Beichen Kingdom, southwestern border, Han City, General’s Residence.
Moonlight flowed like water, the night was enchanting.
Inside the bridal chamber, red candles flickered, and double happiness characters adorned the walls.
The bride, dressed in wedding attire and veiled with a red head covering, sat quietly by the bed.
“Creak…”
The door of the bridal chamber was pushed open from the outside, and the groom staggered in.
The bride nervously gripped the corner of her wedding dress, her breathing growing rapid as the footsteps drew nearer.
The groom exhaled a breath of alcohol, glanced at the person sitting by the bed, walked over, sat down beside her, and lifted the veil.
The flickering candlelight clearly revealed a face of flawless, snow-white skin, radiant and captivating.
The bride lowered her head, her thick, long eyelashes trembling slightly, her cheeks flushed with two shades of shy crimson.
“So beautiful.”
Mu Xiao gazed at the woman before him, who was as lovely as a celestial being, his eyes momentarily dazed, a sense of unreality washing over him.
A month ago, he had still been leading his troops in a bitter war against Xiliang, and he and Xiliang’s ruler, Xuan Yuan Li, were sworn enemies who despised each other.
Unexpectedly, merely by saving his sister while hunting in Cang Mountain, the tide of the war had turned.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi had actually persuaded her elder brother to cease hostilities between the two nations and sign a non-aggression peace treaty.
Xuan Yuan Li had even married his own sister to him as a gesture of sincerity.
He didn’t believe Xuan Yuan Li would so easily abandon his plans to attack the city.
For the sake of the people along the border who had long suffered from the ravages of war, he still chose a temporary ceasefire.
~
“Brother Xiao?”
Seeing him lost in thought and silent for a long while, Xuan Yuan Xin Zi shyly lifted her gaze, glancing at him uneasily.
Mu Xiao snapped out of his reverie, reached out, and pulled her into his embrace.
The young woman’s delicate body was soft and pliant, nestling against his chest, their hearts beating closely together.
Mu Xiao’s breath hitched. Stirred by the alcohol, he cupped her neck with his hand, lowered his head, and kissed her.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi obediently tilted her head back, allowing him to take what he desired.
Mu Xiao tightened his embrace, hearing her soft moan, and grew even more impassioned, pressing her down onto the bed.
~
In the middle of the night, the red candles flickered.
A soft, warm arm emerged from the red silk quilt, every inch of skin as fair as frost and snow.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi let out a faint moan and lazily opened her eyes.
“Awake?”
Mu Xiao’s drunkenness had long since faded, and he had been awake for some time. Seeing her stir, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Mmm.”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi’s voice carried a hint of shyness. Every smile and glance was like a delicate flower nourished by rain and dew, stirring the heart.
Mu Xiao’s eyes deepened, and his arm unconsciously tightened, pulling her back into his embrace to lavish her with affection once more.
Flames filled the sky, and the sounds of battle erupted from all directions.
Amidst the glint of blades and shadows of swords, people fell one after another, blood flowing freely.
“General, it’s terrible! The enemy forces have launched a surprise attack and have already breached the West Gate.”
A city guard, his clothes stained with blood, fought his way through the chaos to deliver the news to the General’s Residence.
“What?!”
Mu Xiao’s face changed abruptly. He grabbed the long sword hanging by the bed, pointed it at Xuan Yuan Xin Zi, and roared angrily, “You wretch! You really were deceiving me!”
“No, it can’t be!”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi’s delicate brows and eyes were filled with disbelief. “My brother clearly promised me—a ceasefire between our nations and a peace treaty. Why would he go back on his word?”
“Boom…”
The night sky suddenly transformed, thunder rumbled deafeningly, and sharp lightning split the heavens, as if tearing the sky in two.
Amidst the dazzling flashes of lightning, a black-clad figure appeared like a ghost, thrusting a sword toward Mu Xiao’s back.
“Pfft.”
