On a night of torrential rain, on a bed that reeked of mildew…

Her eyes were covered, her hands tied behind her back, her feet bound. She heard the vile and obscene shouts of the bandits guarding the door outside.

Her brother had taught her how to defend herself in dangerous situations—”A man’s most vulnerable spot is his groin. If you have no weapon, use your elbow or knee to strike there. You can buy yourself at least a quarter of an hour to escape.”

The door creaked open, and the wind and rain rushed in.

The flickering candlelight cast hazy shadows through the blindfold over her eyes, revealing a man’s figure approaching the bed. He quickly untied the ropes binding her ankles.

He took another step closer, throwing something hard onto the bed with a thud.  “Don’t move, I’ll…” His warm breath brushed her cheek as he spoke.

Unfortunately, she was too panicked.

She hadn’t even heard what he said clearly; she was entirely focused on waiting for the right moment.

This was it.

She suddenly bent her knee and struck upwards with all her might. She heard a short grunt, and the next moment, she was thrown to the ground by a powerful force.

The man instantly reacted, seizing her shoulder with one hand and looming over her. His breathing was deep and heavy. They remained locked in that position for a few breaths.

Until he ripped the blindfold from her eyes.

Lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the night sky and the man’s fierce, harsh features. His brows were raised, his eyes dark with anger:

“Xue Shen, Right General of the Imperial Guard, here to suppress the bandits. My identity token is beside Miss Yu. Now that I’ve released you, don’t…move…again.”

Yu Zhiguang fled the Princess’s mansion as if escaping a plague.

She couldn’t sleep that night, plagued by disturbing dreams of Xue Shen, his face like frost.

His gaze jolted her awake at dawn.

Her mother sat anxiously by her bed, and Yuanbao gently wiped her face with a cool, damp cloth—that’s what had woken her.

“Mother…why are you up so early?”

Yu Zhiguang sighed, burying her damp cheek in the pillow, a faint yellow image flashing before her eyes.

Her mother held a piece of paper between two fingers, bringing it close to her eyes and nose. Her tone was unusually serious: “Shengsheng, get up. What’s this?”

Yu Zhiguang took the rough hemp paper in a daze.

She looked closely. The letter had no heading or signature, just a short, hastily written sentence: “From the bandit stronghold to here, I hope Miss Yu keeps her promise.”

Her mind was muddled, her speech slurred: “Whose letter is this?”

“Xue Shen! Right General Xue Shen of the Imperial Guard!”

That name again, ringing out clearly.

Her heart skipped a beat. She sat up abruptly, turning the letter over and over in her hands. After the misunderstanding at the bandit stronghold, fearing she had offended Xue Shen, she had guiltily promised, “If General Xue is injured…I…I will take responsibility.”

She remembered Xue Shen’s grim expression, his silence. Why was he now seeking retribution? “What does General Xue want? Medicine or money?”

“What medicine?”

“He can’t possibly besiege the Yu residence,” Yu Zhiguang asked hesitantly. “Father has always been an upright official. General Xue can’t seek personal revenge.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Her mother lightly slapped her bottom, pulling her out of bed and telling Yuanbao to tidy her up. “He’s asking for your hand in marriage! The betrothal gifts from the General’s mansion are overflowing the front hall. Go see for yourself!”

“Two bolts of Yanfei-colored Xia Guang brocade…”

“One hectoliter of Yaochi pearls…”

“One basket of four-colored sugar and two dou of glutinous rice…”

The person reciting the gifts, presumably one of Xue Shen’s messengers, had a powerful voice that boomed.  He hadn’t even entered the house, announcing the gifts from the doorstep, the sounds of gongs, drums, and music unable to fully drown out his voice.

Yu Zhiguang went to the front yard, hearing every word clearly, almost startled by another announcement of “a pair of dragon and phoenix gold bracelets and bangles.”

She drifted towards the reception hall. How could Xue Shen ask for her hand in marriage? She…she was engaged to Zhang Anrong, the son of the Earl.

In the main hall, her father, Yu Hong, sat at the head, his expression grave.

Her brother and sister-in-law stood beside him. Soon, her mother, who had come to wake her, arrived, pulling a crisp letter from under her teacup and handing it to her.

“Another letter…” her mumbled complaint stopped.

It was a letter of disengagement from the Zhang family.

The words were polite, the handwriting elegant.  It was a lengthy explanation of why he wasn’t a suitable match and the reasons for breaking off the engagement.

Yesterday, Zhang Anrong had been so worried about her.

Yu Zhiguang paused, letting out a sigh. Rumors were rampant in the capital, many disbelieving her safe escape from the bandits.  He was one of them.

“Unbelievable!”

“The Zhang family kept delaying the wedding, they wanted to break it off all along! Such untrustworthy people! And we were friendly with them!”

“Mother had already calculated Shengsheng’s birth chart, she and Zhang Anrong are incompatible. Such an irresponsible man is not worthy of being my son-in-law.”

Her family voiced their anger at the Zhang family, criticizing Zhang Anrong mercilessly. Only her sister-in-law gently asked, “Shengsheng, what do you think about this broken engagement? If there’s a misunderstanding, the family can try to fix it.”

Yu Zhiguang returned the letter, shaking her head.

She felt disappointment and sadness, but not heartbreak. “The Zhang family has been troubled by what happened to me in the bandit stronghold. Even if we forced this marriage, our lives wouldn’t be good. Why bother?”

“Then what about General Xue’s proposal? Should Shengsheng accept?”

At these words, the family fell silent, their eyes fixed on her.

“General Xue has been kind to our family, I shouldn’t say this about him, but he…he is a warrior, always risking his life. How could Shengsheng possibly marry him?”

Her father’s words were cut short by her mother’s light tap on his hand.

“Ahem…I heard that General Xue is young and promising. Before he was appointed to the Imperial Guard, he was a young hero defending the border. Besides, he saved Shengsheng’s life, isn’t that a kind of inexplicable destiny?”