When the old friend returned, she turned back, her expression calm, a slight smile flitting across her face...

Decades ago, numerous heroes rose up, vying for supremacy.

The powerful clans of Chu, Qin, and Luo followed the heroes of the Jiang clan to unify the world.

As the Grain Rain falls softly, the mountains and rivers stretch far and wide. The four men ride their horses and gaze upon the magnificent landscape, consolidating their power and bringing peace to the world. Finally, they welcome Lady Jiang to sit on the throne of kings—to become emperors.

In the late spring, Emperor Taizu passed away in Penglai. Thus, the Crown Prince Jiang, in accordance with Heaven's will and the people's wishes, ascended the throne as the new emperor.

Within three years, the current emperor's three childhood friends—General Chu Lanzhe, the God of War, died on the border; Duke Qin Heng committed suicide in the Hall of Mental Cultivation; and Grand Tutor Luo Songyue resigned his post and left the capital with his entire family.

——

In April, the mountains are covered with azaleas and the city is filled with fallen flowers.

The coming-of-age ceremony for Liang Lang, the youngest son of Liang Shuwen, a Grand Secretary of the current dynasty, was a grand affair, with a large invitation extended to his students, friends, and acquaintances from both inside and outside the court.

The male guests stayed in the outer courtyard to watch the ceremony, while the female guests, invited by the Grand Secretary's wife, stayed in the back garden to enjoy flowers and tea.

Just then, a group of royal palace maids filed in from outside the courtyard, carrying basins. A noblewoman exclaimed in surprise, "Lychee wine? I've heard that the princess is most fond of this wine." Seeing the many palace maids, she added, "Could it be that the princess brewed it herself and sent it to the Liang family?"

His Majesty now favors the Empress and is also very fond of her two children.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and Princess Zhenhui, the beloved daughter of the Emperor.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from the garden. Under the eaves, a young maid braved the drizzle to bring several plates of cakes and fruits, handing them to a woman dressed in a green bamboo-patterned silk skirt: "Miss Luo, these are specially prepared for you by my young lady."

Luo Zhaoxing sat in a corner of the garden, leaning against a balustrade, gazing at the clear blue water and looking towards a pine tree on the opposite bank. Her aloofness made her unapproachable, regardless of how many noble ladies and wives of high society were watching her.

She glanced back at the plate of cakes and fruits and said softly, "Thank you."

"But I don't like it."

The maid blushed immediately upon hearing this and lowered her eyes. But then she heard the girl in front of her speak again, "Thank you for your trouble, take it away."

In the past, the late Emperor issued two decrees. One was to ask his close friend Luo Yifang to teach the young eldest son and Crown Prince the teachings of a sage. The other was to ask Luo Yifang's son, Luo Songyue, to teach the eldest grandson of the Emperor filial piety, benevolence, and etiquette.

The Crown Prince was made to be a loyal, filial, benevolent, and righteous gentleman. The eldest grandson of the Emperor was born to see righteous things, hear righteous words, and walk the righteous path. He was surrounded by upright people.

This was tantamount to announcing to the world that the Luo family had produced two imperial tutors, both of whom were favored ministers of the emperor.

Back then, everyone said that the Luo family's fortunes had run out. Disregarding the emperor's favor, they insisted on leaving the prosperous capital, and thus they had nothing left.

Now, Luo's daughter has returned to the capital under the pretext of visiting relatives. Some people are watching from the sidelines, while others remain uninvolved.

After all, Luo Songyue insisted on shedding his dignified and wealthy appearance back then because of his old friend, Duke Dingguo Qin Heng, who had committed suicide for treason.

That winter month, the world was shrouded in a chilly cold. For three consecutive days, it rained and snowed in the capital, and the moat was littered with corpses in tattered and blood-stained clothes.

A younger girl from a prominent family asked the woman beside her who she was. The woman smiled and said, "Have you ever read the notes of the founding emperor? They are called the Four Swordsmen."

The woman spoke eloquently: "These four families are Jiang, Chu, Qin, and Luo. This young lady is from the Luo family." She looked at the younger girl, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "You were too young to understand back then. In my opinion, if nothing unexpected happens, the Luo family will become one of the most distinguished families, having produced two imperial tutors. The eldest son of the Luo family, currently serving as the Grand Tutor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, is also a standout among the most distinguished."

