“Young Madam! A victory report has arrived from the northern desert!”
The steward of the General’s Residence hurried in from outside the courtyard, his face flushed with excitement, a letter clutched in his hand.
Su Fu took the letter from him, a faint smile appearing on her face. But the further she read, the paler she became. The letter slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground…
Her maid Qiushuang noticed her mistress’s bloodless face. “Miss, what’s wrong? Isn’t it good news that the young master won the battle?”
Su Fu’s eyes were vacant as she murmured, “Qiushuang… he’s dead. Xiao Junhe is dead!”
In the eighteenth year of Jingwen, General Xiao defeated the enemy forces of Xiling. Afterward, Xiling presented a letter of surrender and promised not to invade Nansang’s borders for ten years.
Xiao Junhe traded his life for ten years of peace for Nansang. His life, however, was forever frozen in the eighteenth year of Jingwen.
Not a single citizen of Nansang failed to lament the loss of the young general—a brilliant talent gone far too soon.
The General’s Residence fell into lifeless silence, stripped of its former vitality.
One day, Su Fu entered Xiao Junhe’s study.
She had never come here before. In the past, Xiao Junhe had never allowed her inside.
In the inner chamber of the study, she discovered a painting: a little girl about eight years old, wearing a peach-red dress embroidered with a lifelike butterfly at the hem.
The girl stood beneath a peach blossom tree, her brows and eyes filled with laughter.
Su Fu stared at the painting in disbelief.
The girl in the painting… wasn’t that herself?
An uncontrollable ache seized her heart. Her voice trembled. “Xiao Junhe… you fool. You fool…”
Just then, a book fell from behind the painting. Its yellowed cover showed its age.
Su Fu picked it up, her fingers trembling as she opened it.
“Today, I almost thought I would drown. Luckily, a little girl saved me! She said her name was A’Fu. It’s my fault I didn’t ask where she lived. I wonder if I’ll ever see her again.”
“Today, I’m so happy! I met A’Fu again. I wanted to go up and speak to her, but there were so many people around her… I heard someone call her ‘Eldest Miss Su.’ So she is the legitimate eldest daughter of Lord Su—Su Fu.”
“Today, I overheard the Second Prince say that His Majesty intends to betroth the Su family’s eldest daughter to Wu Yuan, the fifth son of Duke Wu. How can she marry Wu Yuan? He’s a notorious playboy in the capital—frequenting brothels, lustful and unrestrained. He is no good match. I cannot let her marry into a pit of fire.”
“Today, I entered the palace and used my military merits to request an imperial decree of marriage. His Majesty agreed. But I sought the decree without her consent… I wonder if she will blame me.”
Tears fell drop by drop onto the pages. Su Fu gently traced each line with her fingers, clutching the yellowed paper tightly in her palm. Her lips trembled as she whispered, “So we met so long ago… So the imperial marriage decree was something you requested with your military merits… So that’s how it was…”
Moonlight streamed into the study, illuminating Su Fu sitting alone in the corner. She sat quietly by the window, staring blankly at the moonlit sky, memories of the past surging forth, an indescribable pain swelling in her heart.
Three years later.
A struggle for the throne broke out, and the Xiao family was dragged into it.
In the twenty-first year of Jingwen, the Crown Prince ascended the throne. All the men of the Xiao family were executed beneath the city gates; the women were exiled.
For generations, the Xiao family had protected the people of Nansang and defended its borders. Whether foreign enemies invaded or internal chaos erupted, the Xiao family always rushed to the front lines without hesitation, using their lives to safeguard the land and its people.
Yet they met such an end—how unjust and chilling!
Su Fu died on the road to exile. In her final moments, she saw once more the day she married Xiao Junhe.
The young general had handsome features, standing straight with arms at his sides, posture tall and proud. His gaze was firm. A gentle breeze brushed across his cold yet striking face, lifting a few strands of hair, making him appear all the more spirited and youthful.
How could she not love such a fine young man?
A tender, longing smile appeared in Su Fu’s eyes. “Xiao Junhe… if there is a next life, I will still marry you!”
…
Su Residence, within the Lanxiang Pavilion.
“Miss is awake! Sister Qiushuang, Miss is awake!”
The excited voice of the young maid Qiuxue rang out from inside the room. Another maid hurried in.
“Is Miss really awake?” Qiushuang asked anxiously.
Qiuxue’s eyes were red, her voice choked with tears. “Really! Truly! Miss has been unconscious for two days—she’s finally awake!”
Su Fu looked at the two maids before her, momentarily stunned.
Qiushuang had once been married off to the steward’s son and died less than two years later. Qiuxue had followed her into the General’s Residence and died protecting her during the chaos of the Crown Prince’s usurpation.
So what was happening now? Had she died—and that was why she could see them again?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Qiushuang’s voice.
“Qiuxue, hurry and inform Madam that Miss is awake. Go fetch the physician to examine her.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll go at once.”
“Wait!” Su Fu called out.
She gently lifted the blanket, feeling the warmth of her body.
“Why was I unconscious for two days?”
“Mi–Miss, don’t you remember?” Qiushuang stammered, her usually steady voice now flustered.
“Miss, you broke Second Miss’s bracelet and were punished by Master to kneel. Then you got caught in the rain and developed a high fever, so you were unconscious for two days! Don’t you remember?” Qiuxue said tearfully.
Broke a bracelet? Punished to kneel?
Su Fu recalled Qiuxue’s words, her heart racing. “Qiuxue, what year is it now?”
“Miss, it’s already the hour of Shen.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking—what year of Jingwen is it?”
Qiushuang and Qiuxue exchanged glances.
“It’s the sixteenth year of Jingwen, Miss,” Qiuxue replied.
“The sixteenth year of Jingwen… the sixteenth year…” Su Fu pressed her cracked lips together, murmuring softly.
As she spoke, tears streamed down again. “Thank Heaven for giving me this chance!”
In her previous life, Su Zhe—her father—had tried to marry her off to Wu Yuan for the sake of profit. Wu Yuan was a notorious dandy in the capital. Though his family background was illustrious, no woman was willing to marry him.
If Xiao Junhe hadn’t ultimately obtained the imperial decree, she truly would have married Wu Yuan!
Only near her death in her previous life did Su Fu realize that Wu Yuan was not as simple as he appeared.
Wu Yuan had long colluded with the Crown Prince.
His frequent visits to brothels and taverns were merely a cover—they were meeting places for the Crown Prince and people from Xiling.
A few years later, the Crown Prince rebelled with Xiling’s support and successfully took the throne.
After ascending the throne, he made Su Qing empress.
Soon after, he accused the Xiao family of colluding with the enemy and rebelling, ordering the execution of all Xiao men and the Xuanjia Army led by the Grand General who defended the nation.
The women of the Xiao family were exiled.
It wasn’t until the day before exile that Su Fu learned that her half-sister Su Qing had long been involved with the Crown Prince, and that the Su family had already sided with him.
Wearing a phoenix crown and dressed in magnificent robes, Su Qing stood before her.
“Elder Sister, I’ve come on behalf of Father and Mother to see you. After all… it may be difficult to see you again in the future.” She let out a light laugh.
“Father said that since you married into the Xiao family, you are now a Xiao wife. Now that the Xiao family dared to commit treason, Father can no longer protect you. He hopes you won’t blame him.”
Perhaps she had long anticipated such an outcome. At this moment, Su Fu felt calm—without resentment or fury.
She lifted her gaze coldly, her dark eyes deep and piercing as they fixed on Su Qing.
“The Xiao family committed treason? You and I both know who truly rebelled. Why put on this hypocritical act here?”