This woman who returned with Lu Yun wasn’t the Northern Princess. However, she was closely connected to Lu Yun – she was actually Lu Yun’s fiancée.
More specifically, she was still bound by an engagement contract that hadn’t been annulled, yet Lu Yun had stolen her heart away.
When General Wei Cong had his men investigate and discovered these details about Luo Lingyu, he felt quite disheartened. After personally escorting Miss Luo home, he returned on his tall horse with a dark expression, grinding his teeth – Lu Yun, it was Lu Yun again! The noble young man he looked down upon had somehow attracted such a beauty to travel thousands of miles for him.
Why was it that Wei Cong, who served in the same army, had such poor luck with marriage?
It was because King Chen had promoted him from humble origins.
When commoners entered noble society and wanted to advance their position, they naturally sought to marry up rather than stay among their lower-class peers. But Wei Cong was proud – while he looked down on commoners beneath his current station, the noble families he pursued wouldn’t agree to a marriage based purely on wealth no matter how much he offered.
Though General Wei was an excellent commander, his marriage prospects were stuck in limbo, causing him much worry. Now he had his sights set on the Northern Princess who shouldn’t be bound by the South’s strict class divisions. He thought he could shamelessly pursue this beautiful princess – only to find that even Luo Lingyu belonged to Lu Yun.
Wei Cong was filled with anger and frustration: With Lu Yun’s looks, what kind of woman couldn’t he get? Why did all the beautiful women only have eyes for Lu Yun? Didn’t other men need to get married too?
Wei Cong became determined to steal Lu Yun’s woman away.
Meanwhile, Luo Lingyu was waiting for Lu Yun, wanting him to apologize and also urgently wanting to tell her third cousin about Lu Xian’s dream.
When General Wei enthusiastically invited her to watch military drills in his camp, Luo Lingyu readily agreed.
Wei Cong showed rare cleverness here – after spending a day entertaining Luo Lingyu, by nightfall he had specially set up a tent for her in the camp, claiming it wouldn’t do to have Lu Yun’s family member traveling back and forth.
Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes sparkled with laughter, her cheeks flushed like syrup. She thought this general was quite cunning and knew how to please women. She wasn’t even married to Lu Yun yet, but General Wei was already calling her Lu Yun’s family.
General Wei was satisfied with his own thinking: Who said she was just a fiancée? Lu Yun’s cousin sister was also part of Lu Yun’s family.
With their different hidden agendas, the general appeared gallant while the lady remained lovely. General Wei and Miss Luo got along exceptionally well. When Lu Yun returned leading the real princess, what he saw was General Wei and Luo Lingyu engaged in pleasant conversation — that general who always opposed Lu Yun and complained about him being fussy was now bent over holding a rope, leading a horse around the small arena with the beautiful but tense Luo Lingyu seated on its back.
Luo Lingyu was not skilled at physical activities, and had never learned to ride. When Wei Cong found out, he eagerly volunteered to teach her. At this moment, the general showed none of his usual loud table-thumping manner. Instead, he spoke gently, holding back his sweat. Wei Cong jogged alongside the horse, constantly looking back at the lady on horseback, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would frighten her: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, I’m watching you, my lady won’t fall…”
A soldier whistled and ran to General Wei’s side to say a few words. The next moment, General Wei and the tense Luo Lingyu on horseback both turned to look at Lu Yun outside the camp fence, the woman beside him, and the Northern delegation of several dozen people following behind.
In times of war between two countries, envoys were not to be harmed. These Northern envoys followed behind their princess, examining the Southern military camp with critical eyes. Seeing the camp’s setup, their expressions turned ugly, as the South was clearly much more prosperous than the North, with better equipment for weapons, armor and warhorses. However, when they saw a high-ranking general personally teaching a lady to ride, these envoys’ lips curled in subtle smiles: Hah, just as the scholars said – Southerners were extravagant and lazy, only knowing how to enjoy themselves.
The Northern army was far superior to the South’s.
While the envoys watched calmly, the veiled princess beside Lu Yun saw the graceful figure of the lady on horseback. She glanced back at Lu Yun’s dark narrowed eyes. The princess’s heart sank. Through her veil of pearls and jade, the Northern princess stared at Luo Lingyu, secretly comparing their beauty and figure. Though the Northern princess considered herself beautiful and proudly wore a veil to prevent others from seeing her… she hadn’t expected to see such a woman in the military camp.
