What would you do if, one day, you discovered that everyone around you had been putting on an act?
Your parents, your friends, your loyal servants, even the person you loved—all of them were fake.
Tang Jiayu had never imagined that her world would come crashing down overnight.
Before that, she’d lived the kind of happy, charmed life usually reserved for the heroine of a storybook.
She had been born into a wealthy merchant family. After years in business, her father, Tang Guangcheng, had accumulated a respectable fortune. He wasn’t rich enough to scatter gold like dirt, but there was more than enough to keep Tang Jiayu clothed in fine silks and fed on delicacies for the rest of her life.
Her mother had died many years ago, but Tang Guangcheng, devoted to his late wife, had never remarried or taken a concubine. Tang Jiayu was his only child, with no half-siblings to compete with her. From childhood onward, she had enjoyed the undivided affection of everyone around her.
She was beautiful, with raven-black hair and snow-white skin, bright eyes and pearly teeth. She resembled a luxuriant peony in full bloom, her beauty vibrant and overflowing with life.
At home, she had a childhood sweetheart of a cousin who was always eager to run errands for her.
Outside, there was the young lord of Youzhou, born into a powerful aristocratic family, who was hopelessly lovesick over her.
Every day, Tang Jiayu’s greatest problem was this:
What was a girl supposed to do when all her suitors were so outstanding?
They competed for her attention, jealous of one another, engaging in open and covert warfare.
It was honestly quite difficult for her.
Tang Jiayu was thoroughly satisfied with her life as everyone’s darling.
Until one day—
she discovered that everyone around her seemed to have been arranged in advance.
And all those men had been pretending to love her.
It had been an utterly ordinary day in the ninth year of Shengping.
That year, Gao Bing, the military governor of Huainan, was imprisoned by his own subordinate. Huainan descended into chaos, with starving refugees killing one another for food. Zhang Jian seized Yizhou, while Tian Youxian, the emperor’s powerful protector and the dominant figure at the Xizong court, was defeated and killed.
The imperial court had no power to stop the wars between the regional military governors. All it could do was wait until the outcome had already been decided, then ceremonially go through the motions of granting military appointments and seals.
That year, Guanzhong suffered a severe drought, while Hedong was particularly badly hit. The army had no food, morale was unstable, and the Chidan people had begun raiding southward. Yunzhou was under emergency threat.
And at this critical moment, Li Jichen, the military governor of Hedong, fell ill as well. He had not received any visitors for half a month.
That year, Tang Jiayu was seventeen.
Winter had come early.
A heavy snowfall arrived suddenly in the eleventh month. Tang Jiayu caught a chill and had spent several days sick in bed. Today, at last, her spirits had returned.
She changed into a red-and-white *bapo* skirt, a rabbit-fur jacket embroidered with auspicious jewel motifs, and tied her hair with a red ribbon.
Every step sent red and white swaying together, jade pendants chiming at her waist. She looked like a koi fish swimming through a painted pond.
Illness had done nothing to diminish her beauty. If anything, it had lent her a touch of the delicate, wistful grace of Xi Shi clutching her heart.
Satisfied, Tang Jiayu set down her mirror and asked, “Has anything happened outside while I’ve been recovering?”
Zhexia stood directly behind her.
It was such a simple question, yet Zhexia visibly froze.
Her expression changed.
She stammered.
Tang Jiayu asked again.
Even the other maids began looking over.
Zhenchun hurried forward and, without making it obvious, bumped Zhexia aside. She took a box down from the cabinet and said, “My lady, Cousin Young Master heard you were ill and was terribly worried. He’s been sending things over these past few days without stopping.”
Tang Jiayu glanced into the wooden box.
There were jeweled hairpins and ornaments, rouge and powder, snacks and sweets—everything a young lady could possibly enjoy.
Her cousin was as thoughtful as ever.
But he sent the same things every year.
It was beginning to feel rather tedious.
Tang Jiayu idly stirred through the contents, less than impressed.
“What else?”
For a fleeting instant, Tang Jiayu thought she saw something dark pass through Zhenchun’s eyes, as though the maid were displeased by her dismissive attitude.
But Tang Jiayu blinked.
Zhenchun was smiling gently as before.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of disrespect.
