Jingguo, Yujing.
In the main hall of the Princess’s Mansion.
“Xie Yuheng, can you not abandon me at our engagement banquet?”
Shen Zhaoli, dressed in a gold-embroidered, front-opening luo skirt with a phoenix-tail pattern, tugged at the corner of Xie Yuheng’s sleeve. Her eyes were downcast, her voice trembling slightly.
“Just this once. I’m only asking you to stay this one time…”
Xie Yuheng’s brow furrowed slightly. He raised his arm, pulling his sleeve from her grasp.
“Don’t be difficult. Xi’er is frail and has been sickly since childhood. She has always relied on me. If she’s alright, I’ll be back soon.”
Watching Xie Yuheng leave the Princess’s Mansion with hurried steps and without a single look back, Shen Zhaoli’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile that flashed in her phoenix eyes.
Su Qingxi was Xie Yuheng’s childhood friend, delicate and prone to illness. Ever since he was appointed Prime Minister of the first rank, he had brought her into the Prime Minister’s Mansion to recuperate.
She had lost count of how many times Xie Yuheng had abandoned her for Su Qingxi.
Today was her birthday, and also their engagement banquet.
The entire court, civil and military, along with the powerful and noble of Yujing, had gathered at the Princess’s Mansion, all waiting for the two of them to appear together and receive the imperial decree of marriage from her Imperial Brother.
Yet, he had left. All because a servant came to report: “Miss Su is so heartbroken over her dead pet dog that she refuses to eat.”
He had cast everything aside and, ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop him, rushed back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion to comfort her.
Three years of devoted love, and he had personally promised to marry her.
And now this. Where did that leave her?
Lowering her gaze to hide her expression, Shen Zhaoli shed her red attire and entered the imperial palace in her Jade Carriage.
At their engagement banquet, Xie Yuheng had flicked his sleeves and left, disregarding her and, even more so, the face of the imperial family.
Since the falling flowers pine for the heartless stream, why must she remain obsessed with one person?
Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Shen Zhijin’s brow was furrowed with anger.
“The King of Beiliang has some nerve! How dare he use the diplomatic relations between our two nations as a threat, demanding my Li’er for a political marriage? What a pipe dream!”
Shen Zhaoli, standing at the door, paused for a moment and stopped the eunuch who was about to announce her.
“But Your Majesty, although Dajing and Beiliang are comparable in national strength, the people of Beiliang prioritize martial prowess, and their military is stronger than Dajing’s. If a war were to truly break out…”
The sound of a teacup shattering echoed from within the hall, followed by Shen Zhijin’s furious voice.
“Does my Dajing need to sacrifice a woman to maintain peace? I would sooner lead the troops into battle myself than allow anyone to wrong my sister!”
“If you dare speak such nonsense again and it reaches Li’er’s ears, do not blame me for being merciless!”
A pang of bitterness touched Shen Zhaoli’s heart, and she pressed her red lips together.
As the Grand Princess of Dajing, she had chased after Xie Yuheng and done countless things that brought shame to the imperial family’s dignity. She had never once fulfilled her duty as a princess of the nation.
But her Imperial Brother had indulged her, and the common people had been tolerant. Not a single person had ever criticized her.
All these years, she had been showered with endless love and favor.
Now, it was time for her to repay it.
“Imperial Brother, I am willing to go to Beiliang for the political marriage.”
Shen Zhijin was stunned for a moment, then a smile bloomed on his face as he strode over.
“What nonsense are you speaking? The imperial decree for your marriage to Xie Yuheng has already been drafted. Is my Li’er getting impatient? Imperial Brother will return to the Princess’s Mansion with you right now.”
Shen Zhaoli shook her head, her cool eyes revealing an innate pride.
“I am the Grand Princess of Dajing, supported and loved by the people. Now that the nation is in peril, how can I be preoccupied with personal romance?”
“Imperial Brother need not say more. My mind is made up.”
Shen Zhijin fell silent for a moment, but still pressed the marriage decree into Shen Zhaoli’s hand, his tone uncharacteristically grave.
“The procession from Beiliang to welcome the bride will arrive in the capital in three months. But Li’er, you must remember, as long as you are unwilling, no one can force you.”
“If one day you regret this, this imperial edict is your way out.”
After watching Shen Zhaoli leave, Grand Eunuch Wu Yu walked briskly to Shen Zhijin’s side and reported in a low voice, “Your Majesty, someone reported that Prime Minister Xie abandoned Her Highness at her engagement banquet and returned to the Prime Minister’s Mansion alone.”
Shen Zhijin’s brow tightened, a flash of anger in his eyes.
No wonder Li’er had suddenly come to the palace today and changed her mind.
That Xie Yuheng was a true bastard!
If not for the fact that Li’er’s heart belonged to him, he would have had to punish him severely.
“For now, do not announce the matter of Li’er’s political marriage.”
…
On her way out of the palace, Shen Zhaoli did not take the Jade Carriage, but walked out of the imperial city step by step.
In three more months, she would have to leave Yujing, leave Jingguo.
