Chongfei Manual

by Usui Takumii

not mine, Fuyu Neko. Total: 168 Chapters and 3 Extras.

5. 21 to 25

Wei Luo: main character ,6

Zhao Jie: prince Jing, interested in Wei Luo, 15

Gao Danyang: Zhao Jie's maternal cousin, 14

Liang Yurong: Wei Luo's friend, 6

Zhao Jie took a few steps towards Wei Luo, then leaned over to grasp her soft little hand. Rubbing the back of her hand with his big thumb, he asked: "Let this prince take a look, were you scratched?"

The back of the little girl's hand was smooth, without even a trace of a scar, only two shiny wet spots.

It seemed like the kitten had liked her very much and wanted to get close to her. Unfortunately, it was too enthusiastic, scared the little girl, and got tragically snubbed. Zhao Jie recalled the scene he'd witnessed a moment ago and couldn't help but burst out in laughter. She had stiffened her body, not daring to move, while trying to get the cat off her arm. Her small face tensed up, as if she was facing her greatest enemy. He had thought she wasn't afraid of anything under the sky, yet it turned out she had a fear of cats?

Wei Luo drew back her hand. Pursing her lips, she shook her head.

Zhao Jie smiled as he brought up a finger to touch Wei Luo's reddened eyes, then asked in a pleasant voice: "Why are you crying?"

Wei Luo wasn't crying. Her eyes would easily redden if she was anxious, but that was still far from crying. She didn't know why Zhao Jie would appear here, nor was she interested to know. Getting toyed with by that cat, she wasn't in the best of moods, and only wanted to go back to Wild Goose house, "I haven't cried."

She had barely finished speaking, when she noticed Zhao Jie was keeping silent, his eyes mischievously observing her front teeth.

Her face immediately changed and she covered her mouth, looking at him vigilantly. Thinking of that time in Zhen Cui Lou (*restaurant), she was afraid he would pinch her nose again to force her to open her mouth.

Zhao Jie's lips twitched. She was short a tooth there, so her speech was affected by the bare gums. The pronunciation also sounded a bit funny. That word 'crying' sounded especially amusing when she said it. Too bad her pretty little head was particularly serious. It seemed like so long as he laughed about it, she would turn hostile at once. His eyes were laughing, but he put on a decent expression, as he asked her solemnly: "Ah Luo, right? Are you afraid of cats?"

Wei Luo glared at him without speaking.

He wanted to ask her again, when the maiden beside him curiously walked over. "Cousin Jing, who is she?"

Zhao Jie didn't like children, he had no patience for any kid under ten years old. Anyone who knew him was aware of that. Yet today, he was unexpectedly willing to get close to a little girl, and even personally wiped her tears. This was really too rare. The maiden couldn't help sizing up Wei Luo, finding her appearance adorable and much prettier than the average little girl. Could that be the reason?

The maiden was called Gao Danyang, precisely that older daughter of Duke Zhen's wife. She was a year younger than Zhao Jie. They were of similar age and were cousins from the mother's line. Having grown up together from childhood, their relationship was closer than usual. Just now, Zhao Jie had gone to pay respects to Empress Chen in the Zhaoyang palace hall, and had happened to meet Gao Danyang there. Empress Chen had then made the two of them leave together. It wasn't good for Zhao Jie to refute the Empress' intentions, so he complied. After walking for a while, he had chanced on the scene of Wei Luo and the kitten getting tangled together.

Zhao Jie withdrew his hand and spoke as he got up: "She's the fourth miss of Duke Ying's house, Wei Luo." Pausing his words, he looked at Wei Luo. "Did this prince say it right?"

Wei Luo didn't answer. Pulling on Liang Yurong's hand, she cordially said: "Yurong and I didn't know the cats belonged to big brother Prince Jing. We only wanted to give them something to eat. If we made big brother Prince Jing and big sister unhappy, let us go back and leave it at that."

Done speaking, she turned around to walk away.

Zhao Jie called out for her to stop. Holding in his laughter, he said: "It's only a cat. If you like it, just take it away directly."

From the side, the dignified Gao Danyang couldn't hide her frown.

Wei Luo shook her head and raised a pair of large watery eyes with a slight smile: "Thank you big brother Prince Jing, but since big sister gave the cats to you, Ah Luo couldn't want them."

After the little girl left, Zhao Jie withdrew his gaze and the happy expression in his eyes also receded. He said to Gao Danyang: "This place is not far from Wild Goose house, you don't need me to send you off. Go by yourself, alright?"

Gao Danyang, holding the kitten to her bosom, hadn't moved a step. When she saw him prepare to walk away, she hurriedly called out "Cousin Jing". A little offended, she arrived to his front and said: "Does cousin Jing not like cats? If you don't, say something. I'll take them home right away, or give them to Liuli. She's wanted these cats for a while now."

The person she'd just mentioned was Princess Tianji, Zhao Liuli, Zhao Jie's younger sister from the same mother. Zhao Liuli was seven this year, precisely at the age where she liked kittens and puppies. Who knew how long she'd coveted those three cats. Each time she saw them, she was unable to put them down. Unfortunately, Gao Danyang had already given the cats to Zhao Jie. Zhao Liuli didn't dare ask for them from Zhao Jie, and could only come every day after morning classes to take a look and to pet them.

These were Persian cats with blue eyes and white fur, a small build, only three months old. They were delicate and nimble, absolutely adorable, easily invoking the young ladies' favor.

Because of this, Zhao Jie could afford to be careless. He was busy. Sometimes he couldn't attend to his own needs, where would he get the time to look after cats? He was raising them inside the palace, so he basically had no worries. The palace maids all knew those were his cats and didn't dare to neglect them. Whenever he was away from the palace, they took turns feeding the little things. So in the past few months, these three cats had been living quite well.

Zhao Jie was puzzled. "Why would you say that?"

Gao Danyang paused and stroked the kitten's ears, her mood dejected: "A moment ago, you readily wanted to give it to that little girl…"

Zhao Jie smiled wordlessly and did not refute. He really wanted to give it to Wei Luo, because he felt like the cat resembled her very much. Tiny, pure white, somewhat delicate, yet somewhat haughty. He didn't dislike that, on the contrary, he found it fascinating. What a pity, the little girl was unwilling to accept. Even when he wanted to gift it, he was unable to.

Zhao Jie thought it over and said: "If you want, you can give them to Liuli. I can see she's fond of them. Besides, I don't have the time to take care of them." Done speaking, he departed, taking large strides towards Riverside house.

Gao Danyang was staring at his back dejectedly, her lips pursed. Having dropped her composure, she finally revealed the pampered attitude of a young miss.

Seeing this, the maidservant in a pale rose short jacket and skirt standing behind her, couldn't help opening her mouth to say: "His Highness Prince Jing really can't read the mood. How could he give away the cat Miss gave him to another person…"

Gao Danyang approved of her words on the inside, but pretended to be displeased on the outside, as she eyed her with a tilted head. "How can you carelessly comment on cousin Jing? Slap your mouth."

The maidservant laughed, knowing she wasn't really angry, and put on an act of touching her own face. "This servant spoke out of turn, pardon me, Miss… But how can this servant not feel wronged on your behalf? You've been fond of His Highness Prince Jing for all these years, yet His Highness seems not to notice."

Gao Danyang was silent as her complexion changed.

She hadn't considered it before, but it suddenly crossed her mind now. Perhaps it wasn't that he didn't notice, but that he pretended not to notice.

Zhao Jie's natural disposition was indifferent, and didn't treat anyone too warmly. She used to think that it was a part of his nature, something he couldn't change. Yet she actually saw a foreign side to him today. It turned out he could also tenderly wipe someone's tears. Unfortunately, the target wasn't her. Gao Danyang pursed her pink lips, getting more curious about Wei Luo. She spoke as she walked: "Go and make some inquiries, what connection does the fourth Miss of Duke Ying's house have with cousin Jing? You can't let others know I'm the one who's asking."

The maidservant naturally knew how to handle this. Nodding in response, she drew back from her side without a trace.

The birthday feast for Empress Chen this time had an additional purpose besides celebrating. It was to look for a study companion for the sixth princess Tianji. Princess Tianji was born with a weak body, so Empress Chen cherished and protected her firmly under her wing. For so many years, she'd never let her meet with others. After she turned five, her health had improved to some extent, and Empress Chen had started to loosen her hold, slowly letting her come in contact with outsiders. However, that was only limited to the palace people and no one else, so besides the palace people, the other noble daughters hadn't seen Zhao Liuli's face before. Even Gao Danyang and Gao Qingyang only saw her occasionally, during the times they came paying respects to Empress Chen in the palace.

Inside Zhaoyang hall in the Qingxi palace, Empress Chen was reclining on the rosewood arhat bed, wearing a red muslin robe woven with gold peonies, below it a long plated skirt with dragon clouds pattern. Her expression was relaxed, as she leisurely swung the sandalwood fan in her hand. "Where's Liuli?"

Below her stood an old nurse in a honey-colored dress with her hands folded together, who respectfully said: "Answering the Empress, Her Highness ran out just now, saying she wanted to prepare a birthday gift for you."

"This kid…" Empress Chen's tone was helpless, but her eyes were smiling. Suddenly recalling something, she lowered her head to ask the old nurse, "Did she drink her medicine?"

The old nurse's expression was stiff as she shook her head: "Her Highness wasn't willing to drink the medicine… It barely entered her mouth, and she spat it out."

