Chapter 1 — The North Wind Knows My Heart

My fiance, Shen Yu, knelt in the pouring rain for an entire night, desperate to beg the Emperor not to marry off the Ninth Princess to the Northern Frontier. When I rushed to him with an umbrella, his face was deathly pale, yet his spine remained straight and unyielding.

"The Northern Frontier is harsh and unforgiving, and the Prince of Northern Pacification is known to the world as the God of Slaughter!" he cried out. "The Princess is a flower nurtured in a palace of gold and jade. Your Majesty, if I cannot bear the thought of her suffering there, how could you?"

The Emperor stared down at him, his gaze heavy and inscrutable. "Are you fond of my Ninth Daughter?"

Shen Yu faltered, then lowered his head. "I dare not!"

"Then by what authority do you plead with me? Is it the place of a Commander of the Imperial Secret Guard to interfere with who my daughter marries?"

Shen Yu was dragged away by the palace guards. As they passed me, his eyes were bloodshot. "Wanyuan, please, intercede with the Emperor. Beg him to have mercy on the Ninth Princess."

I nodded, sinking to my knees before the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I humbly offer myself. Let me take the place of the Ninth Princess and go to the Northern Frontier."

The Emperor let out a sharp, cold laugh. "The Prince of Northern Pacification has formally requested her hand from me. And you? You are merely her companion, a plaything of the court. By what right do you presume to step into her shoes?"

My entire body trembled as my forehead pressed hard against the cold stone floor. "I beseech Your Majesty to grant my request."

The Emperor and Empress had only been blessed with one daughter in their middle age, and everyone in the empire knew she was the only princess. The Prince of Northern Pacification sought a marriage alliance, and naturally, it was the Princess he wanted. But the North was a land of ice, and the Prince was rumored to be a man of brutal violence. The Emperor had always pampered the Ninth Princess, and knowing her fragile, delicate nature, he surely could not bear to send her away. She only needed time, and the Emperor would surely find a way out for her.

But the Princess refused to believe it. She hid in her blankets every day, weeping. Whenever I tried to comfort her, she would cover her ears tightly. "I won't listen! I won't listen! My Father no longer loves me! He fears the Prince’s thirty thousand troops and wants to trade me for the stability of his reign!"

Those words were overheard by the Emperor, who had arrived to bring her soothing soup. In a rage, he shattered the bowl against the floor. The palace attendants fell to their knees in terror, and the Princess was so frightened she broke into silent, trembling tears. She bit her lip, not daring to let out a sound.

"The Ninth knows she is wrong, but I do not want to marry that God of Slaughter. They say he is hideous..."

"Who told you he was hideous?" the Emperor barked. Seeing the Princess tremble, he softened his tone. "I met the Prince when he was young. He is a man of striking appearance; do not believe the rumors of the streets."

"He kills without mercy! He is cruel!"

"When one is on the battlefield, if he does not kill, does he wait to be slaughtered himself?"

"He... he was raised in the North, he has never read a book, he is nothing but a brute!"

"I have read his official reports," the Emperor replied firmly. "His calligraphy is vigorous and bold, and his insights are profound."

The Princess only shook her head incessantly. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

The Emperor, finally losing his patience, turned his frustration upon me. "The Princess is still young and her temperament is unstable. You are her companion; you should be shouldering more responsibility, guiding her. How can you simply stand by and let her hide in her chambers crying all day?"

I was punished by being made to kneel outside the hall for an entire day. When the lessons ended, the Princess stood before me, wiping her tears. "I am sorry, Wanyuan. It is all my fault; I have implicated you."

I offered a faint smile. "I am fine, Highness. Please, go inside. It is far too hot out here; do not let the sun strike you."

She nodded obediently and was ushered inside by the maids. As I turned, I saw Shen Yu staring at me with icy indifference. "The Ninth has been fasting all day. Why did you not tell me?"

I was stunned. "I did not know..."

He cut me off coldly. "Did not know? You are her companion, always by her side. Is it that you did not know, or that you did not care?"

"Shen Yu, I have been kneeling here all day, I truly did not—"

"I have told you many times to pay more attention to her needs. Is this how you fulfill your duty?"

He ignored me completely and rushed inside. Moments later, the sounds of the Princess sobbing drifted through the air. "Brother Yu, Father... Father no longer loves me. He favors that butcher and insists I marry him. If I must go, I would rather starve to death."

Shen Yu comforted her with infinite patience. "Our Ninth is the best. No one could ever dislike you."

"Brother Yu, I do not want to go. If I go to the North, will I never see you again?"

Shen Yu was silent for a moment, then vowed, "I will go and beg the Emperor!"

He hurried to the door to leave. At this hour, the Emperor would be reviewing memorials; if Shen Yu disturbed him now, he would certainly be punished. I called out to him, "Shen Yu, wait! The Emperor will not bear to send the Princess away. Please, give him time. He will find a way."

He stopped and glared at me, his eyes burning with resentment. "Wanyuan, the Ninth treats you like a sister. She shares everything with you. She even petitioned for your family to be granted imperial favors, turning a fading Earldom into the envy of the capital. Now that she is being forced into this marriage, you refuse to say a word for her, and instead, you try to stop me? What is your intent?"

My throat tightened, and my eyes stung with hot, unshed tears. I lowered my head. "I only did not want you to be punished. I trust the Emperor."

"Enough!" he snapped. "You never cared for her. Since you aren't the one being married off, of course you don't care!"

Tears fell silently to the ground. "That is not what I think."

He looked at me with profound annoyance. "I have only said a few words and you are crying? Is there any court lady as fragile as you? The Princess cries, that is one thing, but why must you? Do you enjoy causing me trouble?"

I bit my lip, my tears falling faster. After a long silence, he sighed. "Stop kneeling. Go and rest."

I looked up in shock. "What?"

"The Emperor sent word; he said you have knelt long enough to learn your lesson. You may stop."

"Why did you not say so earlier?"

"I was busy checking on the Ninth," he replied dismissively. "Besides, you are always being punished. What does an extra hour matter?"

My heart constricted, leaving me speechless. He gave a slight cough, seemingly a hint of guilt crossing his face. He tossed a small jar of ointment at me. "Apply this three times a day. Be careful. Do not let it leave scars; it would be unsightly."

With that, he strode away. I clutched the porcelain jar, the world turning black as I lost consciousness. I was the daughter of a concubine in the Rongxiang Earldom. From a young age, I was sent to the palace to serve as a companion. Such an honor was never meant for me. That year, during the Spring Festival, the Princess’s kite caught on a high branch. None of the servants dared to climb for it, so my father pushed me forward, telling me that if I retrieved it, our family would enjoy boundless riches, and he would finally call a physician for my mother. I remembered my mother, lying on her bed, coughing blood while offering a weak, pained smile.

"Wanyuan, this is our fate. Years ago, I danced in the snow for the Earl, hoping only for a warm coat to survive the winter. It was my own foolish hope... and in the end, it is you who must suffer."