A loud rumble echoed across the sky, and rain poured down from the eaves, pattering against the gray tiles on the roof.

The guests began to complain quietly about the sudden rain.

Among the crowd, someone walked through the covered walkway, arriving late.

The leader, dressed in glittering robes, had upturned eyebrows and bright red lips. Even a corner of the garden became the target of everyone's attention.

Luo Zhaoxing looked up.

Liang Xi, Liang Shuwen's eldest daughter, and Liang Lang's older sister. She also recognized the woman in pink following closely behind; she was Li Chuirong, the daughter of the Marquis of Wuding.

Luo Zhaoxing glanced at the scrutinizing gazes from those around her, gave a cold, indifferent smile, and hurriedly asked her maid, Feng Hua, "Did you bring an umbrella?"

Feng Hua nodded.

She just wanted to get away from this noise and those unfriendly stares immediately, as well as the people she didn't want to bother dealing with right now. She was returning to the capital with a large gift and didn't want to linger at the Liang family's house.

Luo Zhaoxing took the oil-paper umbrella from Feng Hua, smiled, nodded to the maid who brought the cakes and fruits, and then opened the umbrella and disappeared into the rain curtain woven by the slanting drizzle.

The drizzle was fine and the air was moist, carrying a faint scent of grass and trees.

Some people appreciate the misty rain, while others complain about the heavy rain.

Feng Hua lowered her head slightly, her thin lips pressed tightly together beside her.

Luo Zhaoxing hurriedly stepped onto the single-arched stone bridge and looked up at the dense rain.

Even Heaven pities those suffering among the masses, doesn't it? So why did things turn out this way back then...?

A young man in purple robes walked out of the Treasure Bottle Gate and strode across the stone bridge, gradually approaching the two of them.

Luo Zhaoxing couldn't see clearly, and at this moment he had no intention of dealing with it. He wanted to avoid it and was about to turn around and find another way out.

Unexpectedly, the man called out, "Wait! Please stop." His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it was clearly audible to the two people standing on the arched bridge in this vast world.

Today's protagonist is Liang Lang.

Feng Hua stepped forward, shielding Luo Zhaoxing behind her, and looked warily at the newcomer. Upon recognizing the person, she gasped in surprise, shouting, "You, what are you doing?"

Liang Lang entered the Xieyuan Pavilion, separated from the backyard by only a wall, without any attendants or umbrella. His head was covered with a black cloth cap, and his face was somewhat embarrassed, clearly having just undergone a coming-of-age ceremony. He then glanced into the back garden with some surprise: "Are you leaving?"

He could still recognize Feng Hua, though his memories of his youth were becoming increasingly hazy. He had almost forgotten what the person behind Feng Hua looked like.

He cleared his throat, wiped the sweat from his brow, and then said, "I... I have something to tell you." He looked intently at the girl behind Feng Hua.

Feng Hua raised an eyebrow, glanced back at the noisy back garden, and said, "This... isn't quite right!"

"I only have a few words to say."

A gentle breeze rustled the trees beneath the bridge. Luo Zhaoxing, not wanting to linger, stepped forward and asked with a half-smile, "What do you want to say?"

"There are only two words that you and I can say."

She parted her lips slightly: "Not familiar."

So calm and serene.

She wore a green dress, her face was beautiful, she was lightly made up, and her black hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, which subtly reflected the lotus flowers and green water in the pavilion.

Only then did Liang Lang see her face clearly. All the events of ten years ago flowed towards him like a spring stream, pouring over his head, yet sending a chill down his spine.

The connection between Luo Zhaoxing and Liang Lang dates back to the Lantern Festival one year.

That year, the flower market in the city was as bright as day, with colorful lights filling the sky.

Amidst the bustling crowds, a group of young people, carefree and unrestrained, ventured into the city for amusement. Among them were the Crown Prince and his youngest daughter, the children of Grand Tutor Luo and Duke Dingguo, the young lad from the Chu family, Empress Tao's nephew, and the youngest daughter of the Minister of Justice.

The boys changed into plain clothes, while the girls tied their long hair up high and dressed up as boys.