Mu Xiao spat out a mouthful of dark, poisoned blood, lowering his head in disbelief as he stared at the sword tip protruding from his chest.
“No!”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi screamed in terror, watching helplessly as he closed his eyes in despair and collapsed to the ground.
“Princess, His Majesty has ordered us to escort you back to the kingdom.”
Another black-clad figure suddenly appeared and, without a word, hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her away.
“No, I don’t want to go! Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao…”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi wailed bitterly, struggling desperately, using all her strength to break free.
Recalling the emperor’s command, a flash of ruthlessness crossed the black-clad man’s eyes as he struck her neck with a palm.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi instantly lost consciousness, falling silent.
After the two black-clad figures left, the General’s Residence erupted into a raging inferno.
No one noticed a white-clad woman wearing a bamboo hat appear out of nowhere. She picked up the barely breathing Mu Xiao and vanished into the void, leaving no trace.
～～
Xiliang Kingdom, Imperial Palace.
“Slap!”
Filled with hatred, Xuan Yuan Xin Zi slapped the King of Xiliang across the face, shouting angrily, “You lied to me! You actually lied to me! It was all you—you killed Brother Xiao. I wish I could kill you!”
“Kill me?”
Xuan Yuan Li, the King of Xiliang, his face dark as if dripping with ink, sneered, “Do you think you’re anything special? Just an unloved princess. If it weren’t for the trap I meticulously set, do you think you would have met Mu Xiao? Or that he would have fallen in love with you so easily?”
“You’re lying! Brother Xiao saving me on Cang Mountain was a coincidence…”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi panicked, staggering back a step, tripping over her own skirt, and falling to the ground in a disheveled heap.
“He was hunting on Cang Mountain and just happened to encounter a princess from an enemy kingdom being harassed by bandits?”
Xuan Yuan Li scoffed, crouching down to pinch her chin, mocking her coldly, “Don’t you think you’re incredibly foolish? Used by others and still unaware? You’re nothing but a pawn, yet you dare question me?”
“You… you’re despicable, shameless!”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi cursed furiously, consumed by hatred.
“Hmph, if it weren’t for your help in reclaiming the three border cities for me, why would I have kept you alive until today?”
Xuan Yuan Li’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness. “Guards, take the princess to the Cold Palace. Without my command, no one is to release her.”
“Yes.”
Two eunuchs obeyed the order, forcibly dragging the princess out of the palace.
～
Han City fell, and the defending general’s whereabouts were unknown.
The Beichen army collapsed like a landslide, with Xiliang capturing three cities in half a month.
The King of Beichen had no choice but to cede territory and sue for peace, sending a princess to Xiliang for a political marriage.
The once guardian deity of Beichen, the Fu Guo Gong Residence, was convicted of treason and collusion with the enemy. All male members over the age of ten were executed, while the women were exiled to the harsh, frigid lands of the Northern Frontier, forbidden from ever returning to the capital.
Deep within the courtyard, the moonlight was enchanting.
Two palace maids prepared hot water and carried a bathtub into the bedchamber, attending to Mu Rong Hui, the Beichen princess sent for the political marriage, as she bathed and changed.
Behind the soft gauze curtains of the bathing chamber, the sound of splashing water echoed. The young woman’s snow-white skin and alluring, fragrant figure were faintly visible.
The two palace maids waited outside the bathing chamber. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, they leaned close and whispered to each other.
“Just arrived, and His Majesty has already summoned her to serve him tonight. It seems he is quite taken with her.”
“Shh, stop talking. Do you want to die? Careless words can cost you your head.”
“What are you afraid of? Everyone in the palace knows that all the consorts favored by His Majesty resemble that person.”
“Even if we know, we can’t say it out loud. Trouble comes from the mouth—if His Majesty hears it, it could really cost us our lives.”
The two palace maids whispered to each other, completely unaware that the seemingly gentle and delicate young girl, who appeared to be bathing, had already taken in every word they said.