I am a princess sent by the State of Yu to marry into an enemy state.

After three years of negotiations with the enemy, I was forced to flee back home.

Pei Ji, who hates me to the core, is going crazy trying to take me back.

On the day the enemy army besieged the city...

I jumped off the city wall.

The red dress was flamboyant, but the vibrant beauty was gone.

1

My name is Jiang Shiyuan, the only princess of the Yu Kingdom, with the title of Yong'an and the nickname Yaoyao.

Not long after the imperial decree of my father bestowing marriage upon me and Jiang Xuanyan, the son of the prime minister, was issued, Pei Ji found me by the lotus pond.

Pei Ji's expression was cold and indifferent. If it weren't for his slightly trembling hands and bloodshot eyes, one would think he was still the unyielding hostage from the enemy country.

"Your Highness, is it true?"

I focused intently on feeding the fish swimming in the pond, without even glancing at him.

"Um."

I didn't turn around, so I naturally didn't see that after I said those words, Pei Ji's body suddenly swayed, as if he was about to fall to the ground.

After a long silence, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "Then... what am I?"

Pei Ji stared at my movements, as if trying to see right through me.

I kept my back to him the whole time, and my hands never stopped moving.

What does it count for?

I remember when I was eight years old, I first met Pei Ji, the hostage sent by the State of Song. He was thirteen years old at the time and covered in wounds.

The war between the states of Yu and Song lasted two years, ending in a major defeat for the state of Song.

In order to seek peace, the State of Song sent Pei Ji, the ninth prince, as a hostage to show its sincerity.

Although he was called a prince, everyone knew that on the day he was chosen as a hostage, he became a discarded pawn.

Thus, Pei Ji became a pitiful figure in the palace, bullied by everyone, with even the lowest-ranking palace maids and eunuchs able to boss him around.

Apart from a servant boy who stayed by his side, Pei Ji had no one else in this vast palace.

One winter night, eight-year-old Wensheng met this hostage from an enemy country for the first time.

Pei Ji was sent here when he was nine years old, but Wen Sheng was too young before, and the Empress Dowager did not allow her to move around freely. The scope of activities of a hostage was also limited, so she had never met him.

The thirteen-year-old boy was beaten and covered in bruises by a spoiled brat, but he still stubbornly refused to bow his head.

Wen Sheng thought he was handsome and stepped in to protect him.

Wen Sheng is the only princess of the Yu Kingdom and is deeply loved, so protecting one of her people would be quite easy for her.

From that day on, Wen Sheng would go to him every day and pester him to play together.

Pei Ji would always coldly tell her she was annoying, but he never chased her away.

Over time, everyone in the palace knew that this hostage, who was bullied by everyone, was protected by Princess Yong'an, so no one dared to bully him anymore.

The fish leaped from the pond to snatch food, and I broke free from my memories.

"I suppose I'm unwilling to accept this."

"What"

"You are beautiful, and I like you. No one in this palace has ever refused me before, but you are an exception."

I didn't finish my sentence, but Pei Ji was sure he understood what I meant.

In the nearly ten years since they met, Pei Ji has grown more and more handsome.

He was handsome and refined, with an otherworldly appearance.

From the time he came of age, I have expressed my feelings for him, both openly and secretly, on more than one occasion.

Without exception, Pei Ji always rejected me with a cold face.

I am Princess Yong'an, the favored princess of the Yu Kingdom; how could I possibly swallow this insult?

Pei Ji gritted his teeth and moved his lips, "That's because..."

“It’s not important anymore.” I stood up to interrupt him, finally meeting his eyes. “Ninth Prince, why don’t you think about what to do next?”

Pei Ji was stunned, unsure whether it was because of how I addressed him or because my words reminded him of something.

"I've finally found my Mr. Right, Pei Ji. We've known each other for ten years, congratulate me!"

I looked pleased, with a faint smile on my face, as if I was genuinely satisfied with the marriage.

Pei Ji stared at me for a long time, his aura turning icy, before finally leaving without a word.

I watched him disappear from sight, the fish food in my hand crushed into powder.

2

After our last less-than-pleasant conversation, I never saw Pei Ji again.

I've already arranged a marriage, and we'll be getting married next spring, so it's really inconvenient for me to see other men anymore.

Moreover, he was a hostage from an enemy country.

I then devoted myself to sewing my wedding dress by hand in my room all day long. The red silk threads were woven together, making it dazzling and beautiful.

I think that even if I can't marry the person I love, my wedding dress should at least be pretty.

Sometimes I would embroider for several hours at a time, until my eyes were blurry and my mind seemed a little confused. I always felt like there was a faint gaze watching me, even though I was the only one in the room.

That day, Jiang Xuanyan came to see me, bringing me many novelties to please me.

