Chapter 3 — Ten Years in the Palace

A murmur rippled through the gathered crowd of onlookers, filled with sheer astonishment and praise.

The second young lady of the Shen family is truly an extraordinary woman.

No wonder His Majesty holds her in such high regard.

One is the true Son of Heaven, while the other is a legendary martial arts heroine; looking at them together, they seem straight out of a romantic epic written by the gods.

Sitting inside the Empress’s golden carriage, I looked out from behind the swaying beaded curtains at the two red-clad figures ahead. Not a single person cast a glance in my direction. This was precisely how I wanted it. As the carriage rolled past the corner of Vermilion Street, the horses suddenly panicked and reared. The sound of gongs and drums ahead dissolved into chaos, and people screamed as they scrambled backward. Immediately afterward, a wave of intense heat billowed in from outside the curtain. Someone shrieked at the top of their lungs:

The Empress’s carriage is on fire!

The flames were not massive. It was simply the thick smoke that billowed up far too quickly, frightening the horses in the lead. Seizing the moment of utter confusion, I lifted the curtain and stepped down. True to my instructions, Thuy Thuy draped a palace maid’s outer cloak over my shoulders, her voice choked with tears as she whispered, Your Majesty, run. Just as I was about to slip away into the throng, a hand shot out from behind and clamped tightly around my wrist. I turned my head to find Yan Chi standing amidst the rolling smoke, his expression dark and forbidding.

Shen Thanh.

You really were planning to run away.

I remained silent. Yan Chi let out a cold, mocking laugh.

The carriage catches fire, and the person vanishes.

Are you trying to pull off a fake death stunt, making sure the entire world knows that today, I forced the Empress to her doom?

I stared straight into his eyes. So this was how he viewed me; even my departure was perceived merely as a malicious plot to disgrace him. Outside the crowd, Van Chi had also ridden up in pursuit. As she dismounted from her horse with sharp, practiced grace, it drew yet another wave of breathless admiration from the onlookers.

Elder sister, if you simply could not bear to witness my wedding, you should have just said so openly.

With the entire capital watching today, making such a chaotic scene means Yan Chi will have a terribly difficult time managing the aftermath.

Yan Chi stared fixedly at me, slowly raising his hand.

Escort the Empress to the back courtyard of the suburban estate. Without my direct command, no one is to release her.

Two matrons shoved me harshly into a small, desolate room. The heavy wooden door was bolted shut from the outside. There was no lamp inside, and the window was mere narrow slits. Yan Chi stood right outside the threshold, speaking as if he were bestowing a grand benevolence.

Once today is over, I will come back for you.

I sat alone in the deep darkness, offering no response. My silence seemed to irritate him even more.

Shen Thanh, haven't you always wanted a child of your own? I promise you, I will give you one.

I once made a promise to Van Chi that I would never allow her to conceive.

Now that she has entered the palace, naturally she will no longer mind such matters.

The sound of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Reaching into my sleeve, I brushed my fingers against a silver hairpin, then raised my head to look up at that narrow window. Yan Chi had likely forgotten. When we were children, no wall in the Shen household, no matter how towering, had ever been able to keep me contained. As night fell, the beat of drums and gongs grew louder and more frantic. Stepping up onto an old wooden chest beneath the window, I hoisted myself up and climbed out. When my feet hit the solid earth below, a dull ache radiated through my lower abdomen. I steadied myself against the wall for a brief moment before walking onward into the night. Behind me lay the grand wedding night of their union. Ahead of me stretched my own boundless mountains and distant rivers. ... Wearing his ceremonial robes, Yan Chi sat beside Van Chi, holding the cup of intertwined bridal wine. Van Chi had unbuckled her heavy sword, having reluctantly discarded the cumbersome traditional bridal gown, and now reached up to loosen her collar slightly.

This wedding dress is such a nuisance.

Back in the martial arts world, simply bowing to heaven and earth and sharing a single bowl of wine would constitute a marriage.

Yan Chi gazed at her. This untamed spirit was precisely what he loved most about her. Unbound by rigid rules, fiercely alive and free, she was like a wild wind that no one could ever capture. Van Chi took the wine cup, leaning her body in closer. The red candles flickered, reflecting the dancing flames deep within her eyes.

Yan Chi.

She murmured his name softly. Their sleeves brushed against one another, the scent of wine mingling with the heavy incense in the canopy, growing almost suffocatingly intimate. Yet, Yan Chi’s hand suddenly froze mid-motion. For reasons unknown, his thoughts drifted back to that small, isolated room in the back courtyard. It had been far too quiet. From the moment he left until now, Shen Thanh had not made a single sound or caused the slightest trouble. The wine cup slipped from his fingertips, shattering against the floor with a sharp, crisp crash. Yan Chi abruptly pushed her aside and surged to his feet, striding toward the door. Van Chi’s expression shifted instantly.

This is our wedding night.

His footsteps halted for barely a split second before he ripped open the curtain and rushed out. When he flung open the door to the small room, pitch-black darkness greeted him. Not a single soul was inside. The narrow window stood slightly ajar, letting the chilly night wind sweep in to scatter the lingering ashes on the table. Yan Chi stood rooted at the threshold, his face turning pale bit by bit. The imperial guards knelt in a trembling mass across the courtyard.

Your Majesty, the guards stationed at the back gate were previously lured away.

Someone witnessed a green-topped carriage departing from the alley behind the estate. The driver wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, making it impossible to see his face.

That carriage headed north.

Northward. Yan Chi’s heart plummeted entirely into an abyss. Three years ago, Xie Lam had perished in the Northern Frontier. Yet, if Xie Lam was truly dead, whom else could Shen Thanh possibly be heading north to find? Yan Chi’s hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

Seal the city gates immediately. Do not let her escape.

Just as the guard captain moved to retreat, a sudden commotion erupted from the front courtyard. Yan Chi whirled around. Van Chi stood leaning against the doorframe, her bridal gown slightly disarranged, blood slowly seeping through the fabric at her shoulder.

Yan Chi.

My old wound has torn open again.

Yan Chi’s rushing steps faltered.