The hall doors were pushed open by a palace attendant.

Outside the hall, under the clear blue sky, the white snow reflected the glazed palace roofs. Long and majestic steps made of Han white jade stretched downward. In front of the grand and magnificent palace doors, all eyes fell upon the young prince.

Lord Anping, known as the "Yanluo of Jade" (NT: 阎罗" (Yánluó) refers to the King of Hell in Chinese mythology, who judges the dead and maintains order in the underworld. Here it means someone of great presence or with a commanding aura) by the Turks, was bestowed the title of General by the Emperor.

Standing tall with attendants lining both sides, he stood there, merely staying, yet even the golden-glazed tiles behind him lost their lustre.

The mythical qilin motifs embroidered on his robe accentuated his tall and slender figure. The fox fur trailing down emphasized his inherent nobility. With an imposing demeanour and features chiselled like jade, his obsidian eyes swept lightly, captivating souls with his presence.

Even in the capital, where the wealthy and powerful thrived within the gilded imperial city, he shone as dazzling as a star suspended in the sky.

The one who had been arrogantly speaking just moments ago fell silent, and the one covering her mouth with a handkerchief gradually lowered it. Their previously serene and smiling expressions now appeared somewhat ugly.

The fourth princess Zhao Yao had long been disapproving of Princess Zhao Chu.

With the Emperor's limited offspring and the eldest princess much older than them, and the second prince having passed away early, the remaining siblings had grown up together. The mother of the third prince came from a noble background, and the sixth princess had the best temperament, which Zhao Yao liked very much. Only Zhao Chu was a freak.

Well, what good could come from such a woman?

From a young age, her mother had told her that the deposed Empress Dou was a witch.

It was said that even when she was a girl, she did not abide by the norms of womanhood. As the daughter of a high-ranking minister, she disguised herself as a man to participate in the imperial examination. After winning the top honours, her true identity was revealed, earning her the nickname "Embroidered-hand Top Scholar."

How could a woman like her hold an official position? Entering the examination hall was already a grave offense against decency.

It was the former Emperor's kindness that gave her in marriage to the then Crown Prince, their father.

Little did they know that she would cause trouble in the Eastern Palace (NT: the Palace where the Crown Princes used to live in ancient China) and resort to ruthless methods, causing much suffering in the harem.

She was always cunning and meticulous in her actions, evading evidence of wrongdoing. It wasn't until His Majesty ascended the throne and she bore Zhao Chu, this freak, three years later, that she was deprived of her position and sent to the cold palace (NT: place where deposed consorts and concubines lived) for having caused the death of the third prince's mother, Lady Qinggui, and her unborn child.

Originally a joyous occasion, it was tainted by the fact that Zhao Chu, this bad seed, was left behind.

Zhao Chu bore a striking resemblance to Empress Dou from a young age, beautiful like a fairy but tall, with eyes that looked sinister, like a colourful venomous snake.

The third prince detested her, and the sixth princess was often bullied by her. Zhao Yao, who had always been resentful since childhood, couldn't stand having this troublemaker roaming freely in the palace.

So, for the past dozen years, she had been trampling this snake underfoot.

Until two years ago, when the Emperor chose a son-in-law for her. Although this son-in-law came from a noble family and was handsome, he was fundamentally a mediocre embroidered pillow (NT: beautiful but good for nothing). He held a useless position in the court, apart from being obedient, he was worthless.

However, it was comforting that the witch, Empress Dou, had died, and Zhao Chu was grieving, being neglected by the Emperor, left to become an old maid.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Chu, who was nearly twenty, was now taken with the victorious Lord Anping, causing her to return to the right path.

Zhao Yao had never seen Lord Anping before, only hearing that when he entered the capital on horseback, the streets were deserted as the townsfolk went to see him, and his heroic demeanour had since been talked about endlessly.

Zhao Yao thought that those commoners had never seen the world.

But today, she saw him, and finally realized that the rumours were not exaggerated.

Her teeth were about to grind to pieces.

...What luck did Zhao Chu, this bad seed, had!

*

As Fang Linyuan scanned the gazes of the crowd, his eyes finally settled on Zhao Chu's expressionless face.

Being in the midst of a storm, yet at this moment, he appeared indifferent, unmoved.

With only three princesses in the hall, although Fang Linyuan had never seen the other two, he could roughly recognize them.

Princess Zhao Yao was known for her lively and outgoing nature, presumably the one standing there. The other one was rumoured to be knwoledgeable, gentle, and kind, Princess Zhao Pei.

In a room full of noblewomen arguing, he shouldn't be here.

Perhaps he should pretend not to have heard? After paying his respects and taking Zhao Chu away, feigning ignorance might just get him through.

Fang Linyuan inwardly gave himself a thumbs-up.

But before he could raise his hand to salute, the particularly impatient Fourth Princess coldly sneered and abruptly addressed him, "Lord Anping, what a coincidence! Do you really want to join in our sisters' idle chatter?"

Fang Linyuan felt inexplicably stung by her remark, and his attempt to smooth things over was stifled in his throat.

It seemed this princess was not inclined to let things settle peacefully.

Fang Linyuan turned to look at her.

It made sense. He was now Zhao Chu's husband and the one who had actively sought her hand, naturally aligning him with her.

