Chapter 2 – Affection

A marriage alliance between two nations was no trivial matter.

Great Jin and the Tatars had always been at odds. The Tatars could hardly expect to simply propose peace and have it granted, let alone demand her by name and assume Great Jin must agree.

Li Wu believed her imperial brother was not of that mind either. Otherwise, he would not have spoken to her of it so calmly, without a trace of displeasure.

“Why would the Tatars know of me?” Li Wu asked curiously.

Li Shen replied, “It’s said that while you were at the border, the third prince of the Tatars caught sight of you and fell in love at first glance.”

That was not impossible.

The frontier was always a place of mingled people. If a Tatar prince had disguised himself as a commoner among the crowd, she might not have noticed.

“As a princess of Great Jin, if marrying into the Tatars could bring peace to our people, then it would be more than worth it.” Li Wu smiled faintly. “If Royal Brother has already made the decision, I have no objections. Everything shall be according to your arrangements.”

Li Shen lifted his eyes, his smile faint.

“The ministers all believe this proposal to be a good one. They are waiting for the Tatar envoy to enter the capital.

“Only Prime Minister Lü opposes it, believing it unwise.

“But alone, he could not argue against the other ministers. In the end, even he had to nod and agree.”

Prime Minister Lü Hong had served three reigns and was a man of immense prestige in the court. One might say a word from him could summon wind and rain.

Those scrambling to curry favor with the Lü family nearly wore out the threshold of his manor.

If he had truly been opposed, then those courtiers who followed his lead should also have spoken against it.

This made the matter rather interesting.

Li Wu smiled. “The Prime Minister is advanced in years. His devotion to Great Jin runs deep.”

Then she asked again, “Do we know which official first proposed agreeing to the Tatars’ request?”

Li Shen looked at her quietly, a trace of teasing touching his smile.

“My sister should not have been so heartless back then, hurting Lord He’s feelings—only to invite today’s consequence.”

But Li Wu’s smile did not fade. “Royal Brother, you wrong me with such words.

“I truly did have feelings for Lord He.”

Li Shen, who had never once heard his younger sister admit true feelings for any man, raised his brows instinctively at this.

He studied her, but Li Wu’s expression was calm; her words seemed almost casually spoken.

Li Shen pressed his lips together, then smiled again.

“If there is a misunderstanding between you and Lord He, you should find an opportunity to clear it up.”

Li Wu nodded.

“Royal Brother is right,” she said, her eyes curving in a smile. “I will go to see Lord He.”

---

Even after returning to the Princess’s Residence, Li Wu was still thinking of her brother’s words.

If it were all truly her brother’s arrangement, there would be no need to conceal it from her. So it must indeed have been He Zhiyu who pushed for her to be sent to the Tatars in marriage.

From what she had heard from the eunuch earlier today, He Zhiyu’s actions would no doubt gain him support. Many people knew of the past between her and He Zhiyu. If he now sought revenge, no one would find it strange. Some might even relish the chance to see someone act as a “sacrificial bird” and provide them entertainment.

Even her brother believed He Zhiyu harbored resentment.

That showed just how obvious his role had been in urging this matter.

Tsk.

After all these years, did he still resent her so deeply? Could he really not forget?

Li Wu lay lazily upon her beauty couch, idly tapping at a cluster of grapes. At once, her chief maid Qingzhi stepped forward to peel them, feeding them to her lips. After several sweet grapes slid down her throat, Li Wu lifted her lids lightly. Seeing Qingzhi hesitate to speak, she smiled, her tone relaxed. “Speak your mind.”

Qingzhi peeled another grape, placed it at her mistress’s lips, and only after Li Wu had eaten it did she speak in a low voice:

“This servant feels indignant for Your Highness.

“Lord He is a grown man of stature, yet he cannot let go of the past. To scheme against Your Highness for something that happened years ago—it is petty and contemptible. The Tatars, of all places… if Your Highness truly goes there for marriage…”

Her words trailed off.

Compared to Great Jin, the Tatars were but a small land. Their people were fierce and uncivilized. Beyond the countless differences in custom, how could life there possibly be bearable?

The thought made Qingzhi’s heart ache for Li Wu. Her eyes reddened, and she lowered her head to hide the tears.

“I am the Princess of Pingyang. If marrying into the Tatars can bring peace to the people of Great Jin, then it is what I should do.”

Li Wu spoke the same words she had spoken before her brother.

“But I truly hadn’t expected him to hold such a lasting grudge over what happened back then.” She smiled faintly, tapping the grapes again, signaling Qingzhi to peel more. “I must think carefully on how to deal with this matter.”

“Does Your Highness have a plan?” Qingzhi asked cautiously.

“No.” Li Wu pressed her lips together slightly. “But Heaven never blocks all paths. Since the Tatar envoys have not yet arrived, there is no need to be hasty.”

He Zhiyu… Lord He.

Li Wu summoned forth the memories of him buried deep within her heart and pondered them once more.

---

At the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence.

The autumn night wind blew through a half-opened window.

