previous years

Lu Yunchu doesn't like her name.

My mother said that my father once loved a woman, Ye Jiyun, who was a princess sent to marry a foreign ruler many years ago during the chaos in the northern deserts.

The mother felt jealous whenever she thought of the princess, and even disliked her name. However, the mother dared not change it for her, as the father had many children and was unwilling to put any effort into her.

She didn't understand why her mother, as the emperor's sister, had to be so careful, but she couldn't say anything. Her mother said that a woman follows her husband no matter what, and no matter how philandering her husband was, he was still her husband.

So she married the dog.

She directed her sister to crawl through the dog hole and bring her an old yellow dog.

My little sister is still small, but she crawls very fast. In no time, she came out carrying an old dog with its tongue hanging out and drooling.

She placed the dog on the offering table, lit three candles, knelt down, and murmured, "First bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to our parents, husband and wife bow to each other..."

The dog, its fur standing on end, lay sprawled on the offering table, bearing a heavy responsibility.

She stood up contentedly, only to find her younger sister still kneeling on the ground.

"Why are you bowing to it too? This is my dog!"

She glanced at her grinning younger sister with some displeasure. The younger sister, biting her finger, looked up and chuckled twice: "I want to marry a dog with my sister! That way we can play together every day!"

That sounds... kind of reasonable! The mother said she went to someone else's house and wouldn't be back for a long time, and she still had to take care of (abuse) this little fool, so of course she had to keep taking care of him!

The two little girls didn't understand what a wedding ceremony was; they just thought it was fun. They ran around with their dog, telling everyone it was their husband. Finally, their mother caught them and locked them in the attic to copy down traditional female virtues.

"The bond between husband and wife is one that lasts a lifetime..."

She murmured the sentences from the book, hugging the dirty yellow dog tightly, but the maid snatched the dog away. She remembered what the book said about lovers eventually becoming a couple and growing old together, and she was very sad.

This was the first time she understood that nothing in this world is permanent, including the bond between people and dogs.

She was released after copying the "women's virtues" for a few days, but her younger sister was kept in jail. Her mother said that her sister had corrupted her.

The mother scolded her younger sister for a long time, saying that she was promiscuous at such a young age. The younger sister's mother cried and didn't say anything, feeling very ashamed.

She said it was all her own idea, but nobody cared. Her brother came home, bringing back trinkets from the Western Regions. He said the wind was very strong at the border, and when riding a horse through the desert, he could feel his robes being blown by the wind.

She wanted to go too, but her brother said she couldn't. He said the young girl was so lucky; she didn't have to fight in wars and could just stay home waiting to get married.

She touched the doll she had brought back from the Western Regions; it was a woman riding a horse, looking so dashing.

She told her brother about the yellow dog, and he laughed loudly, saying that the little girl was eager to get married and that he would find her a good family as soon as possible.

My younger sister came too, timidly peeking out. My older brother said that she was going to grow up to be a beautiful young woman, and that she was very pretty and would definitely become a beauty.

She and her sister were busy watching the little girl riding a horse and didn't notice their mother and father approaching. The mother pointed at the younger sister and said that she was indeed a femme fatale, knowing how to seduce her brother at such a young age. The older brother was confused and shielded his sister behind him, but the father told him to get out of the way, saying that it was against morality.

She couldn't understand, and didn't know why all these adults were staring at her sister so fiercely. She cried loudly, pulling on her sister's sleeve, but her sister was still taken away and locked in the boudoir.

The brother was also very sad and squatted in the corner crying. She tugged at his sleeve and asked him curiously, "They said you want to marry your sister because she's pretty, but aren't you siblings?"

The older brother was so angry that his eyes turned red. He cursed for a long time, saying that these people were too dirty-hearted. They were all family, so what was wrong with praising someone? Just because of a past prophecy, did they have to treat a little girl like a monster?

She didn't know why her brother was angry. Her mother always said her sister was a demon, a reincarnation of a nine-tailed fox, and that they should have forced Aunt Xue to commit suicide back then. But so what if she was a nine-tailed fox? Wasn't she a mythical beast? How could she possibly be harmful…

Her father arranged a marriage for her older brother, hoping he would settle down. Her brother made a fuss for a long time. She happily told him that this time he should be happy and could wait to get married like a young girl.

