Western Liang Kingdom
Inside the palace with its domed roof, a girl dressed in a cream-colored ethnic costume sat with her legs crossed, squinting as she cracked sunflower seeds. Her gaze swept over the teacup on the table, and she rolled her eyes: "The tea's gone again."
"Wu Ying, do you think you can avoid the marriage alliance by drinking yourself to two hundred jin?"
Wu Ying leaned back lazily, lifted her eyelids to glance at her: "If you have nothing better to do, go and make me a whole roasted lamb."
"Hey, do you even know the difference between superiors and inferiors? I'm your older sister."
Wu Ying spread her hands, her dark eyes blinking rapidly: "Oh? Then you can go and marry him in my place~"
“Wu Ying, you’re not allowed to talk to your older sister like that. Da Qi is not like Xi Liang. It has strict rules and a rigid hierarchy. You’ve never been to such a far place before. From now on, you’re not allowed to act recklessly on your own.”
Wu Ying tossed the melon seeds in her hand onto the tray, looked at her mother with an unreadable expression in her eyes: "Mother, you know perfectly well that I am the least suitable, so why do you still insist on making me go?"
The old woman didn't dare look into Wu Ying's clear, bright eyes. She lowered her head, looked away, and sighed, "It's all fate."
Wu Ying gripped the curved sword at her waist tighter and tighter, her lips pressed together, her expression unwilling: I, Baidar Wu Ying, have never believed in fate!
Yangzhou —
"May Buddha bless Yunyan so that she may gain the Emperor's favor and enter the palace as a concubine."
Before the Buddha statue, a slender woman with a devout expression prayed silently.
"Miss, you are the only candidate selected from Yangzhou this year. You can imagine how beautiful you are. Even compared with the other three kingdoms and five states, you are in no way inferior. When you enter the palace, you will surely get a good title."
Su Yunyan lowered her eyes and said softly, "I don't care about titles or anything like that. I just hope that my parents can have a better life. My younger brother is of school age, and I don't have any skills to earn much money."
“Miss, please don’t say that. Everyone knows that your embroidery skills are superb. You often sell your embroidery to make money. Miss, you can’t belittle yourself like that anymore.”
Su Yunyan rubbed her slightly numb knees and stood up with the help of her maid.
"My life is like that of duckweed, how can I not feel inferior? Miao'er, it's getting late, I should rest."
"Oh, Miss, please go to bed and rest. I'll help you pack your luggage."
"This is troublesome."
"Miss, you don't need to be so polite with me."
————
Under the same bright moon, people from all corners of the world are experiencing vastly different circumstances.
Yan Mufeng from Bingzhou, wielding her sword and twirling it under the moonlight, yearned for the carefree life of a chivalrous heroine. However, being born into nobility, she had no say in her own destiny. She stubbornly pursued swordsmanship, ultimately becoming the subject of gossip among the royal women.
If everyone were like Xu Jiao'er from Xuzhou, they would probably have no worries. A plate of salt and pepper chicken and a jar of Fei Zi Xiao wine would make them forget all the troubles of the world and drink until they were drunk.
Time never lingers on a passionate land, never looking back, never turning around to lament every fallen leaf missed in late autumn. Everyone laments the uncertainty of their past, but An Ning is fast asleep, waiting for Mu An Ge to take her back to the palace early the next morning.
Just as dawn was breaking, An Ning had already finished getting ready, but no matter how long she waited, Mu's figure never appeared.
This scoundrel, is he going to back out now?
An Ning frowned, put her hands on her hips, and shouted in the courtyard, "Third Master Mu, I'm ready, we can set off now!"
With a whoosh, the throwing knife pierced through the window and headed straight for An Ning's face.
Immediately afterward, a crimson figure followed the flying knife, its robes fluttering, like a banished immortal.
Xi Ren's strong arms encircled An Ning's slender waist, and with two fingers extended from her right hand, she accurately caught the throwing knife.
"Were you scared?"
Her warm and sweet voice is captivating.
An Ning raised her eyes and looked into those alluring, almost bewitching eyes.
"If we're going to leave, we'll all leave together!"
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