He Zhiyu awoke from his sleep, his face clouded with shifting emotions. Once again, he had dreamed of Li Wu.

Her fragrance, her sweetness, were as vivid as if from yesterday.

The gentle murmur of her words whispered in his ears, yet she seemed so far away.

All these years, she had continued to torment him like this—
breaking into his dreams from time to time, refusing to let him forget, forcing him to recall her cruelty, her heart of cold stone, searing him to the bone.

But now she had returned.

After three long years away from the capital, she was finally back.

He Zhiyu laid an arm across his forehead, eyes shut, letting out the stifling breath in his chest.

She would come to him—he knew it, he was certain.

And this time, he would never again let her leave as she had three years ago.

With this thought, he opened his eyes.

In their depths burned two fierce flames.

And so, on the third day after their reunion, Li Wu appeared at the Marquis of Xuanping’s residence.

He was still at the court offices when a servant hurried in to deliver the message.

He Zhiyu did not rush back.

With only a few words, he dismissed the boy and calmly returned to his work.

It was only after the day’s court had ended that he went back to the residence.

Learning that Li Wu was waiting in the main hall, he went there directly.

As he entered, he saw the Marchioness and the young ladies of the household attending her with the utmost care.

The moment they saw him, relief flooded their faces, as though salvation had arrived.

For they knew well that Princess Pingyang was not someone to be trifled with.

Once, the son of a Duke’s household had spoken too freely in her presence. She had ordered guards to drag him into the street, where he was forced to kneel while being slapped across the face.

The humiliation was so unbearable that the young man had attempted to take his own life that very night.

He was only saved when a servant discovered him in time.

But the scandal was grave. With the backing of the then-Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince—now the Emperor—Li Wu had only been confined to her residence for half a month. As for the young man, he left the capital in disgrace and never returned.

Now, Lord He had advocated peace with the Tatars, and the Tatars had specifically requested Princess Pingyang.

Anyone could see this was deliberate revenge.

Would the princess really endure it quietly? No one knew if she had come today to create trouble for the He family.

Fearing to anger her, they could only pray for He Zhiyu to return quickly and handle the matter himself.

Seated in the place of honor, Li Wu appeared oblivious to all their anxieties. Calmly setting down her teacup, she lifted her gaze to He Zhiyu.

Her eyes settled on his face. She smiled lightly, her tone warm and familiar.

“Lord He, you are finally back from court. I have been waiting for you a long time.”

Scarlet robes, black hair, skin fair as snow.

Her radiant smile overlapped with the image that had haunted his dreams.

He Zhiyu looked at her, his expression cool and polite.

“I do not know what business brings Your Highness to my residence?”

“After so many years apart, I wished to reminisce with Lord He.” Rising, Li Wu glanced with a smile at the Marchioness and the young ladies of the household. “But Lord He, are you certain you wish to reminisce here?”

He Zhiyu was silent for a moment, then turned and walked out of the hall.

Li Wu smiled, rose to her feet, and followed.

He led her toward his study.

The two walked one behind the other through a courtyard blooming with autumn chrysanthemums and sweet osmanthus.

The sun was setting, casting a warm golden glow over the garden.

Li Wu casually plucked a violet chrysanthemum, twirling it between her fingers, openly and without concealment letting her gaze linger on the man striding just ahead of her.

After a few breaths, she chuckled softly. “It seems Lord He has grown taller these years?”

The man walking in front gave no response, his steps steady, not a word spoken.

When they reached the study, he stopped beneath the corridor and ordered tea to be served, his tone detached.

He entered first.

Li Wu followed, and upon seeing a white porcelain vase standing empty on a table, she placed the violet chrysanthemum into it.

He Zhiyu turned and saw her already studying the study’s furnishings, her gaze curious, openly inspecting everything from the layout to the brushes and ink upon the desk.

Soon, a servant entered with tea, then wisely withdrew, closing the door behind him.

He Zhiyu ignored Li Wu, seated himself calmly at the desk, lifted his cup, and sipped at leisure.

After surveying the room for a while, Li Wu turned her eyes back to him. Resting one hand on the desk, she leaned slightly forward, looking into his eyes with a half-smile.

“To contribute to the peace and security of the people of Great Jin, that is what I, as a princess, ought to do. I have no objections to marrying into the Tatars. Only, Lord He, there is one matter… perhaps a little difficult.”

He Zhiyu met her gaze. “What is it?”

Li Wu’s eyes curved, the allure at their corners softening into a trace of tenderness.

“Our daughter—what is to become of her?”

“Shall she remain in the capital to grow up within the palace? Or should she accompany me to the Tatars?”

Her tone was soft, but her words struck like thunder.

And yet she smiled radiantly, as if she were speaking words of love.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted through the window, illuminating He Zhiyu’s face.

Silence hung heavy. His features, shadowed by the shifting light, were unreadable. His eyes, dark as a deep, frozen pool, seemed to grow ever deeper, fathomless.

“Our daughter?”

His voice was cold and hard.

“Why did you not bring her to let her father see her?”