"Thank you for your trouble."

I expressed my gratitude, but my eyes never once fell on those things for a second.

I've handled all of these things; they were given to me by Pei Ji.

Strangely enough, Pei Ji, a hostage, faced immense difficulties in the palace, so it's a mystery how he managed to find those rare and unusual items.

Every time she went to see Pei Ji, there would always be something new on his table, never the same thing twice.

Nine-linked rings, Luban lock...

Pei Ji always said that his servant had found it and simply put it on the table.

I was lost in thought for a moment, and Jiang Xuanyan noticed it too.

Jiang Xuanyan looked somewhat dejected; he knew who my heart belonged to.

Before he could say anything, I spoke first, my tone gentle, "Isn't it busy in the army?"

Jiang Xuanyan is the son of the prime minister, but he is a military officer. At a young age, he has already become a general and is in charge of the imperial guards in the capital.

"No rush." ​​Jiang Xuanyan saw the half-finished wedding dress on the table and smiled. "Your Highness, don't overwork yourself. There's still almost a year until the wedding. There's still time."

"You should put some effort into your own wedding dress." I looked up and smiled brightly at him. "Ayan, our wedding must be as grand as possible, with a ten-mile-long street."

This was the first time I called Jiang Xuanyan "Ayan" again after he confessed his feelings to me.

Jiang Xuan Yan's eyes flashed with joy, then he suddenly remembered something, "But didn't you say... you wanted a quieter wedding?"

Which woman doesn't love a grand wedding?

I smiled, but felt a pang of sadness.

I once coaxed Pei Ji, saying that I would marry no one but him in this life. But he was a hostage from an enemy country, so I thoughtfully suggested that if we were to marry him, we should invite a few close friends to witness the ceremony and choose a beautiful place to worship heaven and earth.

Seeing Jiang Xuanyan in a daze, I gently hooked my little finger around his finger and shook it playfully.

"Ayan"

"Yaoyao, don't worry, I promised you, I'll give you whatever you want!"

I don't know if it was just my imagination, but after Jiang Xuanyan finished speaking, that faint gaze disappeared.

I had a gut feeling that it was Pei Ji.

After they disappeared from sight, I breathed a sigh of relief and resumed my normal tone, "General, don't forget what you promised me."

Jiang Xuan Yan's smile froze instantly, as if he understood something. He pursed his lips, his smile tinged with bitterness, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely keep my promise to you."

"Um."

I turned my head away and continued embroidering my wedding dress, as if the previous atmosphere had never existed.

Jiang Xuan Yan remained silent, then said, "Your Highness, please take care of yourself," and left.

A gentle breeze was blowing outside the window.

The embroidery needle pricked my finger.

3

Pei Ji was a hostage from an enemy state and was not well-liked. He has only been able to live in peace because of my protection over the years.

I haven't seen him for several months. It seems that the palace has realized that no one will take care of him after Princess Yong'an, and people have started to provoke him again.

I would occasionally hear news of Pei Ji being bullied, and I would just give a curt "hmm" and ignore it.

Over time, the palace servants stopped reporting it.

As the Lantern Festival approached, Jiang Xuanyan had just left my palace when a series of three short and one long knocking sounds rang out by the window.

This is the secret code between me and Pei Ji.

When I was a child, I often sneaked out at night to bring food to Pei Ji, using this as a code to let him know I was there.

I stared at the tightly closed window, unmoved.

The knocking on the window paused for a moment, then the three short knocks followed by one long one sounded again, but much weaker than before.

I loosened my grip, closed my eyes, and finally opened the window.

After a long absence, Pei Ji looked much more disheveled, with a bruise near his eye, it was unclear who had hit him.

I know he did it on purpose.

Pei Ji knows martial arts. I once secretly saw him practicing with a sword. His moves were beautiful. I don't know how strong he is, but at least he shouldn't be bullied.

When Pei Ji saw me open the window, his eyes churned with emotion, and his cold aura softened for a moment.

I didn't say anything, and neither did he.

After a long pause, Pei Ji's voice was cold and clear, "Why him?"

"What"

"Jiang Xuan Yan, why him?"

I frowned slightly, as if I didn't understand what he was saying.

Pei Ji's Adam's apple bobbed, and for the first time, I saw a feeling of shattering in him.

I pretended not to see Pei Ji's gaze and turned my head away.

"Pei Ji, you'll be able to go home in a year. Forget about me then."

"Your Highness is afraid that we will never be able to meet again."

Pei Ji seemed relieved, and the slight redness in his eyes eased somewhat. "Don't be afraid, I'll handle it..."

"Don't you understand?" I interrupted him, calm and composed. "There has never been any possibility between us."