“Young Master Wang knows you get bored easily, so he specially had a skylark sent here from Youzhou. They say it’s a sacred bird from the Chidan grasslands, gifted with a beautiful song and remarkable flying skills. Would you like to see it?”
Tang Jiayu became interested.
“Bring it here.”
Zhanqiu carried in the birdcage.
But the so-called sacred grassland bird looked listless, repeatedly throwing itself against the bars.
Tang Jiayu saw that it had already struck its head hard enough to draw blood.
Her heart ached.
“What happened to it? Quickly, call a physician. No—”
Her eyes turned.
On a sudden impulse, she said, “Prepare the carriage. I’m going to the Youzhou Residence. I’ll ask Young Master Wang myself.”
The “Young Master Wang” Tang Jiayu meant was Wang Rong, heir to Youzhou.
The Wang family had been a military clan for five generations. Wang Rong’s grandfather, Wang Jin, had become military governor of Youzhou during a military coup.
Because Wang Jin was known for observing propriety and keeping his principles—and because he was handsome—he won the favor of Emperor Qixuan. He had even married the emperor’s daughter, Princess Shou’an.
With that imperial connection, the Wang family stood apart from the other regional military clans, where heroes and bandits alike held sway.
Wang Rong was the eldest grandson of Wang Jin and Princess Shou’an, and the eldest legitimate son of the current military governor of Youzhou.
He was as elegant as orchids in a noble courtyard, as clear as moonlight and pure as mountain water. Clever from childhood, he had received an imperial appointment practically from the moment he was born.
He was a prodigy among prodigies, the perfect husband among perfect husbands.
Rumor had it that he was even the preferred marriage prospect of many noble young ladies in Chang’an.
Tang Jiayu and Wang Rong had met purely by chance.
That day, she had been seized by exactly the same whim as today and insisted on going out to buy Li Ji’s soup noodles.
When she reached Wuwei Street, a crowd blocked the road.
Only then did she learn that Li Jichen, the military governor of Hedong, had invited the young lord of Youzhou to visit Bingzhou.
And that very day happened to be Wang Rong’s arrival.
A group of burly soldiers surrounded his carriage.
Inside sat Wang Rong, tall and slender, his complexion cool and pale as moonlight. A distant, melancholy chill seemed to linger around him.
Tang Jiayu happened to look up.
She was struck dumb by his beauty.
From that moment onward, she became determined to make Wang Rong her husband.
Tang Jiayu knew perfectly well that some people would say she was getting above herself.
The Tang family had a little money, but the gulf between their social statuses was as wide as a chasm.
What was Wang Rong’s position?
How could someone like him possibly take an interest in a merchant’s daughter?
But Tang Jiayu firmly believed she was different.
She was clever.
She was beautiful.
Everyone loved her.
Every person she had ever met, man or woman, had liked her.
And there was practically nothing she wanted that she couldn’t obtain.
So Wang Rong would certainly fall in love with her too.
Completely confident in her own charms, Tang Jiayu boldly began engineering “chance encounters” wherever Wang Rong was likely to appear.
No one could stop her.
After she’d “accidentally” run into him several times, Wang Rong really did initiate a conversation with her.
Before long, he began sending letters to her residence from time to time.
Tang Jiayu no longer had to leave the house to chase after him herself.
She was extremely satisfied with the progress of her husband-selection campaign.
As for the childhood sweetheart who already lived in the household, her extremely possessive cousin Jiang Jun…
Well.
She’d keep him on the hook for now.
Wang Rong was excellent, but he was, after all, the son of the military governor of Youzhou. Perhaps their social standings were simply too far apart.
She had a family fortune to inherit.
Until the final step, it was better not to scare the fish away.
When the people in the room heard that Tang Jiayu intended to go personally to the Youzhou Residence, they were all startled.
Zhenchun and Zhexia exchanged a glance and hurried forward to stop her.
“My lady, you can’t. It’s only a bird. We can have the Wang residence send a bird trainer over. Why do you need to go yourself?”
“Exactly. Things are rather chaotic outside right now…”
Zhexia suddenly fell silent.
Tang Jiayu hadn’t reacted yet when Zhanqiu frowned.
“What do you mean, chaotic?”
Tang Jiayu had four senior maids around her—Zhenchun, Zhexia, Zhanqiu, and Zhandong—who were practically inseparable from her. They enjoyed better food, clothing, and living conditions than young ladies in ordinary families.
