his daughter: “The Huo clan’s loyalty is unparalleled, their tragedy even surpassing the He family’s. Not to mention that Marquis Huo was also His Majesty’s sworn brother who grew up with him since childhood. All of His Majesty’s guilt and desire to comfort will ultimately fall upon Ling Buyi. Ling Buyi is already twenty-one this year, yet still stands alone without descendants. Before you, he had no intention whatsoever of marriage. You’re such a clever child—can’t you imagine how enthusiastic His Majesty will be about this marriage now?”

Shaoshang replied anxiously yet helplessly: “Lord Ling won’t push the blame onto my family…” In truth, she herself wasn’t certain.

Cheng Shi smiled bitterly, looking at his daughter’s naively confident face, and said: “First, even if Ling Buyi says he himself wants to break the engagement, just last night he rebuked a whole room of Lou family guests for you and shielded you in every way. The guests’ wine hasn’t even worn off yet, and Ling Buyi wants to break the engagement—what do you think others will think?!”

Shaoshang’s heart raced with anxiety, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

“Second, even if Ling Buyi speaks with absolute certainty and conceals it properly—Niaoniao, your father tells you, the most unreasonable thing under heaven is parental love, and the most irresistible is the Emperor’s will. No matter how Ling Buyi explains it, His Majesty will ultimately blame it on you. Blame you for not being able to hold Ling Buyi’s heart, blame you for not being considerate and gentle, blame you for making him feel solitary and alone again. Niaoniao, do you still think it won’t implicate the family?”

Shaoshang gaped speechlessly, her heart in chaotic panic as she twisted her sleeves into a ball.

“Third, you must be very pleased with last night’s words, forcing Ling Buyi to break the engagement himself while you bear none of the responsibility. But how dare you manipulate Ling Buyi like this, making him take all the blame for breaking the engagement? What are you relying on? Aren’t you relying on the fact that Ling Buyi likes you! This is not the conduct of an honorable person. If Ling Buyi is magnanimous and lets the matter rest, that would be fine. But if his resentment turns to hatred and he simply explains everything clearly to His Majesty, then walks away and no longer cares for you, will His Majesty spare our family…” By this point, Comrade Old Cheng’s voice was even trembling.

Shaoshang’s hands clutching her robe sleeves trembled uncontrollably. She finally understood why she had nightmares all night. Deep in her heart, she vaguely knew this matter was extremely dangerous, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“How could your father not understand your heart?” Cheng Shi looked at his daughter trembling like a leaf, his expression filled with pity. “When your father was your age, all I thought about day and night was becoming a carefree wandering knight-errant. But if I had left home, I would have been happy, but with parents growing old and younger siblings still young, in those chaotic war-torn times, they might have starved to death. In life, there are things one does and things one doesn’t do. So I couldn’t leave, and then just continued on this path…”

Shaoshang bit her lip fiercely, tears falling from her eyes.

Cheng Shi sighed: “This isn’t your fault either. That day, your father shouldn’t have been dazzled by imperial favor and wealth, agreeing to the marriage in overwhelming joy…”

“How can you be blamed for this?!” Madam Xiao struck her knee forcefully. “We had just broken the engagement with the Lou family—what excuse could you use to decline His Majesty?! Our daughter had no prior engagement, our family had no mourning period to observe, and the Ling and Cheng families had no recent enmity or past grievances! You father and daughter tell me—when His Majesty spoke with such sincerity, how exactly should we as subjects have declined this marriage?! Should we have said this wretch is used to being willful and doesn’t like being managed by Ling Buyi, so she prefers Lou Yao whom she can order around?!”

“Then it’s our fault.” Cheng Shi stroked his wife’s back, saying gently, “We kept Niaoniao but neglected our duty to discipline her. These ten years she grew up alone with no one to properly teach her, developing this solitary temperament. Naturally, when thinking about things, she wouldn’t consider what’s around her, before and after, or her parents and siblings. This is all our fault!”

Shaoshang cried with tear-blurred eyes, looking toward Old Cheng in confusion, at a loss.

Cheng Shi consoled her: “Niaoniao needn’t worry too much. His Majesty is a magnanimous person—he won’t have our entire family exterminated just because his adopted son’s marriage didn’t work out…”

“Right, he won’t exterminate the family—at most, your official career will come to a halt.” Madam Xiao said coldly.

Shaoshang startled and hurriedly looked at Old Cheng, seeing him lower his head and sigh, as if suddenly aged several years. Her heart ached, and she cried tearfully: “But Father has talent and ability…”

Madam Xiao snorted coldly: “In terms of birth, His Majesty has prestigious aristocratic clans on the left and important ministers of humble origins like General Wu, Marquis Yang, and Ji Zun who followed him from the beginning on the right. In terms of closeness, His Majesty has fellow villagers and classmates who swore to follow him to the death and clansmen before him, and great commanders who later brought heavy troops to join him. Your father does have ability, and His Majesty is willing to use him, but having one more of him isn’t much, and having one less isn’t lacking!”