Empress Chen's smile faded, as her face turned serious. This daughter was her treasure, with her poor health from childhood, and constantly relying on medicine, she was unable say one harsh word to her, afraid of being too controlling. Her first son had died at ten years old, weighing heavy on her mind for so many years. She didn't want to lose her young daughter the same way, never living past ten. At present, Liuli was already seven. The empress lived in fear day after day, earnestly wishing that her health would take a turn for the better.

Empress Chen sighed. After thinking for a long time, she made a decision and called out to the old nurse nearby: "Assign more people to look after Liuli, make sure she's safe… If she meets some minister's daughter, don't block them, watch over them from the side. If any of them can make Liuli obediently drink her medicine, then let that person enter the palace to be Liuli's study partner." She paused as she went over her own thoughts. "Liuli is seven years old after all, she shouldn't be away from people. Try to find her a suitable playmate. If she's having fun, her body may also get better quickly."

The old nurse repeatedly said, "The Empress thinks of Her Highness so much, Her Highness will surely get healthier, will grow up safely."

Empress Chen smiled bitterly, "I hope so."

Somewhere else, Princess Tianji heard the bustling and excitement at the shore of the great lake, so she asked the palace maids to lead her over there. She was very curious, never having seen so many people, and wanted to take a look at the distant activity. Empress Chen had been overprotective of her. Though she was seven, her mentality was even purer than other children her age, and she was ignorant of many things.

She took a cobblestone lane, with dazzling dark red scarlet banana flowers on the sides. Not too far ahead was precisely Wild Goose house, where people's silhouettes could be seen moving inside. Everything was new to her, and she couldn't help quickening her steps. Turning around a corner, she passed by a statue, then suddenly came to a stop.

In front of her were standing two young girls, almost as big as her. Having collided with each other, both sides were a little surprised.

Liang Yurong exclaimed, pointing at the statue behind Zhao Liuli, "Why are we back here? Ah Luo, we're lost."

Liang Yurong: Wei Luo's friend

Zhao Liuli: princess Tianji, Zhao Jie's little sister

Mrs. Han: Wei Luo's tutor on etiquette

Madam Qin: 4th madam, Wei Luo's close aunt

Gao Qingyang: maternal cousin of Zhao Liuli

Wei Changhong: Wei Luo's twin brother

When Liang Yurong and Wei Luo had come out, they had only taken along two old nurses, who were also entering the palace for the first time. Following this twisting and remote footpath inside the palace courtyard for some time, they had gotten completely lost. Wild Goose house was obviously in front of them, yet no matter how much they walked, they couldn't reach it. They had passed by the same statue, returning to their original position.

Right now the palace maids and eunuchs were busy working, so no one came to this place. Even if they wanted to find a person to ask for directions, they couldn't. The two nurses were just getting worried, their foreheads sweating, when some palace maids and nurses escorting a young lady dressed in brocade clothes, suddenly appeared before them and walked over.

Being able to walk anywhere in the palace, and also having such a huge escort, this young lady's status was probably not simple. Secretly trying to figure out Zhao Liuli's identity, the nurses retreated to the side, waiting for the opposite party to introduce themselves. Sure enough, a nurse with some seniority, wearing an ash blue court dress, asked: "Who are you? Why are you here? You're still not greeting the princess."

It turned out to be a princess.

The two old nurses hurriedly saluted, signaling with their eyes to Wei Luo and Liang Yurong, reminding them in a whisper: "Little miss, quickly make your greetings together with this servant."

During this month, Wei Luo had learned plenty of court etiquette from Mrs. Han, so she smoothly followed along. After properly saluting, she calmly sized up Zhao Liuli. Emperor Chong Zhen had altogether eight princesses. The first five were already over ten years old, while the sixth and seventh were of a similar age – one seven, the other six years old. The sixth princess was Empress Chen's child, and the seventh princess was Noble Consort Ning's. She just didn't know whether it was the sixth or seventh child in front of her.

As Wei Luo was sizing up Zhao Liuli, Zhao Liuli was also curiously looking at them.

She was cooped inside the palace all year round, mostly coming in contact with palace maids and nurses, their ages all bigger than hers. She rarely met young ladies of a similar age. Empress Chen didn't allow her to approach her seventh younger sister Zhao Linlang. She was actually very lonely, staying in the palace by herself. Although mother Empress and big brother both loved her dearly, she still wanted to have her own playmate. Zhao Linlang had many playmates. Each time she went to the back garden, she could see her and several other little girls talking excitedly and making a commotion. While she could only look from afar and secretly envy them. In fact, Gao Qingyang was also alright, but she rarely entered the palace, and when she did occasionally visit, she didn't seem all that willing to play with her. If her body was healthy, Zhao Liuli thought, if she wasn't so ill, she could also be laughing and playing with the other little girls, and creating a disturbance.

Both sides were looking at each other for some time. Wei Luo noticed the opposite party was looking at them eagerly, as if she wanted to approach them but was too embarrassed to, and couldn't help finding it amusing. Her eyes spun as she started thinking. Pointing at Wild Goose house behind herself, she asked: "Do you know how to get there? We want to go over there."

Zhao Liuli pursed her lips and gently nodded.

The nurse nearby had received Empress Chen's instructions. Seeing Wei Luo chatting with princess Tianji now, she didn't stop them, but was rather happy to observe.

Wei Luo truly wanted to return to Wild Goose house. She had been out with Liang Yurong for too long, and fourth aunt was surely getting worried by now, after not hearing from them. She asked: "Can you lead us there?"

Zhao Liuli felt extremely flattered, pleasant surprise showing on her small face, and she nodded in consent. She rarely met any outsiders. Other people minded her status and never dared to talk to her of their own initiative, making her feel alienated with their deference. Now there was someone treating her normally, and even asking her for help. She was naturally pleased, blushing as she said: "I also intended to go over there."

Princess Tianji's body was weak, but the problem didn't stem from her birth. Instead, it was the result of someone's schemes inside the palace.

When she was a year old, she was given poison by Consort Shu's maid. At that time she had narrowly kept her life, with a dozen Imperial physicians laboring to save her for a whole day and night. Although Consort Shu was ordered to commit suicide afterward, the deed was done. She'd been weak ever since, having to drink medicine daily. She detested that rank, bitter concoction. After drinking it for 5-6 years continuously, just smelling it was enough to make her feel like throwing up.

However, it was because of that medicine that she was able to live to the present.

She hadn't walked many steps, when Zhao Liuli's small face paled, gasping for breath as she held Nurse Qiu's hand for support, "Nurse, I'm a bit tired…"

Nurse Qiu's expression stiffened as she held her up in a hurry. "What happened, Your Highness? Can't catch your breath?" In the end, she said remorsefully: "The reason should be not drinking the medicine this morning. It's all this servant's fault, I shouldn't have indulged your temper…"

At this moment, Zhao Liuli could neither speak, nor listen. Her body was curled up in pain.

Fortunately, they weren't too far from Wild Goose house. Nurse Qiu promptly carried her in her arms and headed for the building, instructing the palace maids as she walked: "Quick, quickly bring sixth princess' medicine!"

Wei Luo and Liang Yurong followed behind, now realizing she was the sixth princess Zhao Liuli.

There were several richly dressed noble women on the first floor of Wild Goose house, talking and laughing merrily. They soon noticed a nurse carrying a little girl, rushing over with an anxious expression, in the middle of saying "Your Highness, please hold on a little longer". Startled, they stood up to salute in succession, but Nurse Qiu was unable to attend to their greetings. She placed Zhao Liuli on a glazed couch and lightly stroked her back. "Your Highness, do you feel a little better? Can you breathe now?"

A good while later, Zhao Liuli's complexion finally improved. Though her face was still pale, it wasn't as scary as just now. She nodded softly, only to realize she was surrounded by many people, all looking at her. There was some curiosity in their gazes, some probing, but even more was the sympathy… She shrank back, hiding in Nurse Qiu's arms.

Nurse Qiu didn't pay attention to her mood. Soon after, a maidservant in a yellow dress came in, carrying a bowl of medicine in both hands. "Nurse, sixth princess' medicine is here."

Nurse Qiu took the large copper-rimmed enamel bowl from the tray, and gently helped Zhao Liuli up, propping her against the pillows. She scooped up a spoonful of medicine to feed her: "Your Highness, come, once you finish drinking this bowl of medicine you'll feel better."

Facing this both smelly and bitter medicine, Zhao Liuli, who had drunk it for 5-6 years, was more clear than anyone about its taste. She subconsciously got nauseous, and shook her head stubbornly: "I won't drink. Bitter."

After she said that, she tightly shut her mouth. No matter how Nurse Qiu coaxed her, she was not willing to open it.

This made Nurse Qiu very anxious, how could she not drink the medicine? This sickness had made her suffer so much a moment ago, precisely because she hadn't drunk the medicine earlier. If she didn't drink it now, she would most certainly have a problem later. What to do then? For so many years they had depended on this bowl of medicine to preserve the princess' life. Now she didn't want to take it, didn't she care for her own life? Nurse Qiu thought of the heartache Empress Chen had gone through all these years, and couldn't help but tear up.

"Your Highness, I'm begging you, drink the medicine… If you don't, the Empress will be very worried when she hears of this…" She was patiently persuading her, wishing she could personally drink this bowl of medicine in Zhao Liuli's stead.

Unfortunately, Zhao Liuli wasn't listening to any of her words, shaking her head and saying "I won't, I won't drink." Nurse Qiu brought the medicine to her mouth, but she smacked the spoon away, her eyes red: "I won't drink it. Why don't others have to drink medicine, but only I have to? Nurse, I want to be like the other girls… I also want to fly a kite and kick a shuttlecock. I don't want to drink medicine daily… The medicine's bitter…" The more she spoke, the harder she cried, until she ended up sobbing in Nurse Qiu's arms.