Of the four, Zhanqiu was the quietest.
After hearing Zhexia’s words, she calmly headed toward the door.
At that moment, a young servant came rushing in.
The snow outside was thick, yet his footing was steady and his strides firm. Even after running all the way there, he wasn’t out of breath when he spoke.
“This is bad! The Tiger-Wolf Battalion has entered the commander’s compound and replaced all the guards! We’ve heard rumors from inside that the military governor has died. They’re putting Wei Chengjun in temporary command of Bingzhou!”
“Wei Chengjun?”
Zhanqiu frowned.
A sharp alertness appeared on her face that was utterly at odds with the appearance of an ordinary maid.
“The commander’s residence already has a young lord. Why would they need someone from the Wei family to take temporary command?”
Zhenchun said, “Madam Wei is the military governor’s younger sister. The Wei family has always been fiercely loyal to the governor, and Young General Wei Chengjun is practically like his own son. The young lord isn’t in the city right now. Perhaps the governor feared someone might take advantage of the situation, so he entrusted Young General Wei with command of Bingzhou.”
The Son of Heaven in Chang’an.
The Wei family’s household troops.
Those words summed up the current political situation.
Although the emperor of Great Qi was still the Son of Heaven in name, the dynasty’s fortunes had declined after two flights south. Imperial orders could barely make it out of Chang’an.
Across the realm, military governors had assumed the role of defending the empire in the emperor’s name. Over the years, they had amassed private armies, grown increasingly independent, and ceased obeying imperial commands.
The tail had grown too large for the dog to control.
Tang Jiayu lived in Bingzhou, under the rule of Li Jichen, the military governor of Hedong.
Hedong was the most powerful military command in the north.
When the maids spoke of the military governor, they meant Li Jichen.
And when they spoke of the young lord, they meant Li Jichen’s only son—
Li Zhaoji.
Li Zhaoji’s grandfather and father had both marched south twice to suppress rebellions. Their cavalry had swept across the Central Plains and suffered few defeats.
Li Zhaoji had entered the battlefield at the age of ten.
At twelve, he had already commanded troops.
Now, at only seventeen, he was the latest rising war god in a family that had produced one after another.
For three generations, the men of the Li family had been fiercely ambitious and ferociously martial, clawing their way from humble origins until the Li clan became the undisputed power of the north.
Thanks to this military governor, Bingzhou could still be considered a peaceful and prosperous place despite the weakening court and the increasingly chaotic world.
In her seventeen years of life, Tang Jiayu had barely seen a weapon.
She had hardly even heard of war.
The Tang residence was like a paradise isolated from the world.
There was plenty to eat and wear. Her parents loved one another. The inner household was simple. The servants were obedient.
Everything was as beautiful as it could possibly be.
The turmoil and betrayals of the outside world seemed impossibly distant, as though they could never touch her.
As the only daughter destined to inherit the family fortune, Tang Jiayu could easily sympathize with Li Zhaoji, who was also an only child.
Without giving it much thought, she blurted out:
“Could the Wei family be planning a rebellion?”
The atmosphere in the room froze.
Several maids simultaneously turned to stare at her.
Tang Jiayu couldn’t understand why they were looking at her so seriously.
She didn’t care much about politics, but even she could see the logic here.
“Li Jichen is practically an emperor in Hedong. If he wanted women, how many could he have? Yet the military governor’s residence hasn’t had a new mistress in years. Publicly, there’s only ever been one young lord—Li Zhaoji. That shows how much Li Jichen values him and how deliberately he’s been paving the way for his son.
“Even if he dotes on his sister and his nephew, they can’t possibly outrank his own son.
“If Li Jichen really felt that his end was near, he’d summon Li Zhaoji back to Bingzhou immediately. How could he possibly hand his authority to an outsider?
“I suspect the Wei family has ulterior motives. They’re taking advantage of the absence of a leader, forging his final instructions, taking control of the city’s defenses, and trying to seize the position of military governor of Hedong.”
Tang Jiayu had thought she was doing nothing more than discussing an ordinary piece of gossip, no different from the stories of wives and concubines fighting one another in popular tales.
But the moment she finished speaking, the expressions of her four maids changed dramatically.