Although she was unwilling to betray her Imperial Brother’s profound love and care for her and had accepted the marriage decree, she knew in her heart that from the moment Xie Yuheng abandoned her at her birthday banquet, she would never look back.
A few years ago, the Western Regions had offered a tribute: a small, pure white dog that would never grow large. It was lively, adorable, clever, and understood people.
Seeing how much she liked it, her Imperial Brother had gifted it to her, and she named it Yueya’er.
In front of Xie Yuheng, Su Qingxi had mentioned her envy just once, and Xie Yuheng had gone to great lengths to find her a similar-looking Chow Chow.
Unfortunately, it was not the same precious breed from the Western Regions. Su Qingxi hadn’t had it for long before it grew bigger and bigger. Its fluffy fur made it look quite delightful.
At last year’s Shangyuan Festival Banquet, Xie Yuheng brought Su Qingxi with him.
The Chow Chow mauled her Yueya’er to death.
Xie Yuheng had shielded a terrified Su Qingxi, his tone cold.
“It’s just an animal. Why make such a fuss?”
For Xie Yuheng’s sake, she didn’t want to blow the matter out of proportion and personally buried the mangled body of Yueya’er.
At that time, Xie Yuheng had scoffed at her grief, focusing only on comforting the self-reproachful and guilty Su Qingxi.
Now that a similar thing had happened to Su Qingxi, Xie Yuheng’s attitude had completely changed. He was utterly heartbroken.
It was simply that he didn’t care, so he never noticed.
Xie Yuheng treated Su Qingxi like the apple of his eye, yet he regarded her as a worn-out shoe.
Why should she debase herself any longer?
“Your Highness, it is rumored that the King of Beiliang is fickle and unrestrained, his thoughts inscrutable and his methods ruthless. Are you truly going through with the political marriage?” Mi Ning asked, following behind Shen Zhaoli with a worried expression.
Shen Zhaoli’s expression was gentle, and as her gaze shifted, she looked like a goddess from the highest heavens.
“Your parents and relatives are all in Yujing. When the time comes, you don’t have to go with me.”
Mi Ning’s eyes reddened, and her voice grew anxious. “What is Your Highness saying? This servant is deeply indebted to you. No matter where you go, this servant will follow you. I am just heartbroken for you, Your Highness.”
“Fifteen years ago, the late Emperor and Empress disappeared one after another, and chaos reigned both inside and outside the court.”
“And that disaster the traitors plotted in the palace five years ago… if you hadn’t told me to hide with His Majesty first, how could I have survived to this day?”
“But because of that, you were captured by those villains and wandered outside for a year, suffering greatly. You’ve only just returned to the palace for a few good years, and now you’re about to fall into a pit of fire…”
At the mention of the past, Shen Zhaoli couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback.
She had first met Xie Yuheng when she was wandering destitute.
The villain who had captured her hadn’t done much, only locked her in a dark dungeon for over half a year.
She had figured out all the guard rotation schedules and, after many attempts, finally managed to escape.
But because she hadn’t seen daylight for so long, her eyes were damaged, and she was nearly sold off by human traffickers.
It was Xie Yuheng who saved her. He even hired a carriage and arranged for people to escort her back to Yujing.
Later, her eyes were healed.
When they met again, it had been a year since her return to the imperial palace.
At that time, her Imperial Brother had conferred upon Xie Yuheng the title of Prime Minister, head of all officials, and held a Qujiang Banquet in the palace.
That day, he wore a purple official robe embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes, a jade crown on his head. He was as cold and outstanding as pure snow on a mountain peak, making one feel he was utterly unattainable. He was not ostentatious, yet he possessed an aura that could not be ignored.
Mindful of the life-saving grace from that year, she had always tried to get close to Xie Yuheng, throwing her entire heart at him.
But he seemed to have forgotten that he had once saved a little girl who was on the verge of being sold. He was always so cold and distant toward her.
Only when he looked at his childhood friend, Su Qingxi, would a hint of gentleness appear in his eyes.
For these three years, there wasn’t a moment she didn’t hope that Xie Yuheng would remember her.
Now, it seemed it no longer mattered.
Shen Zhaoli let out a soft breath and, with Mi Ning, boarded the Jade Carriage back to the Princess’s Mansion.
The sky was darkening, and the guests had long since dispersed.
The vast Princess’s Mansion, without the daytime clamor, was deserted and silent.
The servants’ gossip became all the more distinct.
“Our princess is a woman of astonishing talent and peerless beauty. Why is His Excellency the Prime Minister so fond of that plain Miss Su?”
“Isn’t that the truth? Today was so important, yet His Excellency the Prime Minister still abandoned the princess to go back to that childhood friend, leaving the princess in an impossible position.”
“Even a fool can see that His Excellency the Prime Minister’s heart lies with Miss Su, yet he keeps insisting she’s just like a sister.”
“Pity our wonderful princess. A heart full of devotion, given to the wrong person.”
Shen Zhaoli’s expression faltered. That’s right, it was something even a fool could see.
Yet it had taken her three years to see it clearly.
It was long past time for her to let go.