My father actually loved me very much. When he first learned that his only daughter had taken a liking to Pei Ji's face, he did not forbid me from befriending the hostage from the enemy country.
But as Pei Ji's fourteen years as a hostage came to an end, his father's heart was gradually moved.
The hostage of the State of Song is in the State of Yu. Due to various reasons, the State of Yu should not take action against the State of Song.
However, Pei Ji is about to be brought back to the State of Song, and the moment he returns will be the best opportunity for the State of Yu to make its move.
So the emperor summoned his ministers and planned to strangle Pei Ji on the eve of his return to the country. He also sent spies to sabotage the operation, to frame the Song state, and to fabricate the story that the Song state killed the hostage and then framed the Yu state.
These were discovered by Jiang Xuanyan by chance in Prime Minister Jiang's study. At the same time, a secret room in the study was also discovered, containing evidence of Prime Minister Jiang's treason.
So Jiang Xuanyan found me and promised to help me sabotage the plan in exchange for saving Pei Ji's life.
The condition was that I marry him.
I agreed.
I had no other choice.
I am Princess Yong'an of the Kingdom of Yu, but I am only Princess Yong'an.
Without the secret assistance of General Jiang Xuanyan, the State of Yu would definitely have attacked the State of Song.
If the Emperor were to order Pei Ji to be strangled, it would be like killing a chicken in a cage—he would surely die.
At that time, not only will Pei Ji die, but the Persian Kingdom, which has been eyeing the area covetously, will also reap the benefits.
I do not want Pei Ji to die, nor do I want the world to be in turmoil.
I placed the handwritten note into the charcoal brazier, and the pale yellow paper was quickly swallowed up.
I don't know how Pei Ji escaped.
The palace was heavily guarded, with the Imperial Guards maintaining a tight watch for twelve hours a day.
Pei Ji was all alone in the State of Yu. I saw him almost every day, yet I had no idea he possessed such abilities.
"It's good to escape."
The flames from the charcoal brazier danced in my eyes. I closed my eyes briefly to gather my thoughts.
Pei Ji,
May you be safe.
7
In the dead of winter, amidst wind and snow, the next news of Pei Ji came when a spy from the Song Kingdom delivered a secret letter.
Pei Ji returned to the country on the Lantern Festival and, through some unknown means, managed to gain control of most of the Song army in just half a month.
Even the old prime minister who had served the Song state for many years immediately sided with Pei Ji.
With an extremely high-profile attitude and ruthless methods, Pei Ji forced the emperor to abdicate and became the new ruler of the State of Song in just two months.
The political landscape of the Song state underwent a major reshuffle, but the secret letter did not mention how Pei Ji subdued those who were unwilling to submit.
It is said that every day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), many more corpses would appear in the mass graves on the outskirts of the capital of the Song Kingdom.
The following year, Pei Ji revitalized the Song army and personally led an expedition, using overwhelming superiority to bring the two neighboring countries into the Song territory.
Pei Ji's sudden rise to power made everyone realize that all these years in the Yu Kingdom had been nothing more than playing dumb to outsmart others.
At the same time, Princess Yong'an, who had protected him for ten years, was also caught in the vortex.
"Princess Yong'an has a very good relationship with Pei Ji, who was still a hostage at the time. Does the princess not know anything about this?"
"Your Majesty, I second that. Pei Ji seized the throne in just one month, brutally murdered eight of his elder brothers, and replaced nearly half of the Song court officials. Such methods could not have been developed in a year or two. Is the princess completely unaware of this?"
"Pei Ji has been lying low for fourteen years, living in the State of Yu, yet he has quietly cultivated his own power. Does the princess have anything to say about this?"
"Princess, are you aware that Pei Ji has been a hostage in the Kingdom of Yu for over ten years? Now that Pei Ji has become the new ruler of the Kingdom of Song, this is a great calamity for the Kingdom of Yu!"
The court was in such a state of turmoil that my wedding with Jiang Xuanyan was postponed.
I don't really care, but I feel a little guilty for making Jiang Xuanyan lose face.
My father sat wearily in my palace for a long time. "Yong'an," he said, "do you know about the recent events in court?"
"Your subject understands."
"You truly know nothing of Pei Ji's affairs?"
“Father, I am a princess of the Yu Kingdom. No matter how outrageous I am, I would never joke about the people of the Yu Kingdom.”
My father looked at me for a long time without saying a word, hesitated several times before finally waving his hand silently and leaving.
Jiang Xuanyan stepped out from behind the screen, his expression complex.
I smiled and teased him, "Even a great general has his troubles."
My teasing didn't lighten the mood; instead, it made Jiang Xuanyan even more resolute.
Pei Ji sent a letter to the State of Yu, saying, "Go to war or Yong'an, it's your choice."
The glistening grapes in my hand rolled to the ground, and the clear birdsong outside the window vanished completely.