Tang Jiayu looked them over, puzzled.
“Why are you all so worried? Whether it’s the Li family or the Wei family, neither of them is your master.”
The instant she finished speaking, hurried, heavy footsteps sounded outside.
Tang Jiayu turned.
It was Jiang Chan.
She had grown accustomed to the woman and immediately smiled.
“Aunt Jiang, what brings you here?”
Jiang Chan had been her mother’s dowry maid.
After Jiang Shi died, Jiang Chan remained at the Tang residence to care for Tang Jiayu, sacrificing her own chance at marriage. She had never married and had no children, living alone to this day.
Tang Jiayu could no longer remember her mother’s face.
As far back as she could remember, Jiang Chan had been the one caring for her.
Jiang Chan was always stern and never particularly affectionate toward her. She was somewhat rigid in the way she handled things, too.
But Tang Jiayu remembered all the years of labor Jiang Chan had devoted to her. She had never treated her like an ordinary servant.
In public and in private, she always respectfully called her “Aunt Jiang.”
The entire management of the inner household was in Jiang Chan’s hands.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say she enjoyed a mistress’s status within the residence.
But Jiang Chan did not return Tang Jiayu’s smile.
Her face remained cold.
“The commander’s compound has fallen into chaos. Bingzhou is no longer safe. My lady, come with me. We need to move you somewhere else.”
Her voice was hard.
It didn’t sound like concern.
It sounded like an order.
Before Tang Jiayu could even object, Jiang Chan seized her hand and pulled her toward the door.
Tang Jiayu frowned.
“Wait! I haven’t packed my things!”
The other maids, however, looked strangely relieved.
Zhanqiu caught up and tied Tang Jiayu’s cloak around her.
“My lady, don’t worry. Go ahead. We’ll bring your valuables and clothes over later.”
As Zhanqiu spoke, she caught a faint scent that didn’t belong.
Her eyes lowered.
There was a dark bloodstain on Jiang Chan’s sleeve.
Zhanqiu froze.
She looked up.
At precisely that moment, her eyes met Jiang Chan’s.
Neither woman hesitated.
They struck simultaneously.
Tang Jiayu merely glanced away for an instant.
A flash of white streaked past her eyes.
Zhanqiu had somehow produced a short blade from nowhere and thrust it straight toward Jiang Chan’s wrist.
Jiang Chan was forced to release Tang Jiayu.
But she immediately shouted an order.
The household servants behind her drew their weapons in unison and lunged toward Tang Jiayu.
Tang Jiayu barely had time to be shocked that Zhanqiu knew martial arts before she was even more stunned to see Zhenchun and Zhexia join the fight.
But they weren’t trying to stop the fighting.
They weren’t protecting Tang Jiayu.
They turned around and attacked Zhanqiu and Zhandong instead.
Tang Jiayu stood there dumbfounded, practically convinced she was dreaming.
What was happening?
Zhenchun, Zhexia, Zhanqiu, and Zhandong all knew martial arts?
Even Aunt Jiang did?
Zhanqiu’s skill was formidable. She single-handedly held off the others and shouted at the frozen Tang Jiayu:
“My lady, run! Don’t trust anyone! Leave the city immediately and find the young lord!”
Jiang Chan shouted almost simultaneously:
“My lady, don’t trust her! You are a princess of the current dynasty, not a merchant’s daughter! They were sent by Li Jichen to spy on you. They’ve been watching you all these years, intending to use you to achieve their ambitions. Only Cousin Young Master has ever truly cared for you!”
Zhanqiu suddenly understood.
She shouted furiously:
“You betrayed the military governor and went over to Wei Chengjun!”
Tang Jiayu was being pulled back and forth by both sides. She stumbled several steps, her mind buzzing.
Zhanqiu hadn’t denied what Aunt Jiang said.
So she really was a princess?
A princess was the daughter of the emperor, far away in Chang’an.
But she was clearly surnamed Tang.
Her name was Tang Jiayu.
Her father, Tang Guangcheng, was a benevolent merchant who loved helping others.
Her mother, Jiang Lan, had been the daughter of a schoolteacher. She and Tang Guangcheng had been betrothed as infants and, after traveling thousands of miles, had married into Bingzhou.
Her mother had died of illness when Tang Jiayu was three.