The lanterns in the city were exquisite, each painted with lifelike depictions of birds, beasts, fish, and insects, captivating everyone's attention. Princess Zhenhui and the daughter of the Qin family from the Duke's mansion were selecting lanterns at a vendor's stall. Even as children, their every gesture exuded the air of nobility. Seeing the two as celestial beings from a painting, and the vendor, an elderly man with white hair, picking up a paintbrush to paint lanterns, they were amazed. Just as the group was about to leave, the old man picked up two paper-cut lanterns and handed them to them. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the lanterns were decorated with elegant and vivid miniature portraits of the two figures, prompting them to marvel.

Luo Zhaoxing, the youngest daughter of Grand Tutor Luo, who was frail and sickly since childhood, went to a rendezvous in the city that day carrying a pure white rabbit given to her by her elder brother. Seeing that the lantern was painted with such exquisite skill by an old man, she curiously went to investigate. Unexpectedly, the rabbit leaped up her arm and landed in front of the stall, damaging a corner of the lantern wall with the portrait of the princess painted on it, leaving the portrait incomplete.

Liang Lang, the youngest son of the unruly and arrogant Grand Secretary Liang, pushed through the crowd and shoved little Luo Zhaoxing to the ground. He then casually tossed the rabbit several feet away, before glaring angrily and shouting, "She is the Empress's princess! How dare you humiliate her like this?"

The long street was bustling with people that year, but the imperial family's dignity was used to minimize the seriousness of the matter. Luo Zhaoxing fell ill as a result, never expecting that the next morning, the youngest daughter of the Qin family would lead out the famous wolfhound from General Chu's mansion and intimidate Liang Lang, beating him so badly that he was spitting blood and crying for his parents.

Princess Zhenhui once again cornered Liang Lang inside the Imperial Academy.

When he was young, he met Tao Qingyun, and in a fit of anger, he took the young man from the Chu family and dressed him up as a little devil, climbing the high wall of the Grand Secretary's house for several nights in a row.

Liang Lang fell seriously ill as a result, and this time he was truly ill. When the imperial physician went to see him, he was so frightened that he could not speak, only large tears rolled down his cheeks.

Now, she is completely different from when she was a child.

Liang Lang seemed somewhat hesitant to speak, and after a moment said, "I just want to know about the Imperial Academy back then..."

“Liang Lang!” Luo Zhaoxing interrupted him.

Recalling the spring of the fourth year of Kang Le, the various experiences in Jiangnan, the oppression of the Luo family over the past ten years, and the rapid aging of close relatives.

Luo Zhaoxing chuckled, but her laughter was somewhat cold as she brushed past him, umbrella in hand.

"Luo Zhaoxing!" Liang Lang called out.

She turned around, her expression calm, a slight smile playing on her lips: "It's kind of you to still remember this name."

Liang Lang, confused, asked, "What?"

She continued, "Liang Lang, there's really nothing between us. But I have some advice for you. You're already of age, but if you continue to be pampered and spoiled under the wings of your mother and sister, you'll never grow up."

“If you do something wrong, your mother and sister will say it is right. If you do something right, your mother and sister will say, ‘My son has worked hard, and I pity my younger brother.’”

"As for your brother, he's arrogant and disrespectful! He's vindictive and petty!"

"Liang Lang, whether you want to live a mediocre life or achieve great things in this world is entirely up to you. Ask your own heart."

"You!" Liang Lang's face turned as red as a shrimp, containing a hint of anger, but after a moment his lips trembled and he gave a bitter laugh.

As the rain subsided and the sky cleared, two people walked together down the quiet passageway.

The young man in the moon-white brocade robe gazed at Luo Zhaoxing, a sudden, almost imperceptible, suffocating feeling welling up within him. In a hazy moment, he seemed to want to overlap with the figure in his memory.

"So that's why you weren't staying put in the outer courtyard! You disappeared right after your coming-of-age ceremony, and here you are!" Behind the young man in the white brocade robe, a young man in blue robes, who looked to be in his early twenties, stepped out. His eyes were full of mockery. He held a folding fan in his hand and waved it in front of the stunned Jiang Yuanjun with a "snap," then turned around and swaggered onto the stone bridge.

The young man in blue glanced at Liang Lang and sneered, "What, you're thinking of changing your mind? Being fickle? Shouldn't you be looking for Zhenhui right now?"