The older brother ignored her, sat in the shadows, closed his eyes, and fell asleep as moonlight fell on his nose.

Her brother ignored her, and her sister was nowhere to be found. Her mother forced her to sit at the table and teach her needlework. The teacher taught her countless times, but she just couldn't learn it.

She always dreamed that she went to the border, holding a bow. The wind blew her robes, and she rode her horse at full gallop, her hands covered in thick calluses instead of tiny needle marks.

But when she woke up, she was still trapped in the confines of the embroidered chamber. There was no younger sister, no yellow dog, only her and her cold-faced master's wife, endless needlework and embroidery, and countless precepts on female virtues and precepts to read.

During her three years in the boudoir, she changed a lot. She no longer smiled foolishly, and she no longer had so many clever ideas. Her mind was still empty, except that this time only the precepts of female virtue remained.

Sometimes she would visit her aunt in the palace, and she would always see two little princesses of similar age. One was named Chu Ling, and contrary to her name, she was very quiet. She would always sit alone on the steps looking at the sky, and she would always ask what was in the sky. Everyone thought she was a strange person. The other was named Chu Qin, and she was very lively, but she said strange things.

The two girls were only a few months apart. Their mothers didn't get along, but as each other's only companions in the deep palace, they were as close as sisters.

Chu Ling and Chu Qin often argued about trivial matters. Chu Qin looked at the map, planning to conquer this territory, and declared that she would become a female emperor, a once-in-a-millennium event. Chu Ling said that she could not become an empress, and even if she did, it wouldn't last long. She still needed to plan carefully. Emperors originally rejected women, so they should change the path and alter the political landscape.

Chu Qin scolded her for being incredibly foolish. Their good life was based on the family's rule. Chu Ling said that one family and one surname would not last long. The world belongs to everyone, and the joys and sorrows of all people are the foundation. By exploiting the people, these nobles would not be able to enjoy their good life for long.

Lu Yunchu found it very interesting. She didn't know who made more sense; she didn't understand these political maneuvers. Chu Qin said she could be her general, support her in ascending the throne, and then give her fertile land and a mansion. She said she didn't want anything; she just wanted to take her sister and go feel the northwest wind.

Chu Qin and Chu Ling told her not to talk about what the group had discussed outside, as it could cost her her head. She nodded. Her cousin, the Crown Prince, was the one destined to inherit the throne. He was already vying for it with his brothers, and if he knew his sister harbored rebellious intentions, he would likely be even more ruthless.

My aunt always told me to marry my brother, the Crown Prince. She used to play with him a lot when we were little. The Crown Prince used to love pastries, and she would always bring him lots. Perhaps because he loved sweets, he was chubby and looked very lucky. But later, when he went to the Cavalry Camp, he lost a lot of weight and became gloomy.

The Crown Prince has grown up, and the two of them still have to meet through a curtain. Everyone says how handsome and brave the Crown Prince is, but she only remembers him secretly sitting in a tree eating pastries. As a result, he fell down because he was too fat and hit Chu Xiaowu, who was pitifully looking around below the tree, almost crushing him into a meat patty.

Chu Xiaowu was a very simple-minded child. His birth mother was a palace maid who had a sweetheart but was forced into a relationship by the emperor and was killed after giving birth to his child. Chu Xiaowu was initially sent to be raised by Consort Yu, but no one cared for him. Later, Consort Xiao took him in and adopted him as her son, taking good care of him and naming him Cheng'an.

Perhaps because he didn't receive much education as a child, Chu Cheng'an was not only terrible at martial arts, but even in his old age, he couldn't speak clearly. His aunt always said that compared to this fifth prince, the Crown Prince was like a fairy from heaven, but she didn't like it. She thought that stupid people were easier to control, and the current Crown Prince was too clever; he was the one who was deceiving others.

Her mother also said that becoming the Crown Prince was the best outcome, and that he might even become Empress. But Chu Qin said that if she became the Crown Princess, the two of them would sever all ties. Chu Ling, however, rubbed her chin and, like an old scholar, said that this was a very good move. Chu Qin rolled her eyes at her.

Lu Yunchu didn't care about her own marriage; she just missed her younger sister. The two of them hadn't seen each other much in the past three years, and it would probably be even harder to see each other in the future.