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will go to see the Emperor today. Pei Ji's forces are formidable, and the Yu Kingdom is not incapable of fighting. Your Highness is the only princess, and His Majesty favors her so much, I will personally lead the troops..."
"Go down."
Jiang Xuanyan was stunned.
"Let me think about it."
8
I sat in Pei Ji's courtyard for a long time that day.
Until the snow fell and my head was covered in white fluff.
I've thought about it a lot.
Thinking back to the first time I met Pei Ji as a child,
I remember in spring I would pester him to fly kites with me.
I remember saying under the peach blossoms that I would only marry him,
I thought of Pei Ji's lonely window shadow.
I will definitely go to the State of Song.
As a princess of a nation, enjoying the offerings of countless people, I must make my own contribution.
Regardless of Pei Ji's reasons for wanting me, I must go for the sake of peace and an end to war.
Moreover, I could clearly feel an unbearable joy welling up inside my aching chest.
Pei Ji still remembers me.
What does Pei Ji mean by this?
I squatted in the yard and built a small snowman. I took one last look at the yard where Pei Ji had lived for more than ten years, then turned and left.
Snowflakes fell on the snowman, gradually covering him.
Does Pei Ji still like me?
You like it, right?
Otherwise, why would they need me under the pretext of starting a war?
I'm sorry to him. I kept bothering him all day long and didn't realize that in a corner I wasn't paying attention to, Pei Ji was pretending to be stupid while secretly being cunning.
If I had known he was this powerful, perhaps I wouldn't have stubbornly gone through the trouble of protecting him by hurting him in this way.
Pei Ji had suffered cold treatment in the Yu Kingdom since childhood, and he was clearly the most insecure person.
It doesn't matter.
I walked back to the palace with a smile, thinking to myself...
When I arrive in the State of Song, I can spend my whole life making it up to him.
9
If war breaks out, the people will suffer and the country will be devastated.
The Emperor was extremely reluctant to part with her, but he also understood the reasons behind it.
After a two-week delay, before I even celebrated the New Year, I embarked on my journey to the State of Song.
The Song state sent its personal guards to wait at the border between the two countries, and Jiang Xuan personally escorted me here.
A servant stepped forward, extremely respectful. He was the one who had always been by Pei Ji's side. "Your Highness, His Majesty has sent this servant to escort you back to the palace."
Zhou Ke had invited her to lunch yesterday, and it was almost one o'clock now, so Wen Li quickly hailed a taxi to go there.
As soon as Wen Li entered the restaurant, she saw Zhou Ke, who was holding a bottle of red wine and acting extremely arrogantly, shouting at a group of people.
"How dare you show your face in front of me, you bunch of bastards! You even have the nerve to mention my Lili's name!"
Wen Li was dressed in a low-key black short skirt. A large crowd gathered around to watch the excitement. Wen Li was also wearing a baseball cap. Despite the crowd, no one noticed the familiar face that had appeared outside the crowd.
There were three or four men in a row opposite Zhou Ke, the one in the middle being the tallest…
Wen Li rolled her eyes.
Ugh, what bad luck.
Zhou Ke continued her aggressive press: "Fu Zhiming, you haven't even married that mistress yet, and now you're pretending to be all lovey-dovey in front of me? I don't need to explain who Lili left for six years."
The man opposite him kept his lips tightly pressed together and didn't say a word, while his friends around him were shouting excitedly.
"Wen Li is just being rigid and insists on pretending to be aloof, so why blame our Brother Ming for losing control?"
"Exactly, do you think everyone would be happy to serve this pampered young lady?"
Zhou Ke was furious and started cursing. She grabbed a bottle and was about to attack when Wen Li stepped into the middle of the crowd and called out, "Keke."
With her baseball cap off, Wen Li casually tossed her hair, revealing a delicate face. The people in the center of the photo seemed to be frozen in time, staring wide-eyed and speechless for a long time.
After a long while, someone exclaimed, "Holy crap..."
Zhou Ke was still holding the wine bottle, staring blankly at her. Wen Li casually snatched the wine bottle from Zhou Ke's hand: "How many times have I told you that you should be reasonable and tolerant?"
Zhou Ke was halfway through her outburst of anger when she forced herself to hold it in, muttering, "What's the point of reasoning with a cheating scumbag? He's become so indecisive just because he went abroad."
He lowered his hand and obediently stood behind Wen Li.
Wen Li and Fu Zhiming looked at each other, one calm and composed, the other surprised and conflicted.
Fu Zhiming's eyes were filled with shock, guilt, and regret. Wen Li's still beautiful and flamboyant face suddenly reminded Fu Zhiming of how he confessed his feelings to her with a blush on his face in high school.
At that time, he truly loved her very much.
Wen Li felt nauseous looking at that face.
Cheating is disgusting.
Although Wen Li only watched half of it, she knew that these people must have done something to make Zhou Ke go berserk. As for what it was, she could guess the gist of it even with a fool's eye.