Listening to her, Nurse Qiu was feeling extremely sorry for her, cursing that year's murderer over and over in her mind. "Your Highness…"

The two of them were sorrowful, and the noble women nearby finally came to realize that this was Empress Chen's most beloved princess Tianji. Harboring various thoughts, one by one they went forward to console.

One was saying that drinking the medicine would make her healthy, the other was asking the princess not to cry, but it was all useless. Zhao Liuli was still as sad as before and listened to nobody.

Just as the group of people was feeling helpless, they heard a clear voice resounding from outside: "One, two, three…"

Everyone's attention was drawn by this voice as they looked outside.

They saw a young girl in a cherry-colored light dress kicking a shuttlecock under the weeping willow, while another girl was helping her count. The noble women knit their eyebrows, thinking the two children weren't sensible. Didn't they see the princess crying so sadly just now? They didn't come to comfort, but went to play instead, really bad-mannered.

But gradually, their attention was captured by the girl kicking the shuttlecock. Her body was as lithe as a swallow, showing one trick after another. Raising her foot to kick, the red embroidered shoes steadily received the shuttlecock in the air. After kicking it again, she waited for its fall and her left foot reached out, as she jumped to catch the shuttlecock in another kind of pose… Swallow, double swallow, mandarin duck turn, double mandarin duck turn (*techniques), she was nimble and graceful as she moved, delighting the spectators and making them clap in praise. Unknowing, everyone's eyes were attracted by her as they stopped what they were doing to watch. Even princess Tianji who was breathless from crying, was unable to take her eyes off of her, looking on with admiration.

Wei Luo's hair was styled in two buns, each held by a red silk ribbon. The ribbons were decorated with four small gilded bells respectively. Each time she kicked, the bells jingled along.

Accompanied by the sound, Wei Luo kicked a full hundred times before she stopped. Her legs were aching as she hadn't played this for quite a while and wasn't able to keep it up. During her previous life in the small farmhouse, she would kick the shuttlecock together with the neighbor's little girl whenever she wasn't busy. She was better at it than anyone, she could kick more than 300 times.

At that time, she had definitely never expected that she would use this skill to amuse a seven year old little girl one day.

She picked up the shuttlecock and walked inside. As she approached the glazed couch, she looked at Zhao Liuli with a smile: "Sixth princess, did I kick well just now?"

Zhao Liuli was in a daze, but quickly composing herself, she looked at her respectfully and nodded like a chicken pecking rice: "Yes!"

More than just well, she was simply too good! She hadn't seen anyone play better than her.

Wei Luo grinned and asked in a soft milky voice: "Do you want to learn?"

Zhao Liuli nodded her head even harder, suddenly feeling much closer to her: "Want!" Saying that, she paused, then asked uncertainly: "Can you teach me?"

"Sure I can." Wei Luo's smiling face was adorable. Having played too much a moment ago, the tip of her nose shone with a thin layer of sweat. Her glossy face was radiant under the sunlight, as if sculpted out of crystal. After she answered, she saw that Zhao Liuli was feeling happy from this topic, and went on saying: "But you need a healthy body to kick the shuttlecock, otherwise it's easy to get hurt. If you want to learn, get better first. I'll teach you then."

She didn't know why she was doing this. Maybe after seeing her cry so pitifully, she felt a little sympathetic.

Zhao Liuli's eyes lit up as she grabbed her sleeve to ask: "If I get better, you can teach me all those tricks?"

Wei Luo tilted her head, looking at her, "Of course." Saying that, she blinked her eyes and pointed at the medicine on top of the coated with gold sandalwood tea table, "But you have to drink the medicine first."

Zhao Liuli was sincerely convinced by her, and taking her at her word, rushed to say: "I'll drink, I'll drink. Don't forget your promise."

Supporting her cheek in her hand, Wei Luo laughed softly, but didn't speak.

She would certainly not renege on a promise, because it was unlikely for Zhao Liuli's body to recuperate. In her previous life, princess Tianji had been bedridden with a lingering disease for several years. Her body had been weak, and she ultimately couldn't live over 16. She had perished at 16, making Wei Luo think of herself. They were equally pitiful, unable to live till an old age. That's why Wei Luo decided to help her. If she properly took her medicine this time, would she be able to live for a few more years?

Nurse Qiu was crying tears of joy nearby, having a whole new level of respect for Wei Luo. She was so grateful, she didn't know what to do. "The medicine got cold. This servant will make someone go and heat it up. Princess, please wait a moment."

Zhao Liuli agreed, patiently waiting for the palace maids to return with the warm medicine. She didn't need Nurse Qiu to feed her. Holding up the bowl, she obediently gulped it down sip by sip.

At long last, things returned to normal in Wild Goose house. Everyone's gazes fell on the little girl next to the couch, their expressions varying. Seemingly unaware, Wei Luo was about to go upstairs to look for fourth aunt, when she noticed Madam Qin rushing down the stairs, looking worried.

Wei Luo brought her to a stop, calling out to her: "Fourth aunt!"

Madam Qin turned her head to look, and seeing it was her, hurriedly stepped forward to hug her. Without enough time to ask her where she'd gone, she was urgently speaking while making her way out: "Ah Luo, come with me quickly. Just now, someone told me that Changhong had a conflict with Prince Ruyang's successor and was pushed into the lake by him…"

Wei Luo's smiling expression froze, her small face clouding over immediately.

With Changhong's temper, how would he have a conflict with anyone? Unless the other party intended to seek trouble.

She had an impression of Prince Ruyang's son Li Song, since he was largely responsible for Changhong's misfortune in her past life, going so far as to conspire together with Wei Zheng and her mother.

Her eyes grew cold. Last time Li Song had appeared in this exact manner. Why did they argue? He actually dared to push Changhong in the water. If Changhong got hurt, she wanted Li Song to die a hundred times over.

Wei Luo was holding onto Madam Qin's neck, her pink lips pursed in a line, her expression dark and cold. Raising her head, she unexpectedly met someone's line of sight.

At the lake shore opposite the building, Zhao Jie was standing under the same willow tree, where she had kicked the shuttlecock earlier. His lips were held up in a smile as he gave her a deep look.

Madam Qin hugged her tighter and walked faster, leaving him far behind. He stood there for a moment, then slowly started strolling after them.

Wei Luo: main character

Zhao Jie: male lead

Wei Kun / Sheng Ming: Wei Luo's father

Madam Qin: Wei Luo's 4th aunt

Wei Changhong: Wei Luo's twin brother

Li Zhiliang/ Prince Ruyang: Li Song's father, general

Li Song: bullied Changhong

Zhu Geng: Zhao Jie's bodyguard, previously saved Wei Luo from Madam Du's plot

Zhao Liuli/ Princess Tianji: Zhao Jie's younger sister

When they arrived at the lake shore, there were already many people there – high officials from the imperial court, nobles from influential families, and also palace servants who had rushed to the rescue… Wei Luo noticed a person lying on the ground in the distance, soaked through and motionless. Wei Kun was crouching beside him, continuously pressing his acupoints, but the person had no reaction.

Wei Luo paled. She crawled down from Madam Qin and bolted towards them on her short legs, "Changhong!"

It was early summer and the lake wasn't too cold, but it was deep. If he had sunk to the bottom, it would've been difficult to save him quickly enough. If he wasn't rescued in time… Only just thinking of it frightened Wei Luo. Not daring to dwell on it, she grabbed Changhong's arm tightly and called his name, "Changhong, wake up…"

She was afraid. Though she was perfectly aware that Changhong couldn't possibly die today, she didn't feel reassured. What if her own rebirth had influenced fixed events and made them deviate?

She had promised she'd protect Changhong, yet she hadn't watched over him well enough, and had let him have such an accident.

With these thoughts, Wei Luo raised her head and looked maliciously at the young boy across from her, who was wearing a sapphire robe. The boy was seven or eight years old. His appearance was pretty, yet his pair of eyes were arrogant, giving him a wild look. Right now, he was pursing his rosy lips. As he glanced over, he caught Wei Luo's line of sight. At first he gawked at her, but scoffed soon after and turned his head, no longer looking at her.

That was Prince Ruyang's son, Li Song. Even if he didn't look quite the same as to when he grew up, Wei Luo could still recognize him. Because there was an obvious feature on his face. That was a small birthmark under his left eye, light pink in a swallow tail shape. It made his face very eye-catching. Standing next to him was the tall and sturdy Prince Ruyang. Prince Ruyang was in the middle of lecturing him with a serious face, his voice so loud, almost half the palace could hear.

Prince Ruyang was devoted to the military. His body was robust, his martial skill was out of the ordinary. He had once followed Emperor Chong Zhen through fire and water, taking over the world together. When Emperor Chong Zhen gained power, he conferred him the rank of Prince, regarding him as a close brother (in arms). Prince Ruyang married Emperor Chong Zhen's younger sister, the Princess Gaoyang, Zhao Xuan. Zhao Xuan had been a famous beauty in the capital several years ago, her body was delicate, her face bright like the moon, her temper pure. One was a pampered and fragile princess, the other was a rough fellow from an army camp. No matter how one looked, they weren't a suitable match. At the time, none of the people in the capital were optimistic about the marriage, including princess Gaoyang. She wasn't fond of these types of military men. The type she liked was the mild and gentle, scholarly youths. Rumors said she had rebelled against Emperor Chong Zhen once, but it was unfortunately useless. In the end, she had to marry according to her brother's decision.

Fortunately, after getting married, Li Zhiliang didn't treat her badly, he favored her. Soon after, they gave birth to a son and a daughter. Li Song was eight this year, the daughter Li Xiang was five.