Seeing his daughter crying severely, Cheng Shi smiled: “Don’t cry, Niaoniao. Your mother and I are not people who covet fame and wealth. At the beginning of the uprising, we only wanted to protect the peace of our village and ensure our family’s warmth and sufficiency. These twenty-some years we’ve fought through blood and fire without dying or losing our family, and even made something of ourselves—we should be content. At worst, we won’t serve as officials anymore. We’ll return home and become country farmers.”

Shaoshang couldn’t even cry anymore at this point, her heart full of guilt.

She herself wasn’t afraid of leaving the capital—it would be like going to an impoverished mountain region to experience life. With Old Cheng’s prestige in the countryside, she could always improve living conditions. But these days, the Cheng family had provided her with good food and drink, caring for her everywhere. And her repayment was cutting off her father and brothers’ futures?

“Stop crying, Niaoniao. You’ve said everything you wanted to say. From now on, let’s see what Ling Buyi has to say.” Cheng Shi sighed deeply. “Qing Cong, escort Niaoniao back and don’t let her cry anymore. Madam and I still have matters to discuss.”

Qing Cong, who had been standing guard at the door, nodded and stepped forward to help up the dazed Shaoshang, slowly leaving.

After the two had gone far, Madam Xiao, who had looked furious, suddenly changed her expression and struck her husband forcefully, saying resentfully: “Why is it always me playing the villain and you the hero! If I hadn’t come out first to scold Niaoniao, would you have just continued playing dumb?”

Cheng Shi stopped sighing and worrying, chuckling: “You have authority, Madam—that natural commanding presence, that imposing aura like a rainbow—how could I compare… Besides, everything we said was true, without falsehood!” Just with some embellishment and dramatization added.

Madam Xiao nodded: “Even if it means our daughter hates me again, we must properly frighten her. Otherwise, she’ll never know the stakes and severity her whole life, truly thinking she can predict everything!”

“Exactly!” Cheng Shi sighed. “Now, whether Ling Buyi can become our son-in-law, I can’t concern myself with that anymore. I only hope Niaoniao will restrain her temperament. Being so self-willed and acting alone like this, she’ll surely suffer greatly in the future.”

After a while, Madam Xiao suddenly said: “Do you think… will Ling Buyi really go to His Majesty to break the engagement because Shaoshang is unwilling?”

Cheng Shi had quite a headache: “Never mind, let’s wait until tomorrow. Given Niaoniao and Ling Buyi’s temperaments, if they truly break the engagement, it may not be a bad thing—better than having a divorce in the future!”

“Divorce?!” Madam Xiao gasped. She couldn’t quite imagine that future.

…

Shaoshang returned to her own quarters, hanging her tears in a daze, letting A’Zhu dress and wash her like a wooden puppet before lying down to rest.

Lying on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time, she fumbled to pull out her beloved green bamboo flute from under the pillow. Draped in her thin silk sleeping robe, she slowly walked to the window and sat down, playing a melancholy tune. The flute’s sound was as sparse and light as a breeze, hesitant and sorrowful.

In the slightly cool early summer night, one could already hear several cicadas chirping—spring had ultimately passed.

“Young Mistress plays so beautifully tonight, but you should sleep early.” A’Zhu asked nothing, only smiled kindly.

Shaoshang shook her head and put down the flute. Without speaking, she only gazed at the courtyard thick with the scent of vegetation, where a delicate white magnolia flower swayed gently among verdant branches and leaves.

—No one had proposed to her, yet the engagement was established. Without formally beginning a relationship, she had to find a way to break up. In a trance, she acknowledged with great difficulty that ultimately, everything was different now.

One couldn’t live in an ivory tower forever. She could no longer stubbornly cling to her own opinions and be self-righteous. How many people could truly live according to their own wishes? Even immortals might not be able to.

The next morning, Shaoshang rose on her own initiative for the first time ever, changing into the fine gauze half-sleeves and thin ramie silk skirt that Ling Buyi had prepared for her long ago. The smoky jade-green fabric made her skin appear like congealed cream, graceful and radiant, yet restrained and unassuming, cautious and humble.

Then, sporting a pair of swollen red eyes, she sat quietly in the room waiting—in the past, without an alarm clock, she could still wake on time and was never late. Only children who are doted upon dare to be willful and reckless. These days, the Cheng family had been too tolerant and comfortable with her, causing her to lose her original vigilance. Different worlds have different rules of the game. She not only had to adapt but also learn to use them without hindrance.

At the end of the hour of Mao, a procession of palace attendants arrived at the Cheng residence bearing the morning frost, announcing an oral decree: ‘The Empress summons Shaoshang, daughter of Lord Cheng, to audience.’ Hearing the announcement in her room, Shaoshang gave a light self-mocking laugh, then allowed maids to help her board the vermillion embroidered palace carriage.

Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao stood at the entrance with servants, seeing their daughter off into the distance. Only when they could no longer see her did Cheng Shi give a light sneer: “So be it. This precious son-in-law of ours—we’ll have to continue enduring him.”

Madam Xiao frowned in silence, her gaze fixed on the alley entrance where the palace carriage procession had disappeared, always feeling she had sent her daughter somewhere very improper. But she had no choice.