He sighed inwardly, resigned to his fate.

"I have no such intention," he replied. "It's late, and I'm only here to escort the Fifth Princess back from the palace."

But Princess Zhao Yao, in front of him, appeared increasingly displeased.

Lord Anping was indeed handsome. Especially when his eyes met hers, they were cold and indifferent, yet his clear brows and eyes exuded a radiant brilliance, like a divine weapon ready to dispel evil.

Zhao Yao grew even more envious and aggressive. "Still making excuses? Is this the place for you, surrounded by womenfolk?"

"If I shouldn't be here, the palace attendants would have stopped me on His Majesty's orders," Fang Linyuan retorted.

"Lord Anping is indeed eloquent," Zhao Yao sneered sarcastically. "Are you trying to stand up for Zhao Chu?"

Why were they forcing someone to support Zhao Chu? Fang Linyuan felt overwhelmed.

With the conversation reaching this point, Fang Linyuan couldn't pretend to be oblivious anymore.

"Princess, your question implies an awareness of your earlier indiscretion," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"The decree for the marriage was issued by His Majesty, and the Fifth Princess also entered my Anping Marquisate by decree. If the Fourth Princess has any objections, she can address them to His Majesty instead of criticizing His Majesty's concern for his loyal subjects here," Fang Linyuan said.

But Zhao Yao seemed to find something amusing.

"Concern?" she scoffed, looking at Fang Linyuan mockingly. "How do you know if Father is showing concern for you or simply trying to get rid of this wild seed?"

...Wild seed?

Even if Zhao Yao lacked intelligence, that wasn't a term to be used lightly to insult someone, right?

Fang Linyuan was surprised, and he noticed the palace attendants around him had changed their expressions, as if Zhao Yao hadn't insulted someone but rather exposed some forbidden imperial secret.

...Huh? Did he overhear something he shouldn't have?

Fang Linyuan opened his mouth, caught off guard.

Just then, Zhao Chu, standing beside him, rose silently to his feet.

He looked at Fang Linyuan, his expression calm, as if the insult wasn't directed at him.

He spoke lightly, "Let's go."

Zhao Yao immediately turned her head, staring straight at him.

"Go where? Zhao Chu, if you're feeling guilty..."

"Fourth Sister." Just then, a gentle and clear voice interrupted her.

Fang Linyuan turned to see Princess Zhao Pei, who had remained silent, standing up.

With a gentle smile on her face, she bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Hongluan.

She looked directly at Fang Linyuan, without the usual female evasion or shyness, openly nodding in reassurance.

"Let it go, Fourth Sister, Lord Anping is still here," she said softly, walking to Zhao Chu's side. "Fifth Sister, don't take it to heart, Fourth Sister was just joking..."

As she spoke, she reached out to take Zhao Chu's hand.

But before Zhao Pei could touch her, Zhao Chu lifted her wrist, skillfully avoiding her.

The next moment, Zhao Pei exclaimed as she fell backward along his force, landing heavily on the hard chair.

The palace attendants around them erupted into chaos.

Fang Linyuan was dumbfounded.

He saw it all clearly! Zhao Chu hadn't even touched her, yet she seemed to move as if it were all planned out, with a fluidity and naturalness to her movements, even the fall appearing remarkably effortless!

How could a delicate woman, unable to lift her hand or carry her shoulders, have such precise control over her body?

Fang Linyuan was extremely surprised.

The next moment, he heard Zhao Yao's angry voice, "Zhao Chu, what are you doing!"

...She was adding fuel to the fire with such a perfectly executed move.

Frightened, Fang Linyuan watched as the enraged Zhao Yao lifted her skirt and rushed forward, raising her hand to strike Zhao Chu's face.

Fang Linyuan was taken aback.

Zhao Chu, being such a stiff man, if Zhao Yao were to sense anything amiss from just one slap, then his entire marquisate would bear the crime of deceiving the emperor!

He didn't have time to think much. He quickly stepped forward and pulled Zhao Chuo behind him.

At the same moment, Zhao Yao's hand came down heavily.

Fang Linyuan only had time to tilt his head aside. Zhao Yao didn't hit him, but her nails barely grazed his neck.

A slight pain emanated from his neck.

There was a gasp from those around them.

Fang Linyuan belatedly raised his hand and touched his neck.

It was scratched.

After years of battles on the battlefield, he had faced all kinds of dangers, but a scratch from a nail meant nothing to him.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. If he had watched Zhao Chuo get hit and the scratch ended up on Zhao Chu's face, that would have been hard to explain.

And fortunately, he hadn't instinctively raised his hand to stop her. A noblewoman of the imperial family, and him being a big man, any physical contact would have been awkward.

Fang Linyuan felt fortunate for his exceptional reaction skills.

Little did he know, his skin was naturally fair, and the skin on his neck was even more delicate. Though the three scratches weren't deep, they stood out prominently against his white skin.

And the reddish marks, which looked pitiful, were all too visible to Zhao Chu.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Fang Linyuan: Perfect reaction! I'm too awesome [shooting in the heart]

Zhao Chuo: ...

Fang Linyuan thinking to himself: Why is he staring at me? Does he also think I'm awesome?

 

Translator : DarNan