Why did the past Li Song make life difficult for Changhong? For what reason did he both destroy his future, and ruin his reputation?

Wei Luo knew the reason.

At that time, Duke Ying's house and Prince Ruyang's palace were discussing a marriage between Changhong and Li Xiang. The 14 year old Li Xiang already had someone in mind, and didn't like Changhong. She liked the heroic bearing of the champion in the Imperial military exam. In order to get rid of this marriage without destroying her own reputation, Li Xiang begged her big brother Li Song to find a way to ruin Changhong's reputation, so when the time came, she wouldn't need to do a thing and let her parents refuse the marriage themselves. Thus, Li Song tricked Changhong into taking Five Minerals Powder, causing him to be muddleheaded all day, dazed, passing his days unproductively. Recalling the despicable thing this pair of brother and sister had done, Wei Luo gnashed her teeth in hatred.

Li Xiang's heart wasn't into it, but she just had to drag Changhong down. When had he ever wronged her? She herself was dirty, yet had to throw dirty water on Changhong as well, like a prostitute keeping up a pure image. Wei Luo had never met such a low person.

Thinking of these matters, she was so furious, her whole body was trembling. Changhong's current state was still uncertain, on what basis were they properly alive? Were their lives more valuable than Changhong's?

She lowered her head, her thin small shoulders violently shivering. To others it seemed like she was crying, but only she knew it was out of loathing.

Wishing she could let them die right now, wishing they could immediately suffer their retribution.

She was biting her pink lips, unknowingly causing them to bleed, but she didn't feel any pain. The scarlet blood dripped on the back of Changhong's hand, offending the eyes with its stark red contrast. She used her thumb to earnestly wipe it away. Her throat seemed to be blocked up, letting out a whimper. The current and the past lifetime's memories overlapped. She said: "Changhong, don't die… Don't die."

The words had just come out of her mouth, when a pair of hands lifted her up from behind. Zhao Jie's voice was calm and slow, "He won't die. This Prince will have someone save him."

As he said that, Zhu Geng came forward and took Wei Kun's spot. Placing both hands on Changhong's chest, he started pushing rhythmically (CPR). Zhao Jie placed Wei Luo to the side, but she simply disregarded him. She was staring unwaveringly at the activity taking place, until Changhong spat out a mouthful of lake water, his body curling up as he coughed.

"Changhong!"

Wei Luo felt joy, as if a heavy stone had lifted from her heart. Her feet flew as she dashed in his direction, but Zhao Jie's arm unexpectedly blocked her path. Wei Luo couldn't stop in time, so her whole body crashed into Zhao Jie's arms, knocking into his chest and hurting her nose. Zhao Jie laughed softly. Extricating her from his embrace, he bent down to pinch her small nose, "Why the rush? The person's right there, he won't run away."

She saw Changhong sit up, while Wei Kun was worriedly asking him where he felt uncomfortable. He shook his head twice, silent the whole time. He'd always been reserved. Now that he'd been pushed into the water, he felt even worse at heart, but he didn't say anything. He always kept his feelings bottled up inside.

Wei Luo got more anxious as she observed. She pushed away Zhao Jie's hand. "I want to see my younger brother…"

Zhao Jie, however, was determined not to let her pass. Since they happened to be standing behind the crowd, they weren't too noticeable. Zhao Jie held out a thumb to gently rub at her soft pink lips a few times. Finding it a little painful, she wrinkled her eyebrows and mewled in complaint. He let her go, then looked at the blood on his thumb and asked solemnly, "Whom were you loathing a moment ago?"

Other people may not have found out, but he had been paying attention to her, so he saw a lot more compared to others. The little girl had been barely restraining her emotions. When she had looked at Li Song, her eyes had been ice-cold, containing an enormous amount of anger and hatred. This side of her was a little different from his impression of her, yet he didn't find it conflicting. This kind of feeling was very strange, as if anything she did was natural – whether it was her viciously biting him, or her sweetly calling him "big brother", or her struggling to contain her anger just now, every side of her felt fresh to him. She had many hidden sides, enough for him to discover them one by one.

Wei Luo tightly pursed her lips, a speck of blood lingering at the corner. She looked like a small stubborn wild beast, waiting for a person to tame her slowly.

Zhao Jie smiled. "Let This Prince guess, is it Li Song or Wei Kun?"

She paused, her clear large black eyes boring into him. She didn't admit nor refute it.

She hated both of them. She hated Li Song for ruining Changhong, and hated Wei Kun for failing to protect Changhong.

However currently, she hated Li Song more.

Zhao Jie evidently guessed her train of thoughts, and asked neither too fast, nor too slow, "Why do you hate him? Because he pushed your younger brother in the water?"

Wei Luo was silent for a long time, then she opened her mouth slowly, "He bullied Changhong."

Indeed, wasn't it precisely bullying Changhong, that Li Song did? Wei Luo didn't want to let Zhao Jie know too much, neither did she want him to discover her sinister side. Right now, she could only pretend and try to cover up that side. She was only a six year old girl, why would she know what bitter hatred was?

Zhao Jie curved his lips. Whether he believed her or not wasn't known. He looked at her for a good while, then touched her head as he asked softly, "Do you want to bully him back?"

Wei Luo raised her head in surprise, meeting his eyes. She didn't understand why he wanted to ask that.

What did he mean? What if she wanted to?

Wei Luo's pretty little face had wariness all over it. She did not answer his question.

Not far from them, Wei Kun was looking high and low for her. When he couldn't find her, he parted the crowd, just in time to see her speaking with Zhao Jie. Greeting him, he said, "This official has seen Your Highness Prince Jing. Did Your Highness have any matter with my daughter?"

Zhao Jie straightened up, wiping off the smile on his face. When he turned around, he'd already switched to a cool expression. He said: "Fourth Miss cried just now, this prince was calming her down."

Wei Kun didn't doubt him, saying quite sincerely: "Many thanks, Your Highness, for going through the trouble…"

Wei Luo had the opportunity to break free from Zhao Jie at last, running back to Wei Changhong's side. The imperial physician had rushed over just then. After he had treated Changhong, there were no longer any issues. Changhong noticed her coming over, and finally opened his mouth to speak his first sentence, "Ah Luo…"

However, he appeared sluggish and not too cheerful.

Wei Luo raised her sleeve to wipe the water droplets on his face, making a small noise in response. Others weren't able to hear what was said.

Even if they couldn't hear, they were able to feel the deep affection between the siblings. It was no wonder really, as the two children had no mother, they had to rely on each other.

As this beautiful scene fell into the bystanders' eyes, it made them feel envious for no reason.

Zhao Jie stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the siblings serenely. No one could tell what he was actually thinking.

After some questioning from Wei Luo, Changhong finally told her how the dispute with Li Song had come to be.

Changhong and her were twins of different gender. Their appearance was 70% similar, with beautiful and delicate features. That was good for Wei Luo, but a little inconvenient to Changhong. He was young right now and had yet to develop. At first glance, he resembled a girl. Usually, there were people who discussed Changhong's appearance, but they did so quietly among themselves. No one had dared to do it so openly before. This Prince Ruyang's son, Li Song, was the first.

He not only ridiculed Changhong for being effeminate, but also wanted him to imitate the little girls' manner of speaking. He even pulled out a silk flower from some palace maid's hair, and insisted that Changhong put it on his head. Changhong naturally didn't agree. Just because he didn't speak, didn't mean he was willing to be ordered around. Li Song saw he wasn't complying and also absolutely refusing to put things on his head, and the two of them had entered a dispute like that, even involving hands and feet. Changhong was two years younger than Li Song, he was no match for him in the end. His belly suffered several hits, and he was eventually lifted by the collar and directly thrown into the big lake.

When Wei Luo heard his belly was hit, she hurriedly made him lift up his clothes, "Let me see."

They were outside, with many people surrounding them. Changhong was naturally unwilling, grabbing his clothes as he spoke: "It's nothing… It doesn't hurt."

It would be odd if it didn't hurt! Li Song was born to a military commander dad, his own skill would definitely not fall short. Having suffered his two fists, Changhong was certainly unable to endure them.

Yet he deceived her, claiming it didn't hurt.

Wei Luo raised her eyes to glare at the standing across Li Song. Her icy gaze seemed able to penetrate through, she didn't conceal her anger at all. It was a first for Li Song to receive such a look from a little girl. He jumped in fright, before he quickly collected himself, saying obstinately: "What are you looking at? You two look so much alike, you're female, and he's male, how can I clearly tell you apart? It's not strange at all if I get it wrong."

Twisting words and forcing logic.

Hearing him, Prince Ruyang scolded, "disgraceful", before pulling him in front of Changhong, and then flung him to the ground harshly, "What did I tell you just now? Still not apologizing."

Li Song stumbled a few steps, coming to a stop. His eyes looked at Changhong, then at Wei Luo again. He didn't have the slightest intention of sincerely apologizing.

The people around were dispersed, only leaving behind a few eunuchs, as well as people from the Ying residence and the Ruyang palace. Li Zhiliang saluted Wei Kun and spoke rather remorsefully: "It's This Prince's fault for not teaching my child properly and for offending the young master, but also seeking brother Sheng Ming superior's magnanimity to forgive the child."

What use was it to apologize now? And even calling himself "This Prince". Then what about Wei Kun's son? Wei Kun's complexion didn't look too well, but he still returned the courtesy, "Small children are mischievous, being boisterous is common. The Prince need not blame yourself." He paused. A mild person could also have a temper. "It's just that Changhong's life is only one, he can't withstand being tossed about. I hope there won't be a next time."

