Chapter 5

Once I could walk again, the first thing I did was take every single item Zhou Yanzhi had given me over the years and throw them, one by one, into a blazing charcoal brazier.

The flames licked at them greedily, the fiery light dancing and burning in my eyes. I stood there quietly, watching the things I once cherished twist and curl in the inferno, finally turning to ash, just like the last of my feelings for him.

As the ashes scattered, Zhou Yanzhi stepped into the hall.

“You haven’t fully recovered. Why is the fire burning so fiercely?” he asked with a frown, his tone carrying its usual concern as his gaze swept over the brazier.

“I just felt cold,” I said, my voice as soft as a sigh, as I turned toward an embroidery frame.

A vibrant red wedding gown was stretched across it. According to custom, the bride had to personally add the final few stitches to pray for a lifetime of happiness. I picked up the gold-thread brocade my mother had left me, preparing to use it to add the final, brilliant touch to the gown.

Zhou Yanzhi approached. Seeing the gown, his expression seemed to soften. “The wedding day is still a while away. Why the rush?”

The words “wedding day” pricked my heart like a needle.

A sharp pain shot through my fingertip, and a bead of crimson blood instantly blossomed on the gown, a jarring, dark flower.

What “while away”? In ten days, I would be on the long road to the Southern Kingdom.

Seeing the blood, Matron Liu cried out and rushed over, her trembling hand touching the stain as tears streamed down her face. “Princess! A wedding gown stained with blood… it’s a terrible omen!” Her voice was choked and hoarse. “The journey is so long and far… what are we to do…”

I tilted my head back sharply, biting my lip hard to force back the wave of sorrow threatening to overflow. To be married off to a foreign land, to leave my home forever… it was a lie to say I wasn’t afraid.

Forcing down the lump in my throat, I tried to keep my voice steady to comfort the sobbing Matron Liu. “Don’t worry, Matron. I have the fortune of the royal family to protect me. I will be… safe and sound.”

For some reason, hearing her sobs, Zhou Yanzhi’s eyes also seemed to glisten with moisture.

He stared at me, his voice low and solemn. “Your Highness, do not worry. I will find the finest seamstresses to craft you a brand-new wedding gown. I will ensure you are married in the grandest style!”

He seemed convinced that the edict was for our marriage.

A complex emotion flickered in my eyes. “That won’t be necessary,” I said coolly.

Zhou Yanzhi was silent for a moment, then, in an attempt to make amends, he said gravely, “I failed to protect you during the assassination attempt. It was my fault. Your Highness… please don’t be angry anymore.”

I looked up and asked softly, “So, you… you weren’t actually afraid that I might really die, were you?”

He froze, as if my words had stabbed him. “Your Highness, why would you say such a thing! How could I not be afraid? I swear, I will never let you face such danger again!”

I asked again, “What if one day… I were to leave this place forever, leave you, and go somewhere you could never find me?”

Zhou Yanzhi’s brow furrowed tightly, a hint of panic in his eyes. He cut me off hastily, “Your Highness! What… what do you mean by that?!”

I slowly shook my head, swallowing the rest of my words. “…Never mind.”

After a brief silence, Zhou Yanzhi seemed to collect himself, his voice even lower. “I will certainly marry you, and I will do everything in my power to stop the Seventh Princess from being sent away. It’s just…” He took a deep breath. “If… if the worst should happen, and the Seventh Princess must marry into a foreign land, I hope Your Highness will… for the sake of your sisterly bond, give way to her and look after her.”

“The Seventh Princess… she has also been embroidering her wedding gown lately. She often thinks of the late Empress and feels melancholic. The gold-thread brocade in Your Highness’s hands, could you… could you part with it and give it to her?”

It was for her again. Every time, every single approach and every word, was about Jiang Lingyi.

I was truly tired.

“Lord Apparent Zhou!” Matron Liu was trembling with rage, her voice sharp. “The Princess is about to be married! Why must you keep pushing her like this? You go too far!”

I raised a hand to stop Matron Liu, my voice calm, as if discussing something that had nothing to do with me. “I will have someone send it over. If the Lord Apparent has no other business, please leave.”

Zhou Yanzhi gave me one last, long look, then bowed and departed.

The moment his figure vanished from the doorway, a sharp bitterness rushed up my throat. I clenched my jaw, forcing it all back down.

Matron Liu patted my back, her voice trembling with heartache. “Princess! Why… why don’t you tell him? Tell him that you are the one being sent for the political marriage!”

I slowly shook my head, my gaze fixed on the distant palace walls outside the window. “I asked Father Emperor to keep it a secret. This is the only way to see just how many spies from the Southern Kingdom are hidden within this court. My personal grievances… are nothing compared to the stability of the kingdom.”

However, before I could send someone with the gold-thread brocade, Jiang Lingyi intercepted me in the imperial garden.

She dismissed all my attendants, then lifted her skirts and stormed right up to me.

“Jiang Huiyin!” she shrieked, her hand gripping my wrist tightly. “What in the world are you trying to do! Why do you keep pestering Zhou Yanzhi behind my back!”

I forcefully shook her hand off, my voice cold. “What? Are you planning to kill me?”

I took a step closer, staring into her instantly constricting pupils. “But you should know, if I die, then that wedding sedan for the political marriage will be heading for your palace gates!”

My words hit their mark. The fury in Jiang Lingyi’s eyes blazed even hotter. “Yes! I know!” she screamed. “I know you’re the one going to that godforsaken place!”

“But you know Zhou Yanzhi is supposed to marry me! Why do you keep appearing before him like a ghost that won’t leave!”

Her chest heaved, the girlish beauty of her face completely gone, replaced by a crazed viciousness. “You still haven’t given up on him, have you? Fine! Just fine! Then today, I’ll help you give up for good!”