The upscale restaurant, which should have been filled with elegant music and people enjoying steak in formal gowns, was now like a chaotic and noisy market.
Suddenly, Wen Li felt no longer resentful.
Isn't it lucky that we got rid of such a scoundrel?
Wen Li glanced at the person opposite her and casually tossed the wine bottle on the ground.
With a "crack," a shard of glass flew to Fu Zhiming's feet.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
There was no aggressiveness as I had imagined, no scolding or arguing as I remembered, only a detached look in his eyes.
Six years later, when they met again, Wen Li seemed to have softened completely, and only gave him four light words.
It's not that she changed, she just didn't want to waste her temper anymore.
Fu Zhiming felt a mix of relief and sadness. He was relieved that she wasn't being unreasonable like before, but he was sad because he knew it was because Wen Li no longer had feelings for him.
The people around Fu Zhiming were also familiar faces; they were all from the same circle. Now that the person who was supposed to be in London had suddenly appeared, no one dared to speak.
What a joke! This is the apple of the eye of the Wen family in the capital. She not only has princess syndrome, but also the life of a princess!
Who dares to mess with her?
Wen Li scoffed inwardly, her expression indifferent: "Don't you recognize me?"
Wen Li was smiling and speaking in a calm tone, seemingly posing no threat, yet the men still sensed a hint of danger in her.
Fu Zhiming murmured, "Lili..."
Wen Li felt nauseous from the shouting, when suddenly a girl rushed out from the side and pushed aside the people around Fu Zhiming.
"Ah Ming, are you alright? I heard there was some trouble, so I came right away..."
The girl was speaking when she glanced at Wen Li beside her, and seemed startled. Her hand on Fu Zhilin's arm twitched slightly: "Wen... Sister Wen Li."
Like a frightened little rabbit, Feng Weiwei glanced at Fu Zhilin furtively and dared not speak again.
She has a small, oval face, soft features, slightly red eyes, and tightly pursed lips.
Ah, it's still the same as before.
Zhou Ke gritted her teeth in anger. This woman had arrived long ago, but she had to rush out at this crucial moment. What was she up to?
Zhou Ke hates these pretentious, innocent white flowers the most, especially the one who cheated on her best friend!
When Fu Zhiming saw Feng Weiwei, the feelings he had just had for Wen Li vanished. Seeing that Feng Weiwei looked afraid of Wen Sheng, he hurriedly went to coax her.
Wen Li glanced at the two of them lightly, without saying anything.
The next second, he grabbed Feng Weiwei and slapped her face with his right hand.
"Smack!"
Those around gasped.
Fu Zhiming: "Weiwei!"
Zhou Ke: "Awesome!"
Feng Weiwei never expected Wen Li to embarrass her in front of Fu Zhiming, and she certainly didn't expect that Wen Li would slap her without saying a word.
Wen Li used all her strength, and Feng Weiwei was caught off guard and fell to the ground.
Fu Zhiming realized what was happening and hurriedly squatted down to help her up.
Wen Li looked down at Feng Weiwei lying on the ground, and watched Fu Zhiming's actions with a mocking expression. She then stepped directly on Feng Weiwei's hand with her high heels.
"Ah!" Feng Weiwei cried out in pain, instinctively trying to pull her hand away, but Wen Li gradually increased her strength, suppressing her. The more she tried to pull away, the more it hurt.
Feng Weiwei could only let Wen Li step on her, and when she raised her head, her eyes were already veiled with tears: "Sister Wen Li..."
Fu Zhiming stood up and said angrily, "Wen Li, are you ever going to stop?"
"Fu Zhiming, who are you yelling at?" Zhou Ke yelled back without backing down.
Fu Zhiming didn't even look at Zhou Ke, but stared straight at Wen Li: "Can you change your temper? Weiwei is innocent. If you have any anger, take it out on me. Why did you hit Weiwei? You're just as unreasonable as before. I thought you'd changed after going abroad for six years!"
Wen Li wanted to laugh when she heard this.
She and Fu Zhiming have known each other since they were little, childhood sweethearts, for twenty years.
Was it that he couldn't stand her princess-like temper, or that he couldn't resist temptation, that led him to betray their sixteen-year friendship and four-year romance?
Wen Li sneered, glancing at Feng Weiwei, who was crying on the ground with tears streaming down her face: "You still don't know, do you?"
Fu Zhiming paused, a strange sense of unease rising in his heart.
Feng Weiwei met her gaze through the mist, like a harmless rabbit, but in reality, she hid sharp teeth.
Wen Li's smile was undisguisedly sarcastic, yet it couldn't hide her ethereal气质 and stunningly beautiful face.
"What?" Feng Weiwei concealed a fleeting look of disgust and jealousy.
Wen Li leaned down and whispered in her ear, "The man you went to so much trouble to keep is now begging to marry someone else."
Feng Weiwei was stunned. Her first reaction was disbelief. She had gone to so much trouble to seduce Fu Zhiming, she hadn't even considered it.
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