Prince Ruyang smiled and promptly said,"Brother Sheng Ming's words are very true. This Prince will carefully discipline this child when we go back."

At the same time, Li Song was still dawdling on his apology to Changhong. Finally, after Prince Ruyang waved his fist threateningly, he curled his lip and spoke with a complete lack of sincerity, "It was my bad just now, I shouldn't have thrown you in the water. Anyway, you're fine, so we can consider the matter settled."

Wei Luo smiled stiffly. What "anyway, you're fine"? If something had happened, wouldn't it be too late?

Prince Ruyang also felt these words were improper, angrily shaking his fist as if to hit him, "Speak properly for your father…"

Wei Luo looked at him, a sly light flashing through her eyes. Her tone was indignant, bringing out a young girl's unique frailty: "You pushed my brother into the water. If you let me also push you in once, we'll forgive you."

Wei Kun yelled: "Ah Luo!"

However, no one went to stop her. That was a matter between their children, and sometimes it wasn't good for the adults to interfere. In addition, Wei Luo was a girl. Her age was also small. No matter what she said, it would be taken as a child's words having no filter.

He glanced at Li Zhiliang. Li Zhiliang furrowed his brows, seemingly thinking her request was a little unreasonable.

Li Zhiliang hadn't opened his mouth yet, when Li Song laughed. Having something else in mind, he conceitedly agreed: "So what? Let alone doing it once, even if you push me a hundred times, it won't be a problem."

Li Song relied on his beginner martial arts, and he had learned how to swim as a child. He simply wasn't concerned with Wei Luo's words. Finding them amusing instead, he complied without a moment's hesitation. Treat it as taking a bath. He was broad-minded and wouldn't haggle with her.

Li Zhiliang was reluctant to agree, fearing that his son could be harmed. But since he was going to watch over them from the side, he didn't say anything. This way, he would appear to make amends sincerely, and not like someone using his rank to bully others.

Seeing Li Song's confidence, Wei Luo sneered slightly.

Laugh, laugh while you still can.

At this time, Emperor Chong Zhen and Empress Chen still hadn't arrived, but it was only a matter of time. Everybody was waiting for them in the Wild Goose house and Riverside house, thus not many were paying attention to Wei Luo's situation over here.

The great lake's shore was smooth, built in stone and about a foot and a half higher than the water surface. It was the same height everywhere. Wei Luo stood at the shore and raised her head to look at Li Song, "I'll push you from here. If you can come up, we'll regard the matter settled."

She imitated his previous words, her young voice tinted with childishness. She was obviously still a child, who didn't understand anything, yet her face was stiff, carrying a solemn appearance. Li Song found it funny, and basically didn't care about her as he nodded carelessly: "Good. Do it quickly, don't…"

He wasn't done speaking, when Wei Luo raised her hand to place it on his chest and resolutely pushed. Li Song fell backwards from the shore all of a sudden. With both eyes wide open, "splash", he was dunked into the water.

The lake water quickly covered his head. Fortunately, he could swim, and only took a moment to get adjusted. Holding his breath, he even swam in a circle leisurely, pleased with himself. Floating up to the surface again, he looked at Wei Luo complacently. Prince Ruyang Li Zhiliang sighed in relief from the side, and called out: "You unruly child, still not coming out!"

His arms cut through the water as he swam forward. He intended to climb up from the same place he was pushed in a moment ago, however, his hand had barely taken hold of the stone wall, when he thought something seemed wrong. Wei Luo was crouching in front of him with a smile on her small face. That smile looked so strange, it bewildered him. It gave him the impression he had fallen into a trap. He frowned, "Go away, let me go up!"

Originally, Wei Luo had picked this spot, because the stones were full of moss, wet and slippery. It wouldn't be easy to get out. Normally, it wouldn't be too difficult for Li Song, but Wei Luo was squatting at the shore right now, holding a thin twig in her hand. With her back to the crowd, she used the twig to poke the back of his hand maliciously, smiling as she looked at him disdainfully, "Go down."

Li Song's expression changed, fuming with rage: "You dare…"

Without waiting for him to finish, Wei Luo increased her strength. The twig firmly dug into his flesh, while she smiled innocently: "Not going down?"

Li Song cried out in pain and quickly removed his hand, falling back into the water.

The people at the shore couldn't see what happened clearly, believing Li Song wasn't able to stand firmly and fell down by himself. In the end, Li Zhiliang felt distressed for his son, calling for the bodyguards in a hurry: "Make haste, help the little prince up."

His voice just fell, when another voice interrupted.

"Hold on."

Zhao Jie was standing to the side, his gaze pointed at Wei Luo's figure full of interest. Having seen enough, he said to Li Zhiliang: "Didn't Prince Ruyang agree just now? This is something between the two of them. The little prince went into the water voluntarily, naturally he also has to come out by himself. Why, does Prince Ruyang have no confidence in his own son?"

Not expecting Prince Jing to get involved, Li Zhiliang stiffened up, smiling reluctantly as he said: "It's not like that… It's only…"

Zhao Jie didn't give him the opportunity to speak. He moved his line of sight away and said: "In that case, just wait."

Li Zhiliang was forced to keep waiting.

Under the water, Li Song wanted to come out from another spot, but after swimming around once, he couldn't help but wish to curse her out. Did that little girl do it deliberately? She knew the lake was full of water plants right now, winding and twisting around in spirals, there was simply no way to approach them. Getting near them, it was possible to get tangled up and sink to the bottom of the lake. It seemed that he could only come up from the spot, where Wei Luo was guarding. He got extremely angry, choking on the mouthful of air he'd been barely holding in, as the lake water rushed to his nose and mouth. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of water before his head resurfaced, glaring indignantly at Wei Luo: "You, on purpose?"

Wei Luo stood up and laughed sweetly, "What purpose? What do you mean?"

But her expression clearly said, "That's right, it's on purpose."

Li Song had never met such a hateful little girl before. He wished he could swallow her whole. "Let me go up!"

One on the shore, the other in the water, his imposing manner dropped by a large chunk. Li Song was no longer as conceited and arrogant as he previously was, and he felt a little anxious. He'd stayed in the water for too long, and due to his rush, his left leg was gradually starting to hurt, which he feared was a sign of an oncoming cramp.

Yet he didn't want to ask for help from his father. He was a boy after all, he had to save face. What would it look like if he lost to a little girl? Moreover, she was two years younger than him!

Wei Luo was obviously smiling, but her eyes were completely cold, "I'm not stopping you."

Li Song clenched his teeth. She wasn't stopping him, but she actually didn't leave him a way out. Was she really six years old? Her scheming was too good!

Neither of them backed down, looking at each other, waiting to see who would last till the end.

In the end, it was Li Song's loss as expected. His left leg cramped. As he was increasingly unable to support his body's weight, he slowly sank. The lake water covered the top of his head. Wei Luo didn't make a sound. A few moments passed before the people on shore realized something was amiss. Prince Ruyang took off his outer coat and jumped into the water to personally pull up his son, "Song'er, Song'er!"

Li Song had drank a belly full of water, but he hadn't died. Only his mind was somewhat hazy. He sought out Wei Luo's form, pointing at her and repeating "you" for quite a while, but nothing else came out. His head drooped to the side as he fainted.

The matter was regarded as having concluded in a draw. Li Song had thrown Changhong into the lake, and Wei Luo had pushed Li Song into the water. No one owed each other, and no one was qualified to speak further.

Even though Prince Ruyang was angered, the opposite party had Prince Jing's protection. It wouldn't be good to say anything, so he had no choice but to swallow down his grievances.

This year's birthday banquet followed the usual customs. After congratulating Empress Chen, Emperor Chong Zhen ordered his servants to set up a stage at the shore of the great lake for a play. Famous actors elegantly waved their sleeves as they sang "Return of the Phoenix" on the stage. The voices were high-pitched, the meaning of the poems – difficult to understand. Empress Chen wasn't used to listening to opera. She barely persevered through half of it, then got up to bid goodbye to Emperor Chong Zhen.

Emperor Chong Zhen had a decorated black hat on his head. Dressed in his imperial robes, he was still vigorous despite the years gone by, the heroic bearing from his youth could be clearly glimpsed on his face. Hearing that Empress Chen wanted to leave the banquet, his gaze deepened as a smile soon showed up within his expression, turning into an infinitely gentle appearance: "If the Empress leaves, what am I supposed to do here all alone? We might as well go back together."

"No, I came together with ChangSheng (longevity), and I just so happen to have something to talk to him about. Your Majesty is busy with government affairs and rarely has free time. It would be better to accompany the ministers and speak a few words." Empress Chen rejected the emperor to his face and didn't even wait for him to open his mouth. She then said to Zhao Jie who was sitting below: "Come, help your mother go back."

ChangSheng was Zhao Jie's childhood name. It was said that a name represented a wish. Empress Chen's wish was precisely for her two children to have a long and peaceful life.

Zhao Jie got up, similarly bidding Emperor Chong Zhen goodbye, then supported Empress Chen as they departed.

The emperor sat on the dragon chair. For a long time his face remained expressionless.

Qingxi Palace, Zhaoyang palace hall.

Empress Chen was sitting on the ironwood imperial consort couch, listening to Nurse Qiu actively recount the earlier events, when Wei Luo had convinced Princess Tianji to drink the medicine, "…Then the princess said she wanted to drink the medicine right away. Empress, the fourth miss of Duke Ying's house is really competent."

Empress Chen reclined on the couch, holding an ivory snuff bottle in her hands and listened earnestly, "Didn't you say she was six, how can she be this fierce?"