Liang Lang bowed to Jiang Yuanjun before turning to Tao Qingyun and saying, "Why should I tell you this? Have you wasted all your time studying the classics? Don't you know the principle that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven? It was fine when she was young, but now that her brother is not here, how can you enter the back garden like this? What about the women in my household?"

Tao Qingyun listened in a daze, then burst into laughter: "What are the classics? I have already passed the imperial examination, yet I have no desire for an official career. I only wish to travel this world, to see all the lakes, seas, mountains, and rivers, and to witness the sun, moon, and stars!" He changed the subject, unfolding his folding fan, his blue robes fluttering in the wind, and stood on the stone arch bridge, laughing freely: "As for the great defense? What is the great defense? The bond between us, the closest of siblings, transcends worldly conventions. Under the magnolia tree on Little Penglai Mountain, heaven and earth bear witness, our promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold, unbreakable even in life and death! Just like the evergreen tree!"

Hidden under the oil-paper umbrella, Luo Zhaoxing suddenly smiled faintly and silently.

Third Brother Qingyun was still the same dashing and elegant young man in blue robes she had known during the Wantai era. He was known to the world as the Hermit of Cold Green.

At the Treasure Bottle Gate, someone clapped three times in succession, and the laughter was as beautiful and refreshing as a gentle spring.

"What a powerful statement about life and death being inseparable! I haven't heard you speak so freely, cousin, for so many years."

The woman at the head of the group was dressed in flowing, cloud-like robes, with an apricot-shaped face and willow-leaf eyebrows. She was surrounded by several palace maids, who seemed like a beautiful gemstone, shining and sparkling.

Princess Zhenhui, the most beloved daughter of the current emperor and empress, is a golden branch and jade leaf within the many gates.

Ten years ago, on a snowy night in the capital, her elder brother, born of the same mother, was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. Princess Zhenhui, Jiang Yuanfu, dressed in plain white clothes and discarding her jeweled hairpins and jade ornaments, knelt outside the Imperial Study of the current emperor for a long time without daring to rise.

A large, dark mass of people knelt outside the Imperial Library, the wind biting cold. Outside the city gates lay corpses and rivers of blood, but the doors of the Imperial Library remained tightly shut, and all was silent inside.

On a snowy night, the emperor was enraged, and the princess suffered. Several court officials who had advised the Qin family were dragged out and flogged, while others were immediately sentenced to death. At that moment, no one dared to raise their heads again.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to have mercy! Open the palace gates! Xiao Xi's fate is unknown! I beg you to have mercy! Send the Imperial Guards to search for him!"

From then on, Zhenhui was plagued by a leg ailment that persisted for years.

A note from the author:

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My upcoming novel, "My Girlfriend's Name is Jiang Baolai," will be my next book after "Jing Que Xue" is finished. Please check out my author page and add it to your favorites! [heart]

A beautiful and spoiled princess meets a good-natured, kind-hearted, and tearful young man.

In her previous life, Jiang Baolai was the most noble little princess born of the Empress in the capital. From concubines to officials and noblewomen, everyone had to kneel down and respectfully address her as "Your Highness."

Every day, he had an endless supply of delicacies and beautiful clothes to wear. He was beautiful, rich, and had plenty of free time. Jiang Baolai was intoxicated by this golden nest. Sitting on the rocking chair in Chang Le Palace, he smelled the fragrance of lotus flowers in the pond, felt the summer breeze on his face, and chuckled.

At a summer banquet filled with the fragrance of lotus blossoms, three beautiful women from the capital toasted her three times in succession. A romantic scholar presented her with a flower as a gift, and she fell ill upon returning to the princess's residence. Later, she lay in a daze in her Chang Le Palace, in the same rocking chair, swaying back and forth. She gazed at her reflection in the bronze mirror, her face pale, her lips dark, her eyes filled with confusion, her life extinguished at the tender age of eighteen.

After waking from her dream, she was still shaken and first searched extensively among the powerful and wealthy families for a handsome and burly young man, choosing the prince consort to act as her protector.

Later, she chose a handsome young man who was good-tempered, kind-hearted, gentlemanly in every gesture, witty in conversation, and would tear up and shed tears if he angered her.

"Le Ning, Ning Ning, I really love you so much."

This gentle knife cut into her heart with every stroke.