Moreover, Lu Yun was staring at her intently.
The Northern princess said in a deep voice: “The lantern Lu Yun asked from me, was it for her? Is it for her that you refuse to marry me?”
An alliance marriage didn’t necessarily mean marrying the Southern Emperor. In this era, noble families held high status and controlled state affairs. Marrying into a noble family could be just as effective as entering the Emperor’s harem.
Lu Yun paused and glanced at her: “No.”
Just as the princess began to relax, she heard him say: “It’s not for her. I still wouldn’t sacrifice my marriage for an alliance with anyone. My unwillingness to marry you has nothing to do with her – we simply aren’t fated for each other.”
The Northern princess said nothing, noting that Lu Yun hadn’t denied the matter of the lantern.
At that moment, she stood with Lu Yun outside the fence, watching as the horse trotted over and General Wei helped the delicate lady dismount. The lady had a full bosom and slender waist. As she walked with General Wei, her steps were graceful and elegant. Not only did the men in camp keep stealing glances, but even the Northern princess herself… couldn’t help but lift her own veil, revealing her face to compare beauty with this lady!
General Wei glanced disinterestedly at the Northern princess. Having grown used to seeing beauty these past two days, he remained calm: Hmm, the princess was nothing special. Not as good as a certain someone.
He really envied Lu Yun.
Lu Yun said nothing, only watching Luo Lingyu’s glancing eyes. He raised an eyebrow. Luo Lingyu looked toward the princess beside him, who was giving her an odd look. Luo Lingyu’s mind paused for a moment. As women, she immediately sensed the subtle dynamic between this princess and Lu Yun. She felt a touch of jealousy, mentally rolling her eyes at Lu Yun, thinking this was yet another woman who had fallen for his charms.
The Northern princess saw Lu Yun’s robe flutter as he stepped forward as if to greet them, and said: “Won’t Lu Yun praise her more in front of me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll be difficult and bully your beloved? Lu Yun’s true feelings are only this much.”
Lu Yun turned back, slowly looking at the cold-faced princess, his voice tinged with laughter: “…If you can manage to bully her, we’ll talk then.”
The Northern princess was stunned. Before she could respond, the camp gates opened and General Wei boomed enthusiastically: “The Northern delegation has arrived, what an honor—”
The situation between both sides opened up – between the two countries, there was no more room for private feelings. Every word and action was now a matter of state. The Northern princess’s dark eyes lifted slightly as she solemnly watched the camp gates open wide, soldiers lining up as drums thundered. In the clamor, the slender Lu Yun led the way. When those behind didn’t move, Lu Yun turned back, giving a perfunctory glance.
The Northern princess watched quietly. Slowly, her sleeves floated like swan feathers. She took a deep breath, raised her head high and straightened her back as she stepped forward.
Lu Yun seemed to sense something, his eyelashes trembling as he raised his gaze to look seriously at the Northern princess’s icy jade face. But the Northern princess no longer paid him any attention. The Northern delegation behind her filed in one by one, following the princess’s steps.
From this step forward, personal feelings were cast aside – this princess would dedicate herself to death for the North. A new era would begin from this step. This new age, this new story, would be led by her.
…
Sometimes casting aside personal feelings was precisely in the national interest. Moreover, compared to entering the harem of an old man with one foot in the grave, wouldn’t it be better to marry the young, talented and exceptionally handsome Lu Yun and become his wife?
Winning over a noble family wasn’t much different from winning over the Southern court.
That night, to welcome the delegation to Nanyang, General Wei granted special permission for drinking and feasting in camp until dawn. Originally Luo Lingyu was supposed to return to the Luo family, but when she saw the princess would be staying in a specially prepared tent in the camp, and how this princess’s gaze kept falling on Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu decided to stay as well, to keep watch.
At the evening banquet of wine and meat, the Northern delegation secretly compared and envied the abundance of Southern cuisine. The South was rich and prosperous, while the North faced frost and snow… Though the North had military might, why did these decadent Southern nobles occupy the best territories? Everyone felt discontented all evening, and the Northern princess especially kept staring at Lu Yun.