She managed to control Liuli in a few words, making Liuli whole-heartedly listen to her. If it wasn't for Nurse Qiu and the other palace maids' assurances, the empress really wouldn't be able to believe it.

Nurse Qiu nodded repeatedly, and couldn't help but add: "Not only that, that fourth miss also kicks a shuttlecock very attractively…"

Sitting on a fragrant rosewood tutor chair below, Zhao Jie maintained his calm and collected manner, but the corners of his eyes held a smile. Listening to Nurse Qiu praise Wei Luo, he couldn't help but recall the sight he had witnessed himself at that time. The red ribbons in her hair brushed against her face with the wind. Her eyes were focused, only staring at the shuttlecock in the air. She simply hadn't noticed he was also there looking at her.

Those eyes were filled with a spring-like vivacity, bright and turbulent, shining brilliantly. She would deceive people with her words. When she used those eyes to look at you innocently, perhaps her mind was also planning how to make you suffer… Really interesting. Zhao Jie rested his cheek on his palm, thinking of today's scene of Wei Luo bullying Li Song. How could he forget? She was the little chilli pepper who used a hairpin to cut a person's face, not a sheltered greenhouse flower. Whoever tried to bully her wouldn't have a good outcome.

Zhao Jie looked at Empress Chen, raising his lips as he asked, "Mother, have you decided on Liuli's study companion?"

Gao Danyang: Zhao Jie's maternal cousin

Gao Qingyang: Danyang's younger sister, around Wei Luo's age

Zhao Liuli / Princess Tianji: Zhao Jie's younger sister, around Wei Luo's age

Nurse Qiu: serves Empress Chen

Li Zhiliang / Prince Ruyang: a general who fought alongside the emperor

Li Song: Li Zhiliang's son, bullied Changhong (Wei Luo's brother)

Zhu Geng: Zhao Jie's bodyguard

Wei Kun: Wei Luo's father, 5th son of Duke Ying

These days Empress Chen had been troubled over this matter, but hadn't found a suitable candidate yet. At first, she'd meant to let Gao Qingyang be Zhao Liuli's study partner. The two of them were of similar age, and could play together as well. However, Gao Qingyang was very arrogant and willful, and also somewhat reckless. Empress Chen grew afraid that she would accidentally injure Zhao Liuli, thus she couldn't come to a quick decision.

Now, as she listened to Nurse Qiu's words, she actually thought Wei Luo was an appropriate candidate. The empress hesitated for a moment, then slowly asked Zhao Jie: "What do you think about the fourth miss of Duke Ying's house?"

Zhao Jie's lips curled enigmatically as he leaned back on the rosewood chair, both hands folded in front of him, his posture relaxed: "Your son thinks she's smart, witty, cute and sensible. A very suitable candidate."

This was a very high evaluation. Empress Chen threw an amazed glance at him, getting more and more curious about this fourth young lady. She hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of Wei Luo previously, feeling it was quite a pity now. She ought to call her over and see her once. Zhao Jie's judgment was so fastidious. The people he acknowledged were all above average. And now he gave such a high evaluation to a young lady. Just how outstanding was she? Making Liuli and Zhao Jie both sing her praises.

Empress Chen thought it over, then nodded and said: "Since she could make Liuli take her medicine obediently, letting her enter the palace as a study companion is not unreasonable."

Zhao Jie didn't reply, but used his hand to gently stroke over a spot on his right wrist back and forth. The wound there was all healed up, leaving behind uneven tooth marks. Recently, whenever he had something to think about, he would do this action involuntarily. Feeling the marks, he recalled the time he first met Wei Luo, the scene of her opening her small mouth and viciously biting him.

He laughed silently. Employing this sort of method to ask him for help, she was the first one ever.

He seemed to care too much for a little girl. While it really wasn't a good thing, he nevertheless entertained his curiosity instead of ignoring it. In any case, to him she was only a crafty and amusing little girl with many faces. She was unlikely to cause him any trouble. He even wanted to support her from behind the scene and help her raise hell. He had heard from Zhu Geng that her circumstances in Duke Ying's residence weren't too favorable. The stepmother was vicious, the father was weak, the several elders above them weren't dependable. She had to survive in that kind of environment, while she also wanted to protect her brother. It was a little difficult to deal with all that at her age.

Zhao Jie smirked. He actually didn't mind acting as her benefactor, but the young lady didn't seem to appreciate his intention.

Today he'd asked her whether she wanted to bully back. He had initially been thinking of assisting her, but she'd looked at him with a face full of suspicion, clearly showing she didn't trust him. She would rather rely on herself than ask him for help. Why was that? Was he really so untrustworthy? Zhao Jie was ruminating distractedly while touching his wrist.

Empress Chen spoke a few more words in addition, but Zhao Jie was too absorbed in his thoughts, so she didn't know whether he'd heard anything.

"Chang Sheng." The empress helplessly called out to him.

Zhao Jie paused, then looked up to ask: "What did mother empress say?"

Realizing at once that he hadn't been listening properly, the empress had to repeat herself: "Danyang looked for me earlier to complain. She said you were too careless toward her…"

His face remained expressionless. He'd already expected that Gao Danyang would come and complain to the empress. As for why he was said to be careless, he didn't need to think too hard to know the reason. It was nothing else but his wish to give away her cat that made her unhappy, so she'd rushed over here to protest, hoping that the empress would speak to him. He had gotten sick of dealing with such things for the past two years, so he'd long developed a selective listening ability.

Empress Chen intended to play matchmaker to him and Gao Danyang. She would daily mention the girl's name in front of him. Gao Danyang was his maternal cousin, and the empress didn't mind changing from an aunt to a mother-in-law. And as the two of them were quickly growing into adults, the sooner this matter was settled, the sooner she would feel relieved. However, he was already bored of hearing this. If he wasn't interested in a person, forcing them on him would only make him lose interest even more.

After a while, he interrupted Empress Chen's words and stood up saying: "There are some matters that need my attention at my residence. If mother empress is done speaking, I'll go back first."

Empress Chen had no other choice but to stop. Knowing he didn't like listening to these things, she grudgingly waved him away, "Go then, go. As for these so-called matters of yours, I can see they're just an excuse."

Zhao Jie smiled, not denying her statement. After he bid her goodbye, he stepped out of Zhaoyang hall.

He didn't see Gao Danyang as a woman, simply regarding her as an ordinary cousin. If they forced him to marry her, it would only cause harm to both parties. Moreover, he currently had no plans of marrying. It was too soon to think of that. Rather than romance, he had more important issues.

Between love and power, some people would naturally prefer the latter.

Once Zhao Jie left, Empress Chen sat down again and asked Nurse Qiu about Wei Luo.

After all, it concerned the study partner of her own daughter. She couldn't be careless, everything had to be thoroughly inspected.

Nurse Qiu thought about it, then spoke about today's event of Wei Luo pushing Li Song into the water. She wasn't present at the time, but she'd heard people talking about it. In order to even the score for her younger brother, the fourth miss of Duke Ying's house had requested to push Prince Ruyang's son into the water as well. After that, no one knew why, but Prince Ruyang's son had nearly drowned, sinking to the bottom of the lake. Fortunately, he'd been saved quickly, so nothing big happened.

Empress Chen had a straightforward and resolute personality. Though spending so many years in the Emperor's court had sharpened her edge, her innate character had remained the same. She laughed out loud as she listened, gaining a new impression of this fourth Miss. She hadn't heard such an interesting story for a long time. "So she got what she wanted, but what about Prince Ruyang?"

She knew that Li Zhiliang loved his son the most. Even if he looked rough, he was ferociously protective.

Nurse Qiu also smiled and said as she tucked her hands in: "It goes without saying, he wasn't willing to let her do it. However, his son himself had agreed, and Prince Ruyang hadn't opposed to it either. Afterwards, there was His Highness Prince Jing to act as a witness. Even if he wanted to take it back, he wouldn't be able to. I heard Prince Ruyang's face was green at the time…"

Empress Chen took a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. It had been ages since she'd last laughed like this. Back when Zhao Qin (*probably the emperor's name) had gone to battle in Wurong, she was the deputy general, while Li Zhiliang was the vanguard. The two of them didn't get along, often disagreeing with each other. At that time she had found Li Zhiliang very displeasing. If it wasn't for Zhao Qin's sake, she would have already dropped all civility with him. Now that she learned he had suffered defeat in a little girl's hands, how could she not rejoice?

At this moment, even though she hadn't yet met Wei Luo, she already had a favorable impression of her.

Empress Chen finally stopped laughing, then said to Nurse Qiu: "Go find Tutor Chang and tell him that Liuli will attend classes with a study partner. Ask him to prepare one more seat." Thinking of something else, she added an instruction: "Go to Duke Ying's place tomorrow and pass down this Empress' Imperial decree. Tell them my wish is to let Duke Ying's fourth Miss become Princess Tianji's study partner."

Nurse Qiu hurriedly wrote her words down. After waiting for Empress Chen to retire to her quarters, she immediately left Zhaoyang hall to carry out her orders.

After the Imperial decree reached Duke Ying's house, Wei Kun was utterly shocked. The rest of the family also found this incredible.

The Empress had never even seen Wei Luo's face. Why would she personally grant her entry to the palace as a study companion?

However, the facts stood before their eyes, so they had to believe it. When Nurse Qiu finished relaying the information, she returned to the palace. Before leaving, she requested that Wei Luo accompany Princess Tianji to class the next day. When the time came, the palace would arrange a special carriage for her.