There were her mother’s belongings in the Tang residence.
There were the toys she’d played with as a child.
Could all of it have been fake?
Then, in the seventeen years of her life—
which of the people she’d met had been real?
Which of the things she’d heard had been true?
Tang Jiayu looked around the warm, exquisite room she had always called her boudoir.
Suddenly, a bone-deep chill swept through her.
She turned and ran.
Aunt Jiang tried to catch her.
But Zhanqiu clearly wasn’t trustworthy either.
Li Zhaoji and Li Jichen were father and son, cut from the same cloth.
She absolutely could not go to them.
Wait.
The skylark Wang Rong had sent her!
The Wang family had imperial blood in its ancestry.
Whether or not she really was a princess, perhaps she could escape by seeking help from Youzhou.
In the chaos, Tang Jiayu grabbed the birdcage and ran.
Relying on her intimate knowledge of the residence, she darted through the maze of interconnected corridors.
As she ran, she tore off her hair ribbon, bit her fingertip, and hurriedly wrote a single word—
Help.
She tied it to the skylark’s leg and opened the cage.
The sacred bird from the grasslands shook its wings and vanished swiftly into the hazy veil of snow.
Tang Jiayu watched the tiny black speck until it was almost impossible to see and silently prayed.
She had no idea whether the skylark could find its way home.
Heaven above, please.
Please let it reach Wang Rong.
Unfortunately, heaven did not hear Tang Jiayu’s prayer.
The moment she finished praying, she turned around—
and walked straight into an icy wall.
Tang Jiayu looked up in surprise.
A man stood before her in full armor, his face grim and murderous.
Behind him, fully armed soldiers surrounded the courtyard in an instant.
Tang Jiayu froze.
Her first instinct was to call out, “Cousin.”
Then she remembered Jiang Chan and Zhanqiu’s words.
Her entire body jolted awake.
The man in front of her was looking down at her.
Perhaps “looking” wasn’t quite the right word.
He was staring.
Like a beast licking its prey with its eyes before pouncing, his gaze measured and coveted her.
There was not a trace of kindness in it.
Her cousin’s name was Jiang Jun.
His entire family had been killed during a bandit uprising. When Tang Jiayu was ten, he had come to seek refuge at the Tang residence.
After that, he remained constantly at her side.
He had been Tang Jiayu’s most devoted suitor.
So devoted that it had seemed he never even needed to make an effort to maintain his position.
But today, for the first time, Tang Jiayu truly saw how cold his eyes were.
How thin and merciless his lips looked.
How had she never thought of this before?
If her cousin’s entire family had been killed, if he had fallen so low that he had no choice but to seek refuge with his maternal aunt’s family, then how could he possibly be so skilled at riding and archery?
How could he have mastered such formidable martial arts?
He had lived under the Tang roof, but had never involved himself in the Tang family’s business.
And yet he never seemed short of money.
Every festival, Tang Jiayu had received gifts from him without fail.
Jiang Jun.
Wei Chengjun.
He hadn’t even changed his courtesy name.
By now, how could Tang Jiayu fail to understand?
Her cousin’s real name was Wei Chengjun.
He was the very man behind this military coup.
The north wind swept snow through the courtyard.
Tang Jiayu’s white fox-fur cloak was like a lone boat on a raging sea, liable to be dragged beneath the waves at any moment.
She was freezing from head to toe.
And yet she still forced a smile.
Her voice turned intimate and coaxing.
“Cousin, what took you so long? The maids suddenly started treating me so disrespectfully just now. They scared me half to death.”
She spoke in a sweet, almost spoiled tone while quietly retreating.
Unfortunately, she had taken only two steps when the man seized her.
Tang Jiayu had always known her cousin was tall, broad-shouldered, and strong.
But the force now clamped around her arm was so great it felt as though her bones might snap.
Only then did she realize—
When he’d wrestled and played around with her in the past, he’d been far, far too gentle.
Pain shot through Tang Jiayu.
She bristled like a hedgehog, abandoning all pretense of being a charming, delicate younger cousin.
“Let me go!”
Wei Chengjun gave a cold laugh.
Ignoring her struggles, he easily dragged her toward the outside.
“You’re not as stupid as I imagined, Cousin.”
He paused.
“Or should I call you Her Highness the Princess?”