She watched as Lu Yun made a round of the gathering, politely but distantly socializing with the soldiers. The noble pride of Lu Yun’s scholarly background made it almost impossible for him to be approachable. Clearly Lu Yun had no intention of forcing himself to be approachable either. General Wei and his soldiers opened jar after jar of wine, everyone drinking until their faces were flushed red. Lu Yun went to the side and politely drank a few cups, with no one saying much.
General Wei impatiently waved his hand: “Go away, go away! You can’t drink properly, don’t disturb our fun!”
Lu Yun seized the chance to remind him in his ear: “General, can you drink these Northern envoys under the table? Find out their reasons from their mouths, then tell me, and I’ll find a way to thwart their wolfish ambitions.”
As General Wei’s head spun from drinking, he waved his hand casually. He snorted with disdain at Lu Yun plotting to play mind games and torment these Northerners again. But each to their own expertise – General Wei never opposed Lu Yun openly in such matters. Wei Cong swayed as he stood up holding his wine jar. With a wave of his arm, the stumbling drunk soldiers all got up with him to go drink with the Northern delegation.
Lu Yun returned to his seat at the banquet, choosing a spot beside Luo Lingyu. The lady rested her chin in her hand and looked at him, her phoenix eyes slightly slanted: “How much have you had to drink?”
Lu Yun was pleased she initiated conversation with him. Since the drunks were busy drinking and no one was watching them, he smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, trying to pull her into his embrace. Lu Yun took a light sniff of her hair and smiled: “I fooled them, I barely drank anything.”
Luo Lingyu gave him a knowing smile: “So you know you can’t drink after all.”
As she moved to push him away, she suddenly felt eyes watching from behind. Luo Lingyu glanced from the corner of her eye and saw the princess lowering her head to drink behind her sleeve, as if she hadn’t been looking at them. But whether she had looked or not… Luo Lingyu stopped pushing Lu Yun away and instead obediently let him hold her, allowing him to lovingly kiss her forehead.
Lu Yun gritted his teeth: “Don’t bring up that embarrassing incident again!”
Luo Lingyu gave him a reproachful look.
But he couldn’t help asking: “Did I do anything that night?”
As he spoke, he held her waist, feeling the flesh and bone there. Like one who had tasted forbidden fruit, he gradually lost his restraint as his hand crept upward. Lu Yun looked down and saw in the dim lamplight that the lady had lowered her head. Through her collar, snowy mountains seemed to undulate gently, covered in a thin layer of powdery snow, hazy and alluring.
Fire grew in his eyes and improper thoughts arose in his mind, making his hands lose their proper place. Dark fire burned as they moved like snakes, as if caressing fine silk. In full view of everyone, he seemed to have forgotten, seemed to only see her, and so he leaned down, leaned down…
Luo Lingyu pushed him away in alarm, whispering through gritted teeth: “What are you doing? Have you gone mad… are you drunk again?”
When had he ever been like this before? At most he would kiss and caress, when had he ever been so aggressive?
Lu Yun came to his senses, hiding the heat in his eyes though the flush wouldn’t leave his face. He moved his hand away, maintaining only a casual frivolous smile to ease her tension. He bit the pearl hanging below her ear, his voice muffled with laughter: “I’m not drunk… come find me tonight, hmm?”
Luo Lingyu snorted: “I won’t. I won’t waste words on a drunk – no matter how much I say, you won’t remember anyway.”
Lu Yun explained he wasn’t drunk, but Luo Lingyu pretended not to believe him.
She tilted her face up, the lamplight illuminating her features, her cheeks like peach blossoms. Such radiant beauty, breathtaking in the interplay of light and shadow. Lu Yun was moved at the sight, his throat bobbing as he lowered his face again to speak to her with gentle laughter. She dodged and laughed, her slender fingers poking the face of the young lord leaning toward her, not letting him touch her.
Such playfulness.
While others were busy drinking, busy with state affairs, busy testing each other, Lu Yun seemed drunk and carried on this way with Luo Lingyu. When he smiled, he was gentle and affectionate yet with an ethereal quality, carrying a hint of rakishness. Rakish but not vulgar – the young lord’s every gesture was captivating, bewitching hearts and consuming flesh and bone.
The Northern princess lowered her face.
The festivities continued until dawn before the banquet finally ended. General Wei had long since drunk himself senseless. After arranging for everyone to return to their tents to rest and seeing everyone off, Lu Yun tried probing Luo Lingyu once more.
Luo Lingyu asked: “What do you want to see me for?”