Wei Kun sent off Nurse Qiu, then went to Wei Luo's room to personally tell her what had happened. Smiling from ear to ear, he rubbed her head. "Did Ah Luo meet the Empress yesterday? What did you say to her?"

Wei Luo was confused herself. She had never met Empress Chen. She had only met Princess Tianji and had said a few words to her. Could it be that they wanted her to enter the palace as a study partner just because of this? Wasn't that too reckless? Or did Princess Tianji ask the Empress to let Wei Luo enter the palace to teach her how to kick the shuttlecock? It wasn't impossible. Judging by how much Empress Chen doted on Princess Tianji, it was absolutely possible she'd agree.

Duke Ying's family didn't have many connections to the Imperial household. There wasn't an Imperial concubine originating from their clan, either. Thus, Wei Luo being able to gain entry to the palace as Princess Tianji's study companion was actually setting down a precedent. Later that afternoon, Wei Luo went to Mrs. Han and told her about this matter. Mrs. Han would temporarily teach her some court etiquette, so she could avoid making mistakes later.

There were various customs in the palace and speaking to anyone required discretion. It couldn't be taught in a short time. When she saw Wei Luo straining to listen, Mrs. Han pinched her cheek with a laugh, saying: "Enough. You're young, you don't need to study these many rules. Just remember to behave, don't act willfully."

Wei Luo nodded with some uncertainty.

The next day, Wei Luo changed into a brand new cherry colored brocade dress with peony patterns. Her hair was styled in two buns as usual. Wei Kun personally lifted her to sit in the Imperial carriage. An old Nurse was already sitting inside. The old Nurse put on a serious face and didn't speak a word during their trip.

An ordinary child would have gotten scared in such a situation, but Wei Luo wasn't a genuine six year old after all. Her soul was 15 years old. She felt a little curious, but not afraid. Mrs. Han told her what she'd have to do as a study companion. It was nothing more than attending classes together and playing with the princess. It was very simple. She had to attend classes at home anyway, it was just that the location had changed.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Imperial palace, and Wei Luo followed the Nurse to get down.

The inside of the Imperial palace was grand and luxurious. The great lake she had gone to yesterday was only a tiny sample. Furthermore, there were many areas she hadn't yet seen. Since the Nurse didn't speak, Wei Luo couldn't help but ask: "Where are we going now?"

The Nurse wearing a silver colored dress finally opened her mouth: "The First study room."*

The First study room was a place made especially for the little princes and princesses to attend classes. There was a stipulation within the palace – as long as they reached six years of age, they had to go to the First study room and listen to the tutor. Classes started early in the morning, but she was just arriving now. The others were surely already in the middle of a lecture… Wei Luo felt apprehensive at heart, but she couldn't say anything. She understood that the Nurse had definitely received instructions from the Empress, so even if she said anything, it would be useless.

The two of them went past the palace gate and through a long corridor, and finally reached the outside of the First study room.

Even from afar, they could hear multiple voices reading out loud. The tutor read out a sentence, then the young princes and princesses sitting below neatly repeated after him. The Nurse had spoken to tutor Chang in advance, so she directly led Wei Luo to knock on the door, then pushed it open and entered inside. With the warm sunlight illuminating them from behind, they appeared in the gathered people's view.

All noise suddenly came to a halt within the study room, as everyone's sight fell on the little girl behind the Nurse.

The young girl's appearance was beautiful, with cherry lips and white teeth, delicate and adorable. Not expecting to see so many people in the room, she stood in a daze, her large glistening eyes blinking repeatedly. She couldn't recover her composure for quite a while.

The Nurse had already explained Wei Luo's situation to tutor Chang, arranging for a seat next to Princess Tianji. The tutor was advanced in age and his mood wasn't easy to fluctuate. He was actually very calm. After the Nurse left, he simply introduced Wei Luo, then made her sit down.

There was a new black lacquered desk with spiral carvings in gold, that was specially prepared for her. .com

Zhao Liuli greeted her with a beaming smile, her eyes shining. "Ah Luo, I'm here." Today she was wearing a green short coat with a floral pattern, matched with an embroidered yellow skirt. Compared to yesterday, she seemed more energetic.

That was certainly thanks to Wei Luo. As she knew that Wei Luo would come as her study partner today, she was very happy, so her complexion was also good.

The princes and princesses knew the children in their generation by face. They were just a little surprised when they saw Wei Luo come in, but after they learned she was Zhao Liuli's study companion, their expressions returned to normal as they went on with the reading exercise. The oldest prince in the study room wasn't more than 13. Everyone had a reading companion by their side, who were either some high official's child, or came from an esteemed family. It was nothing unusual.

When Wei Luo sat down, she sensed someone's angry gaze on her. Turning around to look, her eyes met with Li Song's.

Wei Luo stared blankly. She hadn't expected for him to also be here. Knitting her brows in a frown, she didn't bother concealing the loathing in her eyes.

She only glanced at him, then turned back around to start reading from "The Analects of Confucius", no longer paying any attention to him.

Li Song's indignation rose further. He hadn't even looked for her to take revenge, yet she was the one acting offended. He had been made fun of by her earlier, getting humiliated by sinking into the great lake, and even catching a cold later that night. He had never been so embarrassed before! It was all because of that stinky* girl. Seeing her again today, he naturally wouldn't have a good expression. Glaring at the back of her head, he gave out a dark 'humph' as he couldn't find an outlet for his anger.

Classes ended late in the afternoon. After that, the princesses could return home, while the princes had to go for military lessons, where they currently practiced archery.

Today was Wei Luo's first time accompanying Zhao Liuli to class, and she couldn't go back home yet. She had to visit the Zhaoyang hall in Qingxi palace and meet with Empress Chen first, before she would be allowed to leave.

Zhao Liuli pulled her along excitedly as they headed out, chattering while they walked, "Mother Empress wants to meet you very much. This morning she said that I must bring you to her…"

Wei Luo tilted her head. Under the sunlight, her small face appeared even fairer, and with her eyes curved in a smile, she looked sweet and lovely.

Yesterday she had made the same expression; smiling as she pushed him in the water, then watching on emotionless while he was sinking. Staring at her back, Li Song pursed his lips, then suddenly picked up a bow. He took an arrow from the golden quiver, drew the bow and nocked the arrow, then aimed at Wei Luo's back and pulled the bowstring fully.

When he let go, the arrow left the string, flying towards Wei Luo's back…

By the time Zhao Liuli noticed, it was too late. Her eyes widened in shock and she called out, "Ah Luo!"

As Wei Luo turned her head, the arrow whizzed right past, almost grazing her face, then it struck the red lacquered pillar behind her.

(From the author's notes)

[small theater]

When Ah Luo is six years old.

Romance or power, which is more important?

Zhao Jie (clear-cut and unwavering): Power.

When Ah Luo is 16 years old.

Romance or power, which is more important?

Zhao Jie (without the slightest hesitation): Romance.

Li Song: Prince Ruyang's son, bullied Changhong (Wei Luo's brother)

Zhao Liuli / Princess Tianji: Zhao Jie's younger sister, around Wei Luo's age

Yang Hao: Zhao Jie's bodyguard

Zhu Geng: Zhao Jie's bodyguard

Princess Gaoyang: Li Song's mother; Li Xiang is Li Song's younger sister

Gao Danyang: Zhao Jie's maternal cousin

Gao Qingyang: Danyang's younger sister, around Wei Luo's age

Nurse Qiu: serves Empress Chen

Li Song came to stand a few steps away, looking provocatively at her.

Since he was three, he'd been practicing martial arts with Prince Ruyang. Five years had passed. His archery and fighting techniques were naturally quite good. Now he used that to both retaliate against Wei Luo, and to show off. Seeing that the arrow had nearly scratched her cheek, he lowered the bow and slightly raised his chin, asking in a domineering manner, "How was it, is my archery good?"

Wei Luo's face was expressionless, but her eyes were cold and seemed to contain rage within.

When she didn't speak, Li Song felt even more pleased with himself. He'd finally vented his anger. "Are you scared?" He smirked and boasted shamelessly, "You can rest assured that my archery is excellent. It's absolutely impossible that I'll injure you."

He only wanted to frighten her and nothing else.

Wei Luo looked at him wordlessly for a moment, then turned around to hop onto the parapet in order to pull out the arrow from the red pillar. It wasn't embedded too deeply. She held her breath in and vigorously pulled twice before the arrow came out. No one knew what she wanted to do. Even Zhao Liuli was a little uneasy. "Ah Luo, what are you doing?"

Not saying anything, she jumped down and headed in Li Song's direction. As she stood in front of him, she extended her hand and raised her small face that was suddenly carrying a beautiful smile. "Big brother Li Song, your arrow."

Li Song was puzzled by her smile. What was with her reaction? Shouldn't she be angry?

Judging by the temper she had shown yesterday, she should have retaliated maliciously, wasn't that right? Yet now she was smiling so adorably, it really surprised him. However, Li Song was well aware of a few things. Her father wasn't there to back her up, and the whole place was full of princes and princesses. Even if she was angry, she couldn't do anything about it. Moreover, he was still holding a bow.

Li Song considered his revenge complete. She wouldn't be violent against him anymore. Wasn't she currently admitting defeat to him?

He snorted and bent down to take the arrow from her hand. "Who's your big brother…"

He wasn't done speaking, when that small girl not only didn't give him the arrow, but leaped up and grabbed his shoulders, suddenly pushing him to the ground.

It was so abrupt that Li Song wasn't able to defend himself and fell straight to the ground. His eyes widened in astonishment, looking at the little girl sitting on his body. "You…"

Wei Luo raised the arrow and pointed it right at his eye. Her expression darkened as she swung her hand downwards…

Li Song was so shocked, he broke out in cold sweat and shut his eyes involuntarily. He even forgot to resist.