One is a princess living deep within the palace, and the other is a hostage trapped in an enemy country.

How is it possible?

Pei Ji stared intently at me for a long while, then his voice became hoarse.

“Jiang Xuanyan is the son of Prime Minister Jiang. You know perfectly well that Prime Minister Jiang…”

That's enough.

Through the window, I spoke arrogantly, my chin slightly raised, looking down at him with a hint of disdain, "Pei Ji, you don't know yet, do you? Did you think you could go home next year?"

I stared intently at him, trying to detect a trace of anxiety in him.

However, no, he is so smart that he can't possibly misunderstand what I mean. If he stays in Yu, he won't be able to go home.

Pei Ji's gaze was deep and unfocused, as if he couldn't hear anything; his dark eyes seemed to want to suck me in.

I looked away, arrogant and domineering, "Pei Ji, I am the dignified Princess Yong'an, and you are just a hostage from an enemy country. I have already spent enough time to amuse myself over the years."

"……pastime"

Pei Ji laughed, a laugh of rage, his back teeth practically grinding to powder.

"Do you think I'm stupid? You dare say you're just having fun?"

"A hostage from an enemy state with no future, or a promising young general—even a blind man would choose the former." I coldly interrupted him. "Pei Ji, if it weren't for your face, what would you have that I would want?"

Pei Ji remained silent, his face turning cold. "Are you serious?"

Pei Ji has always understood me; I never lie.

I didn't want to say anything more, nor did I want to see the light in Pei Ji's eyes gradually dimming. I closed the window directly. "Ayan loves me very much. Don't come looking for me anymore."

The view outside the window seemed to freeze, and there was no sound for a long time.

The moonlight was bright, and I could see Pei Ji's aloof shadow reflected on the window, standing resolutely before it.

Perhaps because he couldn't hear clearly through the window, his voice sounded choked with emotion, carrying a final, stubborn insistence, "A-Yuan, don't marry him. Wait for me for two years, okay?"

I did not respond for a long time.

Pei Ji only quickly slipped away from my bedchamber when the voice of my personal maid, Huang Ying, rang out in the distance.

I felt completely drained, and I slid slowly down the wall. The tears I had been holding back finally burst forth, and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe.

Pei Ji never said he liked me, but I'm not stupid either.

I clutched my heart tightly; I knew this was the feeling of heartache.

4

On the day of the Lantern Festival, which should have been a day of celebration in the palace, news that shocked the court and the public spread.

Pei Ji, the hostage prince of the State of Song, has fled.

When I heard this news, I couldn't quite describe how I felt.

He was happy that he had finally returned home, could see his beloved mother, and would no longer be in danger of losing his life.

It's heartbreaking... We may never see each other again.

I don't know how he escaped, but it doesn't matter. It's better than staying in this palace any longer.

It wasn't for nothing that I put on that play that day, telling him that if he stayed in the palace any longer, he would surely die.

But you could have at least told me you were leaving...

I lowered my eyes. Yes, she was right. She had followed him around for ten years, only to suddenly turn around and marry someone else, the son of someone she hated.

I'm lucky if Pei Ji doesn't hate me to death after all this teasing.

Jiang Xuanyan found me, his tone hesitant, "Pei Ji, he..."

“I know, he went home.”

"When news of Pei Ji's escape came out, the court believed that this was a humiliation of the State of Song to the State of Yu, and many people therefore sided with my father."

"Ayan." I looked up at him, more seriously than ever before, with a hint of pleading, "No matter what, you have to keep your promise to me."

A look of hurt flashed across Jiang Xuanyan's face, but it was fleeting. "Alright, I'll start implementing the plan now."

"Um."

Seeing Jiang Xuanyan's steady steps, I felt a little more at ease.

Two sparrows landed by the window, chirping away.

I remembered a few days ago when Pei Ji stood outside the window and asked me why I was Jiang Xuanyan.

Jiang Xuanyan's father, Prime Minister Jiang, advocated annexing the Song state.

Many years ago, the war between Yu and Song left the State of Song devastated and in dire need of rebuilding. The ruler of Song never recovered, and Song became the weakest of the nine states.

The State of Song is located to the south of the State of Yu, and it is situated by the sea. If the State of Yu can conquer the State of Song, it will be able to expand its overseas trade and further enhance its national strength.

Prime Minister Jiang believed that they should take advantage of Song's weakest moment and conquer it in one fell swoop.

However, since the State of Song had already sent a hostage, it would have been unjust to take action at that time, so the matter has been delayed until now.

Although Pei Ji was abandoned and resented the Song Kingdom and his incompetent and weak father, he could not sever ties with his mother who gave him birth and raised him.

His mother, Lady Xia, was a palace maid favored by the King of Song when he was drunk; she was of lowly status.