Lu Yun said softly with a gentle laugh: “Brother has a gift for you… won’t you come talk with brother for a while?”
She wasn’t very interested in gifts. Luo Lingyu thought of how Lu Yun still maintained that final barrier, unwilling to be intimate with her. What was the point of being with him at night then? He was a grown man – surely he wouldn’t expect her to use drugs just to sleep with him, just to maintain this relationship?
Luo Lingyu righteously refused Lu Yun.
Lu Yun sighed. Since she was unwilling, he wouldn’t force her.
Somewhat unhappily, Lu Yun returned to his tent. After hastily washing up, instead of sleeping, he hunched over his desk burning the midnight oil reviewing the pile of official documents he had accumulated. Holding multiple positions naturally meant having to spend more time than others on work. From the mountain of documents he pulled out a pile of letters, seeing they were all from Lu Xian. Lu Yun sighed heavily under the pressure – his second brother sent this many letters every day.
Rambling about all sorts of things without getting to the point. With such frequent letters, there could be no real point.
Lu Yun searched through the letters and finally found Lu Xian’s letter about the false pregnancy incident with Luo Lingyu. So this letter had arrived long ago, but because Lu Xian wrote so many letters, it had been directly ignored by his carefree and romantic third brother.
Lu Yun read the letter with mixed feelings, seeing his second brother’s apologetic tone. But his mind couldn’t help wandering. He thought how wonderful it would be if Luo Lingyu really were pregnant. He had hoped for it for so long, thinking daily of that child who was not to be. He thought how nice it would be to have a daughter – their Lu family had far more men than women, very few girls. A daughter between him and Luo Lingyu would surely be extremely beautiful.
Lu Yun lowered his head with a wistful smile.
Suddenly, there came sounds of argument from outside. In the dead of night, as Lu Yun raised his head, the felt curtain lifted and the Northern princess entered the tent wrapped in a thick gray squirrel fur cloak. The princess stood at the tent entrance, her gaze deep as she looked at him: “I have something to say to you.”
Lu Yun frowned slightly: “It’s late, tomorrow…”
The Northern princess said coldly: “You bought lanterns from me to give to your beloved, and I didn’t say anything. How is it that when I have business, Lu Yun can’t spare a moment to listen?”
Lu Yun fell silent and said no more.
The princess looked outside, gesturing for everyone to withdraw. With only the two of them left in the tent, the Northern princess walked forward, stopping three steps from Lu Yun’s desk. She lowered her eyes, her voice softening: “Lu Yun, I’ve heard of your reputation. The fame of the Plum Seeking Recluse has spread even to our North. Let me ask you one last time – do you truly refuse to marry me? Though it would be for political gain, I genuinely admire you.”
Lu Yun smiled perfunctorily: “I’m honored by Your Highness’s regard, but it’s unnecessary.”
Though he didn’t say it aloud, his eyes made it clear: Many women admire me. What makes you special?
Lu Yun was a proud and arrogant person. Even without harsh words, his disinterested and casual manner of not taking others seriously was extremely hurtful. In relationships, while you might be deeply moved, to him it was just an ordinary occurrence. The coldness and annoyance deep in the young lord’s eyes made the Northern princess’s face burn with shame.
She thought for a moment, seeing Lu Yun lower his eyes. Her heart steeled for a final gambit as her fingers fell to the sash tying her cloak.
Her clothes suddenly slipped off.
Lu Yun’s eyes shot up sharply, but so quickly that the Northern princess barely saw it before he had lowered his eyelids again. Lu Yun sat properly behind his desk, completely still. Apart from raising and lowering his eyes in that simple motion, even his elbow resting on the desk hadn’t moved an inch.
Truly his heart was cold beyond compare.
The Northern princess’s breathing grew heavy with embarrassment, awkwardness, and chills wracking her body. She stood naked before him, seeing his disinterested lowered eyes, and tears of fury welled up – he didn’t even move, not even rising to avoid her or cover her with clothes. Where was his cultured propriety?
Lu Yun’s true nature was someone utterly heartless who showed no consideration for others.
Lu Yun: “Please return, Princess. Don’t sully my reputation.”
The Northern princess’s voice trembled: “I sully your reputation?! You won’t even look, you… you heartless, faithless man…”
“Swoosh—”
The tent curtain suddenly lifted.
The Northern princess was terribly startled and hurriedly crouched down to grab her cloak from the ground. She trembled, her soft shoulders exposed to the air, her long hair scattered like clouds. She was desperately afraid of being caught in such an embarrassing state, and she saw Lu Yun’s expression change as he actually stood up.
The princess looked back to see Luo Lingyu holding a bowl of soup, standing at the tent entrance with a shocked expression.
The princess’s hasty attempts to cover herself weren’t enough to erase the evidence of what had happened in the tent. Luo Lingyu’s brows furrowed, her smile vanishing as her face turned to frost as she looked at Lu Yun.
Lu Yun calmly said: “It’s not what you think.”
Luo Lingyu’s eyes blazed with anger. She gave a cold laugh and immediately smashed the bowl she was holding before turning to leave. Before going, she shot an angry glare at the princess, trembling with rage but doing nothing more. The lady lifted the curtain and left, with Lu Yun not even glancing around before rushing out after her.
Lu Yun called urgently: “Lingyu, let me explain!”
The curtain lifted and fell, cold wind blowing in as distant arguing voices could be heard outside, full of anger. In the empty tent, tears fell drop by drop as the Northern princess silently put her clothes back on.
Both of them had completely ignored her – the Northern princess was filled with bitter hatred, trembling even more violently. She had never suffered such humiliation!
…
The Northern princess’s first step into the Nanyang military camp, her attempt to seduce Lu Yun – with these moments, history between the two countries also took a step forward. Few could see the tracks of fate from this moment within the great era’s miniature. Though those in Nanyang couldn’t see it, thousands of miles away in Jianye city, Lu Xian glimpsed some traces through his dream.
The day the Northern princess entered Nanyang’s military camp, that night Lu Xian had a dream. In this dream, he finally saw the reason for his third brother’s death.
The North had sent an envoy delegation to negotiate and trade with the South. When the Northern envoys entered Jianye, due to Lu Yun’s advance leak, the negotiations failed and the envoys returned home in shame. But the Northern princess caught the Southern Emperor’s eye and entered his harem. The Southern Emperor, who had long been obsessed with seeking immortality, finally showed some human desire – he particularly favored this Northern princess.
Even the Empress Dowager’s will couldn’t resist it.
As the North and South continued fighting, after Nanyang’s great victory, formal negotiations began. Based on his fondness for the Northern princess, the Southern Emperor made major concessions. The court stopped supplying Nanyang and ordered them to withdraw troops, calling Lu Yun back to the capital. Lu Yun submitted a memorial saying the situation was unstable and he couldn’t return. The Northern princess suggested killing Lu Yun, and the Southern Emperor hesitated.
The court split into two factions, with most demanding Lu Yun and General Wei return to Jianye. Moreover, according to negotiations, the Southern Emperor intended to give several adjacent commanderies including Ruyang, Nanyang, and Yingchuan to the North in exchange for a hundred years of peace. The noble families supported the court since they didn’t want to keep funding the army. In the chorus of voices, even the Lu family thought it good for Lu Yun to return. Why waste time on the mess in Nanyang?
Throughout the court, based on just one letter from Lu Yun, only King Chen argued reasonably that Nanyang’s situation was unstable, hoping to give Lu Yun more time.
But without troops or supplies, King Chen stood alone. Though he maneuvered extensively, since he didn’t know Nanyang’s specific situation and only supported Lu Yun based on their years of friendship… he couldn’t reverse the tide. It wasn’t until Lu Yun died that Lu Xian would regret bitterly, the Lu family would regret bitterly – if only they had known then, they shouldn’t have forced Lu Yun to return, they should have supported him staying.
The Northern princess made no further suggestions, but the game was already decided.
But in the dream, as Lu Xian’s soul wandered, he saw the Northern envoys gathered together, saw the subtle smile and hatred on the Northern princess’s face… he vaguely thought that Nanyang must have something else that gave the Northern princess such confidence. This princess likely knew why Lu Yun refused to return to Jianye.
Lu Xian thought anxiously: Why was this? Where did this princess’s hatred come from? How had Lu Yun offended her?
In this world, many hatreds have shallow causes but deep private motives. Sometimes just because that person didn’t spare them a glance, hatred could surge like a flood, becoming disastrous. They would think: Since you don’t recognize my worth, show me no mercy, why not just die?
Leave a Reply