The young girl watched him with a face full of disgust. It wasn't just slight annoyance, but true hatred. At that moment, Li Song really believed she would stab him. He waited for a long time, but the pain never came. Finally getting the courage to slowly open his eyes, he looked up.

He only saw the golden arrowhead pointing at his eye, a mere inch away. Wei Luo raised her delicate pink lips in a smile, her sweet and soft milky voice repeating his earlier words, "Are you scared?"

Li Song felt he had received the greatest insult. He shoved Wei Luo off his body and yelled out in shame and anger, "Get lost!"

Wei Luo wasn't as strong as him. He lifted her with ease and was about to throw her to the ground. Luckily, she was caught from behind by a pair of big hands at the last moment. The other party supported her from the back and carried her up. A clearly cold and displeased voice sounded from behind her, "When Prince Ruyang taught the young master archery, was it to let you bully little girls?"

The princes and princesses who hadn't had the time to leave yet, had been looking on with great interest. When Wei Luo had thrust the arrow at Li Song, they had even wanted to clap their hands and cheer. Now that Zhao Jie had suddenly appeared, each of them kept silent as they lost their mood to watch a play. Leading their study companions along, they all departed.

Zhao Jie was several years older than them. Cold and arrogant, with a firm conduct and ruthless methods, he was extremely difficult to get close to. They were afraid of Zhao Jie and didn't dare to be rash in front of him. They even glanced at Li Song with sympathy as they left.

Li Song was the fifth prince, Zhao Zhang's study partner. The two of them were the same age, eight years old. Zhao Zhang hadn't come to the study room today. He had come alone. Since the rest of the princes had left, there was no one around to help him. He had to face the unhappy Zhao Jie by himself.

Li Song patted his clothes and stood up, glaring at Wei Luo. When he looked at Zhao Jie again, he immediately changed his attitude. Just like the others, he was also a little afraid of him, but he was spoiled by both Prince Ruyang and Princess Gaoyang. Even if he was afraid, he didn't let it show. Stubbornly refusing to admit his wrongs, he said, "I didn't bully her. I can control my arrow's direction very well. As long as she doesn't move around, it definitely won't hit her."

What kind of an excuse was that?

Wei Luo hung onto Zhao Jie's shoulders as she rolled her eyes indignantly. He still dared say it was her fault? Should she have just waited quietly for him to shoot his arrow? She was not a target.

Wei Luo puffed up her cheeks. Seeing her angry expression, Zhao Jie felt like laughing. He didn't put her down and hugged her closer to his chest, somewhat reluctant to let go. Lowering his gaze at Li Song, he said: "This Prince's archery is not bad, either. Would you like to test it?"

Li Song's brows tensed. "Test how?"

Zhao Jie only smiled wordlessly as he turned around to walk out.

Almost a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the enclosure where the princes practiced their martial arts. The place was vast, with abundantly growing fragrant grass and a flat terrain. It was a very suitable area for horseback archery. A row of practice targets stood on both sides of the enclosure. From time to time, an elegant figure would sweep past on his horse, pull his bowstring and accurately hit the center of the targets.

This was precisely the place, where the princes came to practice their archery after classes every day.

Though Emperor Chong Zhen ruled the country, he never forgot the glory of the battlefield. On one hand, he required the princes to study the four books and five classics, and on the other hand, he expected them to practice martial arts for a strong and healthy body. Even if they ended up not needing it in the future, a strong and healthy body was always good to have. Thus all of Emperor Chong Zhen's eleven sons had to be well-versed in both the pen and the sword.

Li Song looked confused at Zhao Jie: "Why did (maternal) cousin bring me here?"

Could it be to compare their archery?

Zhao Jie moved toward one of the targets and stopped within shooting range. The sapphire blue brocade robe with persimmon stem patterns fluttered in the wind. He folded one hand behind his back and pointed the other at the target, speaking indifferently, "Tie the young master on it."

Li Song's eyes turned round in shock.

Zhu Geng and Yang Hao obeyed his command and took hold of Li Song's arms to drag him over. Disregarding his struggling, the two of them swiftly tied up his hands and feet and secured him onto the target.

When Li Song didn't manage to break free, he clenched his teeth in anger: "Cousin Prince Jing!"

He finally started getting frightened. Zhao Jie's behavior was too unpredictable. Li Song thought he intended to compare their archery skills, but didn't expect him to completely ignore him and get him tied on a target. What did he want to do? When did he provoke him?

Standing a dozen paces away, Zhao Jie took a bull horn shaped bow from Zhu Geng's hands. He ignored Li Song's yell while testing the bow string's elasticity. After a long while, he raised his eyes and glanced at him with a faint smile. "Didn't you say earlier that you can control the arrow's direction very well? As long as one doesn't move around, they certainly won't get shot?"

Li Song was speechless. He suddenly got a bad premonition.

Sure enough, Zhao Jie's next words were: "This Prince will also shoot an arrow at you now. Don't move around. Let's see whether it'll go without incident."

Li Song's complexion immediately turned white.

Even if Zhao Jie's archery was good, who would actually volunteer to stand there acting as a target? Let alone he was only an eight year old child. He was scared stiff. His knees had turned soft, yet his mouth still wanted to keep up a bravado, "You don't have to tie me up. I won't move around. My dad said your archery was…"

He wasn't done speaking when he saw Zhao Jie beckon with his hand at the girl in a cherry colored dress next to him, "Ah Luo, come over."

Li Song: "…"

Their activity attracted many gazes from the people within the enclosure, who gradually stopped their practice to take a look.

Wei Luo walked over to Zhao Jie's front. Her small steamed bun face was creased as she spoke with a childish voice, "I can't shoot arrows."

In the beginning, she didn't understand Zhao Jie's intentions, but right now it was obvious. He was helping her vent her anger. But why was he helping her? She couldn't make sense of it, but now was not the time to ponder over it. Li Song wasn't worth her sympathy anyway. Since someone was giving her the chance to teach him a lesson, she would be glad to take it.

Zhao Jie's lips formed a smirk. Standing behind her, he bent down and gave her the bow, then gripped her hand to guide her personally. With his hands over hers, he placed an arrow at the bow and aimed it at Li Song, who was on the nearby target. Right next to her ear, he asked, "Do you see it clearly?"

Wei Luo looked straight ahead at Li Song, who was already speechless with fear. Both scared and indignant, he was glaring at them with a pale face and clenched jaws.

Wei Luo was just about to say something when Zhao Jie suddenly released her hand. The arrow shot out of the bow speedily.

It whizzed through the air, producing a sharp sound as it struck the bull's eye beside Li Song's ear.

Li Song barely caught up to what had happened, when his body lost all of its strength. His forehead broke out in cold sweat. He didn't even have the strength to get angry. Until Zhu Geng and Yang Hao untied and brought him away from the target, his heart was still beating like a drum. The lingering fear hadn't vanished yet.

It was almost certain that he wouldn't think of touching the bow again for a very long time in the future.

Zhao Jie didn't immediately lead Wei Luo out of the palace, but brought her to Zhaoyang hall first.

Zhao Liuli had returned ahead of them due to her poor health, and had already waited for quite a while inside. She wasn't able to witness the earlier events, so she wanted Wei Luo to tell her all about it. But since Wei Luo was in the middle of meeting with Empress Chen, she couldn't attend to Zhao Liuli.

Empress Chen was sitting on the ebony wood arhat bed. Seeing Wei Luo for the first time, she patted the soft seat next to her in a friendly manner. "You're Wei Luo? Come, let Me have a good look."

Wei Luo called out, "Empress." Her tone was well-mannered and gentle, with the typical sweetness of a young girl. Anyone who heard it would soften up a little. Empress Chen made Nurse Qiu carry the girl up and earnestly looked her all over. She gave her sincere praises: "That old man Duke Ying is truly blessed. His granddaughter is this good-looking."

Before meeting Wei Luo, she had believed that Princess Gaoyang's daughter, Li Xiang, was the most exquisite. After her were Gao Danyang and Gao Qingyang. But now that she had seen Wei Luo, she felt that they couldn't compare to her at all. The young girl's face looked like a crafted porcelain doll. Each feature was perfect – cheeks like white jade, a cute nose and clever eyes. Who knew how stunning she would grow up to be some day.

Empress Chen inspected her closely. The more she looked, the more she felt it was fate. That pair of large eyes were brimming with intelligence, clear and bright like a fresh spring able to cleanse a person's sins. Empress Chen stroked her head and said with a smile, "Good child, I've heard about you. I haven't told you that I let you enter the palace as a study partner because I wanted you to keep Liuli company. She doesn't have any playmates in the palace and is quite lonely. When you get closer later, you'll be her best friend."

While Empress Chen was sizing Wei Luo up, Wei Luo was also quietly observing her.

Wei Luo had been curious about her for a long time. She was the most honored woman in Daliang, yet she had ultimately chosen such a way to leave this world, unwilling to yield to Emperor Chong Zhen. Wei Luo slightly lowered her head. "I'll carefully look after Liuli."

Empress Chen was very pleased with her and held her back to have dinner together. By the time Wei Luo came out of Zhaoyang hall, the sun had set in the west as it was close to seven in the evening.

Empress Chen considered for a while. The sky was dark and it wouldn't be safe for Wei Luo to return alone. Thus she spoke to Zhao Jie, who was sitting on the tutor chair, "Chang Sheng, didn't you also want to go back to your residence? I remember Prince Jing's residence and Duke Ying's place are in the same direction. Why don't you